17-year-old Justus Räikkönen and 51-year-old Freddy Loix are stories that the rally world offers outside the top.
Henri Pitkänen,
Roope Visuri
In the Jyväskylä World Rally Championship, one name on the participant list attracts special attention. Räikkönen. Justus Räikkönen. He comes from a well-known motorsport family. Father is Rami Raikkonen and the uncle is perhaps the most famous Finn internationally: the 2007 F1 world champion Kimi Raikkonen.
Justus will also get his name in the history books this weekend at the Jyväskylä World Rally Championship, as he will become the youngest driver in the history of the Jyväskylä World Rally Championship.
– A great experience. When such an opportunity opened up, there was no answer but yes. We have enjoyed ourselves completely. The car has worked perfectly. The roads have been in great condition. The pews are full of people. Great to go, Justus Räikkönen describes.
17-year-old Räikkönen competes in the RC4 class and led his class by 15 minutes at the Saturday daycare. So the class win seems rarely clear, if there are no problems. During the final race, Räikkönen will fight for the title of the fastest Finnish rookie in the race.
Justus Räikkönen says that the familiar surname has brought some additional attention on the route of the competition.
– It has surprised me how much attention has come. On the other hand, it’s nice that the crowd is interested. I like to say hello and chat with people, Räikkönen states.
According to Justus Räikkönen, gasoline runs in the family’s veins. Rami’s father, who drove at the national level, once drove himself in the Jyväskylä World Rally in 2001. Kimi Räikkönen was seen on the route of the Jyväskylä World Rally in 2009-2011, when he took a break from formulas. Two tips from father and uncle came to the race.
– There was talk that the roads will be in bad condition in the second round. They have reminded the worst to dodge rocks. Nothing bigger than that has come from driving technology. In addition, they have reminded you to enjoy the journey. The first World Rally Championship in Jyväskylä only happens once, Räikkönen says.
17-year-old Räikkönen dreams of becoming a rally professional.
– Of course, I would dream of making this my profession and rallying full-time. Now we are in such an early stage that I haven’t thought far ahead. Let’s move forward one step at a time in competitions and classes. No great stress is taken from anything, Räikkönen states.
Tommi Mäkinen’s ex-teammate also in the race
The other extreme is represented by a 51-year-old Belgian Freddy Loix. His peak years are at the turn of the millennium. Loix was at Mitsubishi Tommi Mäkinen team mate in 1999–2001. Loix returned to the Jyväskylä World Rally Championship this summer after 19 years and competes in the WRC2 class.
– This is still a fantastic rally, says Loix, who competed in Central Finland for the first time in 1995.
In his career, Loix was on the podium three times in the World Championship. Today, Loix works for Aston Martin.
– This time the rally has gone well except for one flat tire. I’m happy at the moment, Loix said during a service break.
Now Loix wants to have fun with the rally.
– We came to Finland with the family for a vacation. We rented a cabin by the lake. This is a mixture of vacation and racing, Loix said with a big smile.
shows all Jyväskylä World Championship special tests live in Areena and the app. You can find everything about the World Rally Championship in Jyväskylä at EPN.fi/mmralli. You can access the popular rally live tracking here.