 was held on May 23–24 at the Kemoraring in Veteli.){kind=link}
From Legends Cars Finland –
LEGENDS NATION NOTE: THIS PRESS RELEASE HAS BEEN TRANSLATED TO ENGLISH AND MAY HAVE SOME TRANSLATION ERRORS. WE APOLOGIZE FOR ANY ERROR THAT MAY BE PRINTED.
The First Round of the Finnish Racing Championship Kicked Off at Kemoraring
The first round of the Finnish Racing Championship (FRC) was held on May 23–24 at the Kemoraring in Veteli. This season includes thirteen races over five weekends, with each driver’s twelve best results counting towards the final standings. The next round will be held at Botniaring in Jurva on June 6–7 — this time using the classic shorter layout.
A Damp Evening on Friday
On Friday, qualifying and the first race were held. Arto Ojaranta took pole position, with Aleksi Pärssinen starting alongside him. The second row featured Toni Lähteenmäki and Erik Seppänen. The track was wet from earlier rain. Ojaranta led the race until Lähteenmäki attempted an overtake. The two collided, dropping both far out of the lead battle.
“Whenever you’re fighting for the win, things can happen — and this time it happened right in the season opener. After the race, Arto and I shook hands and agreed it was a ‘fifty-fifty’ situation. Both of us could’ve handled it differently,” Lähteenmäki commented in his press release.
Victory went to Henri Tuomaala, the most successful driver in the series’ history. However, he is not contesting the full season and is therefore not collecting championship points. Aleksi Pärssinen, showing strong pace, finished second and earned the full 100 points. Marko Kilpiä came in third, and newcomer Matias Salonen — with a strong background in circuit racing in both Finland and Europe — finished fourth.
The Track Dried by Saturday
By Saturday, the track had dried and the drivers enjoyed a spring-like day. On the front row of the season’s second race were Lähteenmäki and Salonen. Pärssinen and Jesse Vartiainen, returning to the series, lined up on the second row. Vartiainen spun on the first lap, dropping to 16th and out of contention. Lähteenmäki led early but came under pressure from Tommi Viitala, who passed him on lap two. The order became Viitala, Lähteenmäki, Salonen, and Tuomaala.
Ojaranta, starting from 13th, fought his way forward and latched onto the leading group. He steadily picked off positions and took the lead on lap four. He went on to win the race. Lähteenmäki fended off Tuomaala to hold second place, with Tuomaala taking third. Kilpiä was fourth, Onni Peltonen fifth, and early leader Viitala came in sixth.
Six Lead Changes in the Day’s Final Race
The front row of race three featured Ojaranta and Kasper Kaitajärvi, who had taken his first-ever win at Kemoraring the previous season. When the lights went out, Kaitajärvi surged into the lead. Ojaranta, true to form, had a more measured start and slotted into second, followed by Viitala in third.
In turn two, the order changed as Viitala took the lead and was followed by Kilpiä, who had started from sixth. Leevi Lintukanto also got a strong start and climbed from seventh into the lead group. After lap one, Viitala led, Kilpiä was second, Lintukanto third, and Peltonen — who started eighth — had already moved into fourth. Robin Sario, a debutant moving from karting to Legends cars, ran fifth. Kaitajärvi had fallen to sixth, with reigning champion Ojaranta in seventh.
As the race progressed, Kilpiä took the lead, with Lintukanto and Peltonen following close behind. Viitala dropped to fourth, just ahead of Ojaranta. At halfway, Lintukanto moved into the lead and Peltonen into second, with Kilpiä third and Ojaranta still close in fourth. The lead changed again the next lap as Peltonen became the fifth leader of the race.
Behind the leading trio, Ojaranta and Lähteenmäki were charging forward side-by-side. In the final minutes, Lintukanto regained the lead, but Ojaranta overtook him through the “Hirsibaari” corner to take second. Kilpiä ran wide in turn one and dropped to eighth. At the same time, Ojaranta passed Lintukanto on the main straight and pulled away to claim his second win of the season.
Peltonen tried to pass Lintukanto in the “Carousel” to take second, but the move backfired — both Lähteenmäki and Tuomaala slipped past him, pushing Peltonen down to fifth. The hardest blow came to Kilpiä, who spun in the final corner and fell all the way to 18th. Ojaranta took his second win, Lähteenmäki claimed another second place, and Lintukanto finished third.
Championship Standings After Round One
Toni Lähteenmäki leads the championship after two second-place finishes. Leevi Lintukanto is in second, and Onni Peltonen third. Arto Ojaranta, despite two wins, sits fourth due to his DNF on Friday. Marko Kilpiä is fifth, and Tommi Viitala sixth.