Quote Originally Posted by Tomi
Are you sure about this, I remember Pentti once told about the Brittish licence but the reasons why he had it was very different.
Pentti may have had other reasons as well, but up to 1977 it was certainly true (it's a real shame he isn't still with us so that we could ask him). The British Rally Championship changed to an Open International series in 1978 (I think) so a UK licence would not have been required from then onwards for championship events, but drivers contracted to British teams may have been expected to do additional events in Britain that required a UK licence. The fact that Pentti was a UK resident may also have made it easier for him to have a British, rather than Finnish, licence. FIA rules say that you need an address in the country that issues the licence - but don't say you have to live there! I can't remember when the NEAFP rule came in but since it was introduced it has been possible to compete on NEAFP calendar events across the EU with a suitable licence from another country.