- Eläintarhan ajot
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Eläintarha track profile, length 2,034 m (1.26 mi) (1932), 2,000 m (1.24 mi) (from 1933)
A start in the motorcycle class in the 1930s.Eläintarhan ajot (Suomea Grand Prix in Finnish, Djurgårdsloppet in Swedish, Eltsun ajot in slang) or Suomen Suurajot (Finnish Grand Race) as it was called in 1932 was a motor racing competition arranged between years 1932 and 1963 in Eläintarha, Helsinki, Finland. The idea for the race came from a racing driver, S. P. J. Keinänen. Its racing history included the pre-war Finnish Grand Prix.
Contents
First race
The first Grand Prix-race was a success and it attracted around 25,000 spectators. There were ten cars in the first start, six of them Finnish and four Swedish. The very first win went to the Swede Per Viktor Widengren who drove a Mercedes-Benz, second to qualify was S. P. J. Keinänen in a Chrysler and the third place went to Karl Ebb driving a Mercedes-Benz.
Motorcycles
Motorcycle races were also held from the beginning – the first motorcycle win was also taken by a Swede – Gunnar Kalén. The best-placed Finn was Raine Lampinen who finished second in the lower class.
Last race
The Eläintarha race was an annual happening in Helsinki for almost 30 years until the final race was held in 1963. The winner of this last race was Timo Mäkinen, although the main start (Formula Junior) was canceled after a fatal accident. At the start a driver (whose identity has not been confirmed) hit Curt Lincoln's Brabham BT6 (Formula Junior), and the car slid to the left side of track. Most drivers managed to avoid a collision but the Swedish Örjan Atterberg hit his countryman Freddy Kottulinsky. Unfortunately Atterberg's car flipped over and the driver was pinned under his vehicle. As a result of the crash Atterberg sustained fatal injuries. The race was stopped by the race officials one minute after crash and the jury told the race was over.
As the setup was considered too dangerous this was the final race to be conducted on the city circuit. The racing events that followed the ill fated Eläintarha race were held at Keimola Motor Stadium between 1966–1978.
In the 1930s motor racing events were also arranged couple of times in Munkkiniemi, a residential district in northwest Helsinki.
Afterwards
The race has been arranged three times since to honour its memory – the first time was in 1982, then 1992 and the last time was in 2002. In the 1992 event Juan Manuel Fangio was present. Around 2005, a detailed and driveable virtual recreation of the circuit appeared for the Grand Prix Legends historical racing simulation.
Statistics
- Active years: 1932–39 and 1946–63
- Circuit length: 2,034 m (1.26 mi) (1932), 2,000 m (1.24 mi) (from 1933)[1]
- Lap record: David Hitches, Lola Mk 5 Ford, time: 57.1 seconds/126 km/h (78 mph) (1963)
- Most spectators: 82,597 (1958)
- Most wins: Curt Lincoln (14)
Results 1932–1963
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Year Driver Car Class Report 1932 
Per-Viktor WidengrenMercedes-Benz SSK Grand Prix Report 1933 
Karl EbbMercedes-Benz SSK Grand Prix Report 1934 
Eugen BjørnstadAlfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza Grand Prix Report 1935 Karl EbbMercedes Benz SSK 7.1L Grand Prix Report 1936 Eugen BjørnstadAlfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza Grand Prix Report 1937 
