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Ari Vatanen's son Max joins new World Rally Championship series

The Vatanen name will return to the World Rally Championship this season after Ari's son Max was listed among the 12-strong field for the new Drive DMACK Fiesta Cup

Max's father won his 1981 world title at the wheel of a Ford Escort before later driving for Peugeot and Subaru.

Vatanen Jr said: "This is the best option for a young driver like me to get real WRC experience and progress my career.

"The competition will be intense, but we will have the opportunity to impress people and aim for the fantastic prize drive."

Asked if he thought his surname would be an advantage or a disadvantage, the 23-year-old said: "It's both, but OK, in the end I would say that it is more an advantage than a disadvantage.

"The good side is that it helps bring you some opportunities and it makes people aware of who you are, but the negative side is that it creates a lot of expectation as well: people assume that the son is like the father, and of course life isn't like that!

"You also have to consider that it's quite difficult for Ari as well: he's been at the very top level for a long time, so it's hard for him sometimes to see it from my point of view. He just wants everything to be perfect.

"If you are not careful it can affect your relationship on a personal level, but he has been very supportive."

The winner of the DMACK series will get a seven-round WRC2 programme in a Ford Fiesta R5 for 2015.

The other drivers listed include British Rally Championship frontrunner Tom Cave and former Junior WRC runners Jose Suarez and Yeray Lemes.

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