Competitor Profiles PDF Print E-mail
CRAIG BREEN (IRE)
FSTi CHAMPION
Craig Breen

D.O.B: 2 February 1990
Nationality: Irish
Place of birth: Waterford, Ireland
Lives: County Kilkenny, Ireland
Marital status: Single
First rally: 2007 Stonethrowers Rally, Tipperary, Ireland
Number of WRC starts: 4
Website: www.craigbreen.com

Co-driver: Gareth Roberts
D.O.B: 6 August 1987
Nationality: Welsh

Career highlights:
2009
FSTi Champion (matched highest overall classification (25th) for a Fiesta ST on a WRC event); Kick Energy FST UK Champion, FST Ireland Champion, Irish National Junior Champion.
2008 Started rallying, British and European Kart KF2
2007 All Ireland Kart Champion
2006 National Irish Kart Champion
2005 Competed in British and Irish Kart Championships.  Won on Irish Formula A debut

Personal summary: Craig has won just about every kart award there is to win and is the top Irish kart driver in the British and European Championships in 2008.

PATRICK ANGLADE (GER)

Patrick Anglade

D.O.B: 19 December 1987
Nationality: German
Place of birth: Wadern, Germany
Lives: Losheim am See, Germany
Marital status: Single
First rally: 2006 Rallye Kohle&Stahl, Germany
Number of WRC starts: 8

Co-driver: Hans Peter Loth 
Nationality: German

Career highlights:
2009 Winner of Rally d'Italia Sardegna (FSTi), Rally Poland (FSTi) and 24th overall (Fiesta ST WRC record) and Rally GB (FSTi)
2008 ADAC Rally Deutschland (Diesel class), 1st ADAC Rally Masters (Div.7)
2007 1st ADAC Rally Deutschland (Diesel class), 1st ADAC Rally Masters (Div.7), 4th HJS Diesel Rally Masters and best junior driver
2006 2nd in Saarland Junior Championship

Personal statement: “Who fights can lose, but who does not fight has already lost.”

 

BADER AL JABRI (UAE)
Bader Al Jabri

D.O.B: 13 December 1984
Nationality: Emirati
Place of birth: Abu Dhabi, UAE
Lives: Abu Dhabi, UAE
Marital status: Single
First rally: 2008 Syrian International Rally
Number of WRC starts: 6

Co-driver: Steve McAuley
Nationality: Irish

 

Career highlights:
2009   Third overall in FSTi; N3 class win in Qatar International Rally
2008 Started rallying, contesting five events in the Middle East and the Malton Rally in the UK

Personal summary: Bader Al Jabri has been selected to represent Abu Dhabi in the sport of rallying with the Team Abu Dhabi Junior programme.
EMRE YURDAKUL (TUR)
Emre Yurdakul

D.O.B: 4 August 1982
Nationality: Turkish
Place of birth: Istanbul
Lives: Istanbul
Marital status: Single
First rally: 2004 Istanbul Rally
Number of WRC starts: 12

Co-driver: Burak Erdener
D.O.B: 7 June 1971
Nationality: Turkish

Career highlights:
2009
Second place in Rally GB (FSTi)
2008 FSTi Champion
2007 Turkish Rally Championship 2nd overall; Turkish Rally Championship GpA Winner; FSTi Shootout - top five finalist; Neste Oil Rally Finland 3rd
2006 Turkish Rally Championship 4th overall
2005 Turkish Rally Championship 2nd class N3; ERC Fiat Rally class N3 Winner; Istanbul Rally Championship 4th overall Fiesta N3; Fiesta ST N3 Test Driver

Personal summary:  2008 FSTi champion.

AHMED AL MANSOORI (UAE)
Ahmed Al Mansoori

D.O.B: 9 November 1986
Nationality: Emirati
Place of birth: Abu Dhabi, UAE
Lives: Abu Dhabi, UAE
Marital status: Single
First rally: 2009 Kuwait International Rally
Number of WRC starts: 6

Co-driver: Killian Duffy
D.O.B: 24 September 1982
Nationality: Irish

 

Career highlights:
2009 Third place at Vodafone Rally de Portugal (FSTi); N3 class win at his first event, the Kuwait International Rally

Personal summary: Ahmed Al Mansoori is the newest
addition to the Team Abu Dhabi Junior programme.
MAJED AL SHAMSI (UAE)
Majed Al Shamsi

D.O.B: 28 May 1980
Nationality: Emirati
Place of birth: Abu Dhabi
Lives: Dubai, UAE
Marital status: Married
First rally: 2008 Rally of Lebanon
Number of WRC starts: 4

Co-driver: Allan Harryman
Nationality: Irish

Career highlights:
2009
Third place, Rally d'Italia Sardegna (FSTi)
2008 Ford Fiesta class win in Rally of Lebanon; Swansea Bay Rally

Personal summary: Majed Al Shamsi has been selected to represent Abu Dhabi in the sport of rallying with the Team Abu Dhabi Junior programme.

