Mika Salo from Formula 1 to Rally Norway

Mika Salo – is the name familiar?  This is the former Formula 1 driver from Finland who is preparing to start Rally Norway on 10th and 11th February.

Mika Salo may not have reached 40 yet but retirement age in Formula 1 is young.  He drove his last season for Toyota in 2002 and has been nurturing an interest in rally and will soon be starting a Mitsubishi Lancer E8 in group N in Rally Norway.

Rally experience is totally different from track racing but the Finnish motorsport celebrity will still be one to follow closely!  He will be driving for the highly professional team TV-Motorsport with his co-driver Peter Flyhtström.
 
Mika Salo is not alone among former Finnish F1 drivers when it comes to getting interested in rally.  Mika Häkkinen has also driven for the TV-Motorsport team when the urge has taken him to get behind the wheel for some winter driving. 
The two Mikas grew up just a stone’s throw from each other in Helsingfors and have been fierce rivals throughout their racing lives.

Mika Salo may not have reached the F1 heights of his countryman Häkkinen, but he still has an impressive Formula One Grand Prix start tally of 110.  Two of them resulted in podium finishes, when he stepped into the Ferrari seat vacated by an injured Michael Schumacher in 1999.  If it hadn’t been for a team order to let Eddie Irvine pass him in that year’s German Grand Prix, Salo would have taken victory. 

After his loyal performance and solid driving for Ferrari, many thought he would get a permanent race seat with the Italian squad when Eddie Irvine was to leave before the start of the 2000 season.  But Ferrari opted for Rubens Barrichello and Mika Salo went to Sauber Petronas, before finishing his Formula 1 career building up the all-new Toyota team until 2002. He also drove for Tyrell, Arrows and BAR Honda.

After laying the Formula 1 driving to rest, Mika Salo has been involved with building up one of Europe’s most impressive karting tracks, tied in with a theme park, back home in Finland.  Stian Sørli was the Nordic Champion at The Mika Salo Circuit in 2003.

At Rally Norway, spectators can see Mika Salo in action up close, and in the indoor Service Park in the Vikingsip stadium, there will be all kinds of opportunities to catch him for an autograph or a chat!