We know Finland. Land of a thousand lakes, relentless winters, and crucible of racing legends: the ice-cool Mika Hakkinen, the gloriously stoic Kimi Raikkonen, the relentless Valtteri Bottas. But what if we told you Finland once had its very own purpose-built cathedral of speed? A place designed to forge more of those fearless “Flying Finns”? That place was the Keimola Motor Stadium – Finland’s first true racing heart, now a whisper beneath suburbia.
Born near Helsinki in Vantaa, Keimola roared to life in 1966. By 1978, it fell silent. Today? Wander those streets and you’ll find peaceful homes, quiet gardens. Look closer. A cracked, weathered curb hinting at an apex. A subtle, sweeping curve in the road layout. These are the faint scars of pure, unadulterated speed that once pulsed through this ground.
PHOTO EMBEDDED from Flickr
The Visionary & The Beast: Building a Dream
The dream belonged to Curt Lincoln. A Finnish racer with a fire in his belly and a deep frustration. He’d battled the deadly street circuit of Eläintarha in Helsinki. Enough was enough. Finland needed a proper, safe racing circuit.
Shovels bit into Finnish earth in 1965. On June 12, 1966, Keimola opened its gates. This was no amateur affair. Built to demanding international standards, its 3.3 km (just over 2 miles) of tarmac twisted through eight challenging corners, culminating in a heart-stopping, full-kilometer main straight. Drivers quickly learned its character: exhilarating speed down the straights, met by nerve-wracking, skill-demanding corners. Keimola was a beast that rewarded courage and punished error.
PHOTO EMBEDDED from Flickr
Glory Days: Where Legends Raced (Even if Finland Slept)
Paradoxically, while world-class, Keimola never quite became Finland’s beloved weekend haunt. Grandstands often echoed more with engine noise than crowd roars. But oh, the machines and heroes it witnessed!
- Formula Two Fireworks (1966-1967): This was Keimola’s shining moment. Imagine: The titans of the track – Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Jack Brabham, Jochen Rindt – hurling their machines around Finnish asphalt! Finland finally had a stage worthy of the global elite.
- Interserie Thunder (1969-1972): Keimola morphed into a battleground for Europe’s mightiest sports prototypes. This is where homegrown hero Leo Kinnunen etched his name in legend, mastering the circuit to clinch the championship three years running (1971-1973). Keimola was his fortress.
- Rallycross Ruckus (1974-1978): As the single-seaters drifted away, Keimola embraced the gritty chaos of European Rallycross. Its layout was perfect for door-banging, mud-slinging action, drawing stars like Björn Waldegård and Franz Wurz (yes, that Alex Wurz’s father!).
- Finland’s Drag Racing Dawn (1975): Keimola even made history, hosting Finland’s first official drag race. That monstrous main straight instantly transformed into a quarter-mile strip, echoing with the scream of engines and the smell of burning rubber.
The Fade to Silence: From Roar to Whisper
PHOTO EMBEDDED from Flickr
By the late 1970s, the glorious noise began to falter. Financial pressures, the elusive crowds, and the relentless march of time took their toll. The final engines fell silent in 1978. The land was sold. Slowly, inevitably, nature reclaimed the asphalt, only to be replaced by the foundations of homes.
Think about it now: Families live in warm houses built over vanished corners. Children play where cars danced on the edge of adhesion. Commuters drive roads that unknowingly trace the ghostly path of that kilometer straight. Only the keenest eye, armed with history, might spot a crumbling concrete barrier half-swallowed by earth, or a faded sign peeking through undergrowth – tiny, poignant echoes of the thunderous history vibrating beneath the quiet.
PHOTO EMBEDDED from Flickr
Keimola is more than just an abandoned track. It’s a bittersweet monument to a bold Finnish dream: their own slice of Silverstone, their own Monza, a legend that blazed brightly, faded too soon, and now sleeps beneath the everyday. A haunting reminder of speed’s fleeting glory.
I was 12years old and lucky to have a test drive on that track with 1300cc MiniCooper. My partner in a car was the owner Matti Brännare who had flying record on that very same track. He was racing for Finnish championship with similar Cooper when accident happened. He flew in air 60-70meters before hitting ground and rolling over several times. Not injured seriously.
That was the happiest day in my life since. I made several laps listening Matti’s instructions for fast driving lines. And fast was my drive. I felt like I racer career would begin there. But it was just a dream…
Thanks for sharing such an amazing memory! Driving that track with Matti Brännare and learning from him sounds unforgettable. Even if the racing career stayed a dream, moments like that truly capture the passion of motorsport. Appreciate you sharing your story!