BURCU CETINKAYA (TUR)
Burcu Cetinkaya D.O.B: 19 March 1981
Nationality:
Turkish
Place of birth: Istanbul
Lives: Istanbul
Marital status: Single
First rally: 2005 Hitit Rally
Number of WRC starts: 11

Co-driver:
Cicek Guney
D.O.B: 29 July 1981
Nationality: Turkish

Career highlights:
2009 FSTi championship
2008 FSTi - 2nd place; Castrol FST Turkey Champion; Turkish Rally Championship Ladies' Champion; Turkish Rally Championship N3 winner
2007 Turkish Rally Championship Ladies' Champion
2006 Turkish Rally Championship Ladies' Champion

Personal summary:  The former snowboarding champion turned rally driver came close to winning the FSTi title in 2008 as the championship went right down to the wire.

 

DENIS GRODETSKIY (RUS)
Denis Grodetskiy D.O.B: 19 April 1973
Nationality: Russian
Place of birth: Izevsk, Russia
Lives: Moscow, Russia
Marital status: Married
First rally: 2004 Paide Ralli (Estonia)
Number of WRC starts: 8
Hobbies: Motocross, martial arts, yoga, poker

Co-driver: Safoniy Lotko
Nationality: Russian

Career highlights:
2009 FSTi championship
2008 Competed in Rally d'Italia Sardegna, Rally of Turkey, Neste Oil Rally Finland and Wales Rally GB 

Personal summary:  Denis Grodetskiy has competed in over 20 rallies in the extremely competitive and fast paced Estonian and Finnish Rally Championships.  The 35-year-old and now the Cueks Racing Team has been a prominent figure in both championships since 2004.

JUSSI KUMPUMAKI (FIN)
Jussi Kumpumaki

D.O.B: 21 October 1989
Nationality: Finnish
Place of birth: Uusikaupunki
Lives: Uusikaupunki
Marital status: Single
First rally: 2008 Riihimaki NuSM
Number of WRC starts: 1

Co-driver: Mikael Korhonen
D.O.B: 29 March 1985
Nationality: Finnish

Career highlights:
2009 Second place, Neste Oil Rally Finland (FSTi)
2008 2nd Finnish Junior Rally Championship

Personal summary:
 The teenager, who started out in rally sprints in his native Finland, is looking to emulate his father, Arto Kumpumäki's success in the Finnish Rally Championship.  Rally Finland was be his first outing in the World Rally Championship.

LAMBROS ATHANASSOULAS (GRE)
Lambros Athanassoulas

D.O.B: 10 November 1976
Nationality: Greek
Place of birth: Athens, Greece
Lives: Loutraki, Greece
Marital status: Single
First rally: 2003
Number of WRC starts: 11
Website: www.athanassoulas.gr

Co-driver: Nikos Zaheos
D.O.B: 2 February 1980
Nationality: Greek

Career highlights:
2009 1st at Rally de España (FSTi), 1st in P-WRC at Acropolis Rally
2008 1st Greek driver at Acropolis Rally
2007 3rd Greek driver at Acropolis Rally
2006 1st in FSTi at Rallye Deutschland
2003 Greek A5 Champion

Personal summary:   In a season that has seen him earn his first ever FIA World Rally Championship drivers' point for finishing eighth overall at the Acropolis Rally, Lambros certainly made his mark in the FSTi and double-his tally of victories in the series.
ANTHONY MARTIN (BEL)
Anthony Martin D.O.B: 11 February 1984
Nationality: Belgian
Place of birth: Liege, Belgium
Lives: Bombaye, Belgium
Marital status: Single
First rally: 2004
Number of WRC starts: 2

Co-driver: Eric Bourget
D.O.B: 11 September 1984
Nationality: Belgian
Career highlights:
2009 Second, Rally de España (FSTi)
2008 FSTi, Rallye Deutschland
2007 Second, Ford Fiesta SportingTrophy Belgium; sixth in GpN class at Belgian Rally Championship; Ford RACB Rally Contest Award

Personal summary:  Anthony returned to the FSTi after making his WRC debut in Germany last year. The former FST Belgium runner-up became the first Belgian to rally the new Fiesta R2 in September at the Belgian Championship event in Oomlop van Vlaanderen.
ATTE ALANEN (FIN)
Atte Alanen

D.O.B: 21 October 1987
Nationality: Finnish
Lives: Lempäälä, Finland
Martial status: Single
First Rally: 2007 Vammala Rally, Ford Fiesta ST, winner
Number of WRC starts: 2

Co-driver: Teemu Horkama
D.O.B: 4 September 1979
Nationality: Finnish

Career summary:
Atte Alanen has shown great potential over the past two years since his first attempt at a rally - 2007 Vammala Rally - where he won the junior class behind the wheel of a Ford Fiesta ST.  2007 saw Alanen compete on eight events with five wins in the junior class. On just his third ever event as a driver, the youngster picked up the overall N3 class win along with the junior honours. By the end of the season he had finished as B-Junior Champion in the Finnish Championship in just his first year of competition.  In 2008, the 20-year-old has already contested nine events in Finland and has won the junior class on six occasions.  Neste Oil Rally Finland 2008 was Alanen's first ever WRC event and just his second using pacenotes.  With his entire career structured around the wheel of a Ford Fiesta ST this young Finn is well tuned for a promising future.