Hans RüeschAlfa Romeo 8C-35 3.8L Grand Prix Report 1938 Not held 1939 Adolf WesterblomAlfa Romeo Monza 2.6L Grand Prix Report 1946 Only motorcycles 1947 Asser WalleniusFord Roadster 1934 Class B – Helge HallmannFord special Formula Libre – 1948 Magnus KnutssonBMW Class A – Leo MattilaFord Roadster Class B – S. P. J. KeinänenChrysler special Formula Libre – 1949 S. P. J. KeinänenBMW 328 Class A – 1951 S. P. J. KeinänenJaguar XK120 Production – 1952 
Michael HeadJaguar XK120 Division +2000 – Valdemar StenerFerrari 166 MM Touring Barchetta Division 2000 – 
Roger LaurentTalbot-Lago T26C 1952 Formula One season Report 1953 
Robert NellemanAllard +2000 GT – Valdemar StenerFerrari 166 MM Touring Barchetta 2000 GT – Rodney NuckeyCooper T23 1953 Formula One season Report Curt LincolnCooper-Norton Formula 3 – 1954 Michael HeadJaguar C-type GT +2000 – John BengtssonFerrari 166 Touring Barchetta GT 2000 – Rodney NuckeyCooper-Bristol F2 Formula Libre – Eric BrandonCooper-Norton Formula 3 – 1955 Michael HeadJaguar D-type Division +2000 – Curt LincolnJaguar C-type +2000 production – Joakim BonnierAlfa Romeo 1900 Sprint 2000 production – Eric BrandonCooper Formula 3 – 1956 Curt LincolnJaguar D-type +2000 production – Harry SaaristoTriumph TR2 2000 production – John KvarnströmFerrari 750 Monza +2000 – Eric BrandonHalselec-Climax 2000 – Eric BrandonCooper Formula 3 – 1957 Joakim BonnierMaserati 200S S+2.0 – Curt LincolnFerrari 500 TR S 2.0 – Arne LindbergMercedes-Benz 300 SL GT+2.0 – J.A. IversenPorsche 356 Carrera GT 2.0 – Curt LincolnCooper T 42 Mark XI Formula 3 – 1958 Graham WhiteheadAston Martin DB3S Division +2000 – Ivor BuebLotus 12 Coventry Climax Division 2000 – Curt LincolnFerrari 250 GT TDF GT +2000 – Curt LincolnCooper T 42 Mark XII Formula 3 – 1959 Carl-Otto BremerFerrari 750 Monza S+2.0 – Curt LincolnCooper Monaco S 2.0 – Carl-Gunnar HammarlundPorsche 356 Carrera GT – Curt LincolnCooper T 42 Mark XII Formula 3 – 1960 Jimmy BlumerCooper Monaco S 2.0 – Heimo HietarantaCooper/Norton Formula 3 – Curt LincolnCooper Formula Junior – 1961 David HitchesLola 2000 – Heimo HietarantaCooper/Norton Formula 3 – Carl-Otto BremerElva 100 Formula Junior – 1962 Carl-Gunnar HammarlundPorsche 356 Carrera GT +1300cc – Curt LincolnLotus Elite GT 1300cc – Curt LincolnCooper T 42 Mark XII Formula 3 – Olle NygrenCooper T56 Formula Junior – 1963 Holger LaineVolvo PV544 ST +1600cc – Timo MäkinenMorris Mini Cooper ST 1150cc – References
- ^ a b "ELÄINTARHARATA / DJURGÅRDSBANAN – Helsinki (FIN)". kolumbus.fi/leif.snellman. http://www.kolumbus.fi/leif.snellman/t5.htm#ELAINTARHA. Retrieved 2007-12-09.
- ^ "Pre-war Races". wsrp.ic.cz. http://wsrp.ic.cz/prewar1932.html. Retrieved 2007-12-14.
- ^ "Formule Libre races in Europe 1945–57". pgleize.club.fr. Archived from the original on 2008-05-11. http://web.archive.org/web/20080511033427/http://jpgleize.club.fr/gp/flpost.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-15.
Coordinates: 60°11′20″N 24°55′55″E / 60.189009°N 24.931991°E
External links
- YLE Video archive – Eläintarhanajot
- A lap around the former Eläintarha track with bicycle on YouTube
Categories:- Motorsport venues in Finland
- Pre–World Championship Grands Prix
- Formula One non-Championship races
- History of Helsinki
- Motorsport in Finland
- Auto races in Finland
- Recurring sporting events established in 1932
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