Former Swedish Rally winner Anders Kullang drowned at his holiday home in Thailand on Tuesday. The Thai police in the Huay Yang area south of Bangkok have launched an investigation into the death of the 68-year-old.
A spokesperson from the Swedish Foreign Ministry said: "We can confirm that Anders Kullang drowned and his family has been notified."
Kullang started 45 rounds of the World Rally Championship between 1973 and 1988. The Swede drove solely for Opel for almost nine years, winning his home round of the WRC in 1980 while driving an Ascona 400.
After retiring from the sport, Kullang opened his own driving school in northern Sweden, tutoring the world champions Colin McRae and Sebastien Loeb among others.