InFocus | Finland
Meet the Flying Finns
An early start and practice in harsh weather conditions have helped Finland produce some of the best racing drivers
- By Deepa Kandaswamy, Gulf News
- Published: 23:46 December 5, 2008
- Image Credit: Gulf News Archive
Auto racing is a motor sport involving racing cars that tests the skills of the driver, the speed capabilities
of the vehicle and endurance of both. Today, car racing has evolved into a global year-round professional sport and a crowd puller. This year marks the 110th anniversary
of the world's first car race when Gaston
de Chasseloup-Laubat, a French Count, received the title of fastest car driver in the world for driving at almost 63.5 km/h.
The Finnish Connection
With its 60,000 lakes, it is easier to associate sailing champions with Finland rather than Formula One (F1) champs. The country's landscape hardly makes you think of car racing, especially F1 and World Rally champions. But there are more Finns who are excellent race car drivers than catamaran champions.
If this seems like a contradiction, it is important to understand why there are more race car drivers per capita in Finland than any other country.
Children in Finland start driving and karting (miniature automobile racing with low-framed, light-chassis cars) when they are as young as four or five years old. Aside from this, the harsh weather conditions also help Finns to learn to drive in difficult conditions.
In addition, Finns have a traffic school for children apart from racetracks on frozen lakes in their neighbourhoods. Learning to drive on ice and roads from an early age and fierce competition help Finland to produce some of the best race car drivers.
Leo Juhani Kinnunen aka Leksa: The first F1 driver from Finland, Leksa was successful in both sports car racing and rallying. He helped Porsche win the World Sportscar Championship in 1970 and set the fastest time ever for the track that remains unbeaten to this day. In 1974 he switched to F1 racing and was the last driver to compete in F1 using an open-face helmet.
Keijo Erik Rosberg aka Keke: The first Finn to win the F1 World Championship title, Keke was born in Sweden but grew up in Finland. He was also the first driver to compete regularly in the F1 series.
In 1986 he retired from racing and turned manager for fellow
Finns J.J. Lehto, Mika Häkkinen and his own
son, Nico Rosberg.
Jari Latvala: A rally racer who won the 1994 Finnish Rally Championship, he also runs Latvala Motorsport. His son and protégé Jari-Matti Latvala is better known.
Jyrki Juhani Järvilehto aka JJ Lehto: He is the protégé of Keke Rosberg.
Like most Finns, he began karting at the age of five and won numerous races. At 14 he was racing for Formula Ford and won the British F3 race in 1988. In 1989 Lehto made his F1 debut but never won. In 2001 Lehto joined Finnish television as a race commentator.
Mika Pauli Häkkinen aka Mika: A two-time F1 champion, he is the only one to have ever beat Michael Schumacher, the almost unbeatable driver in the F1 series. When Mika was five, he began karting at a track near his home.
By the age of 15, Mika had won five karting championships. In 1995 an accident during practice at the Australian Grand Prix almost cost him his life. Nonetheless, he returned to racing in 1997, winning his first Grand Prix. In 1998 and 1999 he was the F1 World Champion beating Michael Schumacher.
Mika Juhani Salo aka Salo: As children, Mika Salo and Mika Hakkinen lived in the same neighbourhood in Helsinki and raced each other from go-karts all the way to cars at the 1990 British F3 Championship. He competed in F1 between 1994 and 2002.
Marcus Grönholm: He is a rally car driver.
His father Ulf was one of the best rally drivers in Finland in the 1970s when Grönholm was growing up. He drove his first rally in 1987 the same year he got his driving licence at the age of 18. After his first full season in the championship series in 2000, Grönholm won the title by emerging first in four rallies and was crowned a World Rally Champion.
Kimi Räikkönen aka Ice Man: He started as a karting champion for Finland in several international championships before moving to cars when he turned 18 in 1998. In 2003
he proved to be the most consistent rival to Schumacher.
Since then, he has won several titles and is considered one of Finland's brightest prospects for the future.
Mikko Hirvonen: A Finnish rally driver currently driving for the BP Ford World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship,
he helped Ford win the manufacturers' title in 2006 and 2007 and races for Abu Dhabi's BP Ford Focus team. Heikki Kovalainen: A racing driver, he began his F1 career in 2007.
He is the 100th driver to win an F1 Grand Prix. Kovalainen's career began in karting, much like that of other F1 racers from Finland. Kovalainen became the first non-rally driver to win the Henri Toivonen Memorial Trophy and earn the title ‘Champion of Champions' beating the reigning World Rally Champion in 2004.
Jari-Matti Latvala: He began driving when he was four years old and started karting when he turned six. At the age of eight, he began racing after receiving a Ford Escort from his father Jari Latvala, who was a rally driver.
Latvala drives at the BP-Abu Dhabi rally. There are other Finn drivers such as four-time World Rally Champions Juha Kankkunen and Tommi Mäkinen aside from Michael Kozarowitzky, Eeva Heinonen, Timo Mäkinen, Jaakko Markkula and Timo Rautiainen who also keep the Finland flag flying high.
