Mika Salo
Mika Salo in 2009
|
|
| Born |
30 November 1966 Helsinki, Finland |
|---|---|
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |
 Finnish |
| Active years | 1994–2000, 2002 |
| Teams | Lotus, Tyrrell, Arrows, BAR, Ferrari, Sauber, Toyota |
| Entries | 111 (109 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 2 |
| Career points | 33 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 1994 Japanese Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 2002 Japanese Grand Prix |
Mika Juhani Salo (born 30 November 1966) is a Finnish professional racing driver. He competed in Formula One between 1994 and 2002. His best ranking was 10th in the world championship in 1999, when he stood in for the injured Michael Schumacher at Ferrari for six races, scoring two podiums. He also won the GT2 class in the 2008 and 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans.
In 1989, Helsinki-born Salo competed in the British Formula 3 Championship, racing for Alan Docking Racing. He raced with the Reynard Toyota package which was not the season's best. Staying with Alan Docking Racing for 1990 and moving to a more competitive Ralt chassis, he raced against countryman and fierce rival Mika Häkkinen in Formula Three, finishing second to him.
In 1991 Salo headed to Japan to race in the Japanese Formula 3000 Championship (now named Super Formula). His initial aim was to race in Europe's Formula 3000 but did not garner enough funding to compete. A budget would have spanned from £200.000 to £500.000 to drive in Europe and Salo had only collected a fraction over £200.000, not enough to stay competitive. While in Japan, Salo landed a competitive seat and got also paid for driving for AD Racing's in their single car team. The Japanese Formula 3000 Championship in 1991 had increased stature thanks to the aggrieved Johnny Herbert (who raced in F1 in 1989) raising the calibre of the championship, driving in Japan in the same time than Salo.
"I think it was six days before the race they said, 'Do you think you can drive it next weekend with no testing'. I'd never driven a Formula One car before in my life; that's what I've always wanted, so I said yes. I know the circuit so I don't think it's a problem. The next two nights I lay in my bed smiling, so happy it was happening."
...
Wikipedia