 season took place on Saturday, June 7th, on the short layout of the Botniaring circuit in Jurva.){kind=link}
Finnish Racing Championship Event Media Recap (translated from Finnish; please excuse any translation errors) –
The Second Round of the Season Held at Botniaring in Wet Conditions
The second round of the Finnish Racing Championship (FRC) season took place on Saturday, June 7th, on the short layout of the Botniaring circuit in Jurva. Arto Ojaranta dominated two of the races and climbed to the top of the championship standings. The third race was won by Toni Lähteenmäki, who returned to the top step of the podium for the first time in nearly two years. Ojaranta now leads the championship by four points over Lähteenmäki, with Leevi Lintukanto nine points behind the leader in third place.
Qualifying was held on Friday, with Arto Ojaranta setting the fastest time. Leevi Vappula was the quickest in the second group and earned a spot on the front row for Race 1. However, Vappula had a poor start and eventually finished eighth in the Semi-Pro class. Ojaranta pulled away and secured a dominant victory, Lähteenmäki took second place, and Tommi Viitala claimed his first career podium finish in third.
In the second race, Viitala started from pole position with Jesse Vartiainen alongside him on the front row. Lintukanto and Ojaranta lined up on the second row, while Onni Peltonen and Robin Sario waited just behind. The race followed a similar script to the first: Ojaranta climbed to the front, with Lintukanto putting up a strong challenge but ultimately finishing second. Kalle Merisalo made his first podium appearance of the season in third. This marked Ojaranta’s fourth consecutive win.
Final Race Delivers Last-Lap Drama
The day’s final race turned into an instant classic. Tire choices gave teams headaches as they watched the skies—rain was a constant threat. The front row featured Lintukanto and Ojaranta, with Merisalo and Kasper Kaitajärvi on row two. When the lights went out, Merisalo stalled on the line and dropped to the back of the field. A furious comeback saw him, in his distinctive “golden egg” livery, recover to tenth.
Early on, the race was led by Lähteenmäki, followed by Kaitajärvi, Peltonen, and Lintukanto. Ojaranta fought his way into the lead group, while Kaitajärvi fell back and eventually finished ninth. The final lap will go down in history: Lähteenmäki, Ojaranta, Lintukanto, and Peltonen had broken away from the rest.
Lähteenmäki led until turn 1, where Ojaranta made the pass. In turn 3, Lintukanto seized the lead, pushing Lähteenmäki down to fourth. But in turn 4, Lähteenmäki pulled off a bold move around the outside, overtaking both Peltonen and Ojaranta to reclaim second. In the final corners, Lintukanto braked a bit late, allowing Lähteenmäki to take the lead. Peltonen also slipped past Ojaranta in the last corner to finish second. Ojaranta dropped to third, and Lintukanto, who had led just a few hundred meters before the finish, ended up fourth.
Lähteenmäki crossed the line with an exuberant celebration. The eight-time Finnish circuit racing champion hadn’t won a Legends race since the Seinäjoki Vauhtiajot two years ago.
Olli Lavikainen Unstoppable in the Hobby Class
Two races were held in the Hobby class. Olli Lavikainen, who transitioned from rally and rallycross to asphalt racing, was in a league of his own in both starts and claimed dominant wins. Lavikainen now leads the championship with maximum points.
Sami Juvonen and Matti Alamäki provided much of the entertainment, engaging in fierce battles that occasionally sent both cars onto the Botniaring grass. Juvonen finished second in Race 1, with Alamäki third and Mika Koivu fourth. In Race 2, while Juvonen and Alamäki were skirmishing off-track, 2017 Finnish folkrace champion Kimmo Angervisto took advantage and drove to second place. Alamäki was once again third, and Juvonen came home fourth.
The FRC Season Continues on July 18–19
Next up: the championship returns to Botniaring, this time using the full circuit.