Ahvenisto finals are done. Janne Knuutinen is the new Finnish Champion in Formel Ford, well deserved by him and his team after a strong season throughout. Sebastian Nummi, rookie for the year, did a great result being second - well done! And finally, Oskari Kurki-Suonio, driver virtuoso who shone today and had his moments also earlier in the season (Pärnu rain race comes to mind...), was third - also as a rookie, and with a very small team (pretty much me myself and I...). Congrats to all!
The NEZ championship is still a bit open, and some of the teams will head towards Padborg Park, Denmark, for the Sep 20 race. Antti Buri is a favorite for the title, but at least Miikka Mäkelä and Ville Kivinen will challenge that. Hirsimäki has apparently given up, and will not travel to Denmark. Other teams may join, at least s2i Motorsport and myself will be racing. Some teams are also likely to end their season in Finland by attending Alastaro Syysrace next weekend.After Padborg Park, sights will be turned to Brands Hatch and the Formula Ford Festivals there. Some teams are expected to attend from Finland, and it will be great to see how our drivers fare. Antti Buri raced Brands Hatch this weekend as a part of the UK Formula Ford Championship, and this time with a Mygale. Laptimes were 0.5...1 sec behind the leading drivers, but some bad luck and getting used to the new car made it hard for him. However, race by race he is catching up and getting more competitive.
At Ahvenisto the Rata-SM Finals brought results already on Saturday, when Janne Knuutinen secured the Championship after finishing third. Oskari Kurki-Suonio took the honors, dominating the race throughout, and Miikka Mäkelä was second. Sebastian Nummi was fourth, leaving the battle for silver for Sunday between him and Miikka Mäkelä.
Sunday's events were dominated, as Saturday, by Oskari Kurki-Suonio who knows this demanding track inside out. Number 2 today was Ville Kivinen after a very aggressive drive, and Sebastian Nummi got third, thus securing his silver in the Finnish Championships. Janne Knuutinen had some trouble with rear traction throughout the race, and spun out on paddock hill (varikkomäki), but fortunately in a controlled and well behaved manner. He ended up 6th 23secs behind the lead.
Thus, the Finnish Championships' honor roll 2009 reads as follows: (1) Janne Knuutinen, (2) Sebastian Nummi, (3) Oskari Kurki-Suonio, (4) Miikka Mäkelä, (5) Ville Kivinen, (6) Per Stenius, and (7) Jesse Anttila.
On a personal note, after having had technical trouble all Saturday (throttle cable!), my day was a bit boring. Warm-up with times around 1.24, and the race then with high 1.24 and 1.25 got me 7th 49secs behind the lead. Those few seconds per lap are simply way too much, and there is much work to be done for next season, both when it comes to basic condition training as well as car handling (and particularly early throttle application and late braking...). The car worked fine today, so the trouble is more between the steering wheel and the seat, truth to be said. However, with a privateer rookie team and no real experience in formula racing, and several seasons of no racing at all, this was a great learning experience and got me back into the sport. So all in all I am happy with how things went, and sights are set for the festivals now. Then, preparations for next season will start...
