Finnish Racing Championship Event Media Recap (translated from Finnish; please excuse any translation errors) –
The third race weekend of the Finnish Racing Championship season took place at the Botniaring circuit in Jurva on July 19. On a hot Saturday, two races were held in both the Championship and Hobby series. In the Championship series, Arto Ojaranta tightened his grip on a second consecutive Finnish title, while in the Hobby series, the championship is also nearly decided—Olli Lavikainen claimed victory in both races and has now won all six races of the season.
Friday’s program included practice sessions and qualifying. Series leader Ojaranta made his pace clear with a single fast lap before returning to the pits. In the first race, however, Ojaranta didn’t get off the line as quickly as the others and dropped to fifth. Onni Peltonen took the early lead, but Tommi Viitala powered past on the first straight, and Henri Tuomaala also quickly joined the battle at the front. Ojaranta didn’t stay in the background for long—he took the lead on the second lap and pulled away. Tuomaala secured second, and Peltonen took third. The final lap brought drama as second-place in the standings, Lähteenmäki, spun out, falling all the way to 16th despite having won the previous round.
In the second race, Ojaranta, starting from pole, got off the line a bit better, but the battle for the lead remained intense for a long time. Tuomaala surged to the front, followed by Peltonen and Robin Sario in second and third, with Ojaranta chasing in fourth. Sario took the lead on the first lap, and chaos unfolded in the pack behind. Jesse Vartiainen and Casper Kaitajärvi collided and both went off—Vartiainen had to retire, and Kaitajärvi finished in 18th. Midway through the race, Ojaranta reclaimed the lead, while Leevi Lintukanto crept up toward the front to join the fight for victory. He passed Tuomaala, then Sario, but couldn’t quite catch Ojaranta’s pace. Ojaranta took his sixth win of the season, further strengthening his lead in the standings. Lintukanto finished second, and Sario earned his first Legends podium with third place.
In the Hobby series, there was fierce competition for victory between Olli Lavikainen and Matti Alamäki. Contact between the two damaged Alamäki’s car just enough to prevent him from truly challenging Lavikainen, who took his fifth win of the season. Alamäki came in second, and Mika Koivu third. In the second race, Lavikainen and Alamäki staged one of the day’s most thrilling duels, which once again ended in Lavikainen’s favor, with Alamäki finishing second. Both races also saw intense battles for third place, and this time it was Riku Yli-Venna’s turn to step onto the podium. The series continues with the Estonian Grand Prix at Porsche Ring in Estonia from August 8–10.