Justus Räikkönen got behind the wheel at the age of three. The young driver’s path to the SM3 class has been fast. In the championship competition in Lahti, he aims for victory.
According to the well-known parable, in the moorland Justus Räikkönen has petrol in his veins.
– Grandpa Masa brought a go-kart to the maternity ward, so I guess the first contact happened when I was still wrapped.
He got behind the wheel of a racer for the first time at the age of three.
Both parents and grandfathers of Justus Räikkönen have enjoyed and succeeded in motor sports, uncle is F1 world champion Kimi Räikkönen.
– We always remember the father’s side, but my mother also drove karting championships when she was young. Mother’s father, on the other hand, has competed in the Minitonn once upon a time, Räikkönen says.
After karting, the young man switched to motocross and then rally.
In addition to motor sports, Räikkönen has been involved in cheerleading at the championship level.
He was lured into it by a persistent cousin – with fatigue tactics.
– The cousin said that the team needs boys, since they are such a disappearing resource there. I flatly refused at first. Eventually, however, I would find myself involved and get excited.
In the spring, Räikkönen participated in the World Championships of the sport in the Junior mixed team in Orlando, USA. The team reached the semi-finals and finished fourth in the final. After that, cheerleading stopped.
– You can’t do two things fully at the top level and I chose the rally. Now that’s what I’m focusing on.
A step forward at a time
Justus Räikkönen’s goal is to race for the world like Kalle Rovanperä and other Finns. However, he is not in a hurry.
– I’m moving forward one season and one class at a time. If all the pieces fall into place and the wind direction is right, it may be that one day we will be high.
The 18-year-old driver is competing in his third rally season, now in the SM3 class.
Last year he became the youngest winner in the history of the Jyväskylä Secto Rally Finland World Championship in the RC4 class. The victory came this year as well.
On the Lahti rally routes for the first time
This season, there will be seven competitions in the SM series, three of them in winter, three in summer and one in autumn. The season ends in Kokkola on the last weekend of September.
The Lahti competition is the second to last, and it is organized in connection with the 20th anniversary of the Historic Rally.
Yesterday, Justus Räikkönen started the two-day competition from the top spot in the SM3 class.
– I am competing for the first time in the Lahti region. Based on the sheet music, the route looked really fast. There are a few more technical bits along the way. How they fit in the hand will become clear during the race.
The final climax is getting exciting. Before Saturday’s finish line, the runner-up in the series Tuomas Väilä is 5.7 seconds ahead of Justus Räikkö.