Jyrki Järvilehto
JJ Lehto , of its true name Jyrki Järvilehto , is a Finnish racing driver born the January 31st 1966 with Espoo (Finland).
Biography
Young person protected from the former world champion of Formula 1 Keke Rosberg, JJ Lehto knows a brilliance beginning of career in the formulas of promotion. After having gained the European, Scandinavian titles and Finnish of Formula Ford 1600, it leaves for England in 1987 when it immediately dominates the national and European championship of Formula Ford 2000 before gaining in 1988 very snuffed British championship of Formule 3.
The Formule 3000 is an hunting ground much less profitable in 1989, which does not prevent it from reaching Formula 1 at the end of the season within the promising stable Onyx. But the Onyx adventure proves to be a vétitable fiasco, the stable closing its doors with the right in the middle of the season 1990 after many politico-economic adventures. In 1991, Lehto signs in the Italian stable Scuderia Italia which engages of Dallara. It is highlighted at the beginning of season while going up on the podium of the GP of San Marino under the rain. Taking into account the weakness of its material, the continuation is more difficult, but in 1993, it is engaged by the any news and ambitious Sauber stable. Its good performances enable him to be recruited for the season 1994 by Benetton-Ford at the sides of Michael Schumacher.
At Benetton, Lehto has for the first time a material able to make him foresee the victory. Unfortunately, the adventure will turn to the disaster before to have even started. Seriously broken and wounded with the cervical vertebrae at the time of a winter meeting of tests, it is constrained to declare fixed price for the beginning of the season. Of return to the compétiton at the time of the disastrous GP of San Marino, it proves quickly that Lehto is far from the level of competitiveness hoped by Benetton, so much so that the team prefers to replace it at the end of some races by young Dutch Jos Verstappen. Of return to the wheel of Benetton at the end of the summer the time of two races (to replace Schumacher, suspended by the sporting capacity), it finishes finally the season at Sauber. But its image very chipped by its calamitous services on Benetton as well as the doubts about its health condition (Lehto has T it recovered the integrality of its means following its accident of the beginning of year?) do not allow him to find a wheel in F1.
Driven out of F1, Lehto builds nevertheless an excellent reputation in the world of the Endurance and Great Tourism. In 1995, benefitting from the rain, it gains with the general surprise the 24 Hours of Mans at the wheel of the McLaren F1 GTR (theoretically unable to fight against the Prototypes). Then in 1996 and 1997, always at the wheel of McLaren WP, it multiplies the exploits in championship GT-FIA vis-a-vis frightening Mercedes WP. And it is precisely Mercedes which offers the occasion to him to start again its career in the single-seater by facilitating its engagement in the championship CART in the United States, within the Hogan stable. But Lehto will never manage to be essential in this discipline, and will lose its wheel before even the end of season.
Of return in the various championships of Endurance (in particular the American Mans Series in North America), Lehto again gained into 2005 the 24 Hours of Mans over Audi R8.
Results in championship of the world of F1
Prize list
- Victorious of the Championship of Great Britain de Formule 3 in 1988 Victorious
- of the 24 Hours of Mans in 1995 and 2005
- Vainqueur of the American Mans Series in 2004