JJ Lehto

Jyrki Juhani Järvi Lehto, called JJ Lehto, ( born January 31, 1966 in Espoo ) is a Finnish racing driver. He launched between 1989 and 1994 in the highest class of motorsports formula 1 and won twice in his career the 24 - hour race at Le Mans.

Career

JJ Lehto was the son of a lawyer from Helsinki and found in his fellow countryman, the former Formula 1 champion Keke Rosberg, a developer of new talent, which is also encouraged him to shorten his name is difficult to pronounce the media. After the usual way over kart race and various Formula series like Formula Ford Lehto won the 1988 British Formula 3 Championship and was even invited to test with Ferrari since been multiple winners of this group had developed into leaders.

Formula 1

Onyx (1989-1990)

In the season 1989 JJ Lehto went for the Onyx team of the Belgian financial manager Jean Philippe van Rossum. Onyx was originally founded by Mike Earle and had made in F3000 for respectable results until Van Rossum had in 1988 acquired a majority shareholding. 1989 as the young team raced in the Formula 1, ensured internal tensions from the beginning for poor conditions. At the end of the year it came into the team management to an open break. One reason was certainly dirty tricks with additional tanks which should "simulate" the minimum weight. The following year, Lehto drove to the side of Stefan Johansson and Bertrand Gachot again. Thanks to its controlled driving style he was soon regarded as one of the best newcomers. During this season of disintegration at Onyx became apparent. Both the main financier and Porsche, which had been touted as a potential engine supplier, withdrew.

Dallara (1991-1992)

Lehto managed thanks Rosberg the jump to Dallara. The cars were powered this racing team in the 1991 season yet of Judd engines, the following year, however, you could use engines from Ferrari. At Imola Lehto even reached the podium with a third place. With these four points he scored at the end of season twelfth place of the Final Ranking.

At the start of the 1992 season scored Lehto with the Dallara cars of the Scuderia Italia better results than the Ferrari factory car. Mockingly said the press that the "wrong" Ferrari would have provided at least for notable successes, especially Dallara also took in classic red Italian racing cars.

Sauber and Benetton (1993-1994)

In the 1993 season, the Finn moved to the just -formed Swiss Sauber team. On the side of the talented Austrian Karl Wendlinger the black car drove at the beginning of the season pretty impressive start placements and final results out. But the development has stagnated, a main sponsor emerged as Blender, and the fact that Sauber had thanks to Steve Nichols indeed built an aerodynamically quite effective car, but was for cost reasons, one of the few teams without active suspension, the advancement of both drivers also helped not straight. There were unfortunate collisions in which both pilots pushed each other off, and the looming withdrawal of the Ilmor / Mercedes engine. Only a fourth and a fifth place were the lean yield. But after the bye Riccardo Patrese in Formula 1 was vacated at the end of the season a cockpit. In addition to the former Vice World Champion Michele Alboreto Lehto was taken during test drives with the Benetton under the microscope, where he on team-mate Michael Schumacher was soon.

But even before the season starts Lehto crashed during testing at Silverstone so heavy that in an operation to stabilize the fractured cervical spine had to be cut through his neck muscles. This should put him out of action for a long time. Thus, initially took the novice Jos Verstappen his place. Only the third race, the Grand Prix of San Marino at Imola, the Finn was back in the cockpit. At the start he was choking off the engine; a large part of the field could happen, but the Portuguese Pedro Lamy drove the Lotus with nearly 200 km / h in the rear of Benetton. The flying debris injured some viewers and led to a prolonged safety car phase. After the race was resumed Ayrton Senna was killed in the Tamburello curve.

Due to the re- whiplash and still not healed neck injuries of winter Lehto had to pause longer and then drove his team-mate Michael Schumacher totally out of shape afterwards. A sixth place in the Grand Prix of Canada was the only presentable. In order to support better Schumacher in the battle for the World Cup, dismissed Flavio Briatore two races left in the season the Finns to instead adjust Johnny Herbert. Lehto went back to Sauber as Wendlinger still suffering severely from injuries of Monaco, but was after an engine failure in the first round at Suzuka at the last race in Adelaide only enter one tenth. In total he participated in 62 Grands Prix and was able to collect ten points.

German Touring Car Championship and Le Mans

For the 1995 season, Lehto was no contract in Formula 1, but cured his injuries from final. The 24 - hour race at Le Mans in the same year he won on a McLaren F1 GTR BMW V12. He then drove for Opel in the German Touring Car Championship and the International Touring Car Championship, where he was one of the most popular pilots. He also was one of the performers who contributed to the victory Opels in the manufacturers' standings. After the temporary end of this series Lehto joined the GT racing and driving times for the Hogan team in the Champ Car series. In 2002 he went again for Opel as a guest driver in the DTM race weekend at the A1- Ring at the start.

Le Mans results

Others

Since 2001, JJ Lehto has worked for the Finnish television as a commentator of racing events.

On June 17, 2010 Lehto was involved in a speedboat accident in Jomalvik ( Raseborg ). He was on his boat with a friend at excessive speed (about 40 knots instead of the allowed 5) on the road when the ship crashed into a bridge abutment. This Lehtos companion was killed, he survived the attack. After the accident, an alcohol content of 1.7 per thousand was found in him by an Alcotest, this value was increased later by a blood test to 2.53 per thousand. In August 2011, has been charged with manslaughter brought against Lehto, as reconstructions of the accident would have led, according to prosecutors and police to the conclusion that Lehto was at the time of the accident at the wheel. During the process, Lehto said to be innocent and the boat does not have to, and during the prosecution called for a prison sentence of five years. On December 14, 2011, he was sentenced by the Finnish District Court Länsi- Uusimaa to a prison term of two years and four months. In addition, he should pay 20,000 euros for pain and suffering to the victim's family and support the three children of the deceased financially until their majority. On October 2, 2012 began the appeal process in Turku. While Lehtos defense presented a new report after not Lehto, but his friend was driving the boat, the prosecution called for an increase of the sentence to the originally requested five years. By decision of the Appellate Court on November 30, 2012 Lehto was finally acquitted of charges of involuntary manslaughter; it was not clearly confirmed that he had driven the boat.