Kai Tarkiainen returnsKai Tarkiainen has been appointed as Project Director of AKK Sports Ltd, starting on 18 February 2008. His main responsibility will be Rally Finland, where he will be taking on the duties of Clerk of the Course. He will also act as Promoter of the
top national series, the Finnish Rally Championship.
Kai Tarkiainen has risen through the rally organisation after beginning his work on the 1000 Lakes Rally in 1995. In 1997 he was employed by AKK Sports Ltd and became the Secretary of the Rally before taking on duties as both Deputy Clerk of the Course and Sporting Director of the Finnish WRC event.
In 2006 Tarkiainen entered the employment of a PR agency, but remained within the rally world as a member of the organising team for the 2007 Rally Ireland WRC event with the title of Sporting Director.
"It is fantastic that I was able to persuade Kai to come back to Rally Finland. He was actually one of our first employees, so now the "know-how family" of our WRC event has been reunited," said the Managing Director of AKK Sports Ltd, Jarmo Mahonen.
"I am extremely pleased to come back to Rally Finland," declared comeback man Tarkiainen.
"Even though my work at the PR agency was very interesting, the fairly demanding role that I had within the Irish WRC project convinced me of the fact that I cannot leave the world of rallying behind. Jarmo's enquiry about my interest to return to AKK Sports came at a very opportune moment," he added.
Risto Laine, last year's Clerk of the Course, has become a private entrepreneur. He will nevertheless continue as Sporting Executive for rallies with the Finnish Automobile Sport Federation. In addition to that, he is organising a classic motorshow that will take place this spring.
Source Rally Finland
