Vahan Terzian

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Vahan Terzian was born on October 12 1953 in Nicosia, Cyprus. He was arguably one of the best rally drivers ever to come out of Cyprus. His rallying career began shortly before the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus and went on to dominate the rallying scene for the years to come. Unfortunately he died in a tragic car accident at the age of 45.

He first took part in the island's premier motor sporting event, the Cyprus Rally, in 1976, though he didn't finish. He completed the 1977 event, but was disqualified because his service car was in a collision with Shekhar and Yvonne Mehta's Datsun[1]. Though he competed in 1978 and '79, he failed to finish.

The turning point in his career came in 1980, when he gave a good account of himself in the local events and finished the Cyprus Rally fourth overall. In 1981 he won the Cyprus Rally and also the local championship - a crown he kept for five consecutive years, from 1981 to 1985. From 1981 to 1987 Vahan managed to acquire the highly sought after title of Best Cypriot Driver [2].

He then took a break from the championship for several years, though he continued to take part in the Cyprus Rally.

Though he never again succeeded in winning the Cyprus Rally, his record on the gruelling event is impressive: 3rd in 1982, 2nd in 1983, 4th in 1984 and '85. In 1986 he finished 3rd, in 1987, 2nd and in 1988 7th. He was a non-finisher in 1989, but amazed even his most ardent fans with his performance in 1990, when he drove a Honda Civic to 2nd overall, beating much more powerful machines.

His efforts in 1991 and 1992 did not bear fruit, but he roared back in 1993 in a Group N (unmodified) Toyota Celica Turbo which he drove to 4th in 1993 and 2nd in 1994 - also taking the Group N championship in both years, and finishing second and third, respectively, in the Open Championship.

Vahan retired from rallying in 1995.

One of his co-drivers, who also sat in the left-hand seat for two other rally champions stated that

"Vahan was a real talent behind the wheel of a rally car, he didn't have to work at it, it was instinctive - he must have been born with it."

During his long association with motor sport in Cyprus, Vahan always made sure to take part in the grass roots aspect of rallying and racing: he was a regular driver at charity events, and was not averse to helping newcomers to the sport

Vahan Terzian certainly won himself a place in the history books and in the hearts of fans.

Past Winners of Cyprus Rally[3]

Cyprus Rally Official Website[4]