It was a historic moment for Finn Mika Kallio as he visited the upcoming KymiRing circuit with his KTM bike last week.
Kallio had the KTM RC16 brought down to the 4.6km long circuit, as Finland gears up for a return to the MotoGP calendar after 36 long years after the last race took place in 1982 at Imatra.
The Finn straightaway ‘liked’ the track considering the design helps for a great view for the spectators. He feels the circuit will pose a challenge to the riders with no places to rest, but insists the average speed will still be high.
“On the rider’s perspective the circuit looks pretty challenging,” he said. “There are not that many places where you can rest, basically just the main straight. There are lots of curves compared to the length of the circuit.
“The average speed will however be high. It is going to be very interesting to race over here.” Dorna had revealed last year that the race will take place in 2019 until 2023, however, as per the circuit, the race is scheduled between 2020 and 2024 seasons.
A ticker on the circuit’s website states: “MotoGP will be held in 2020–2024. This contract is valid for five years, and the race will be held at KymiRing. Events of the World Championships will come back in Finland after 40 years.
“This project has been partially funded by the Finnish government.” It remains to be seen if the official calendar for the 2019 MotoGP season – when revealed by Dorna – will feature the Finland race or not.
Apart from Finland, MotoGP is set to race in Thailand later this year during October 4-6 weekend while it has also agreed in principal for a return to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil from the 2021 season onward.
Earlier this year, the circuit received a funding of 6.5 million euros from the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture as well. The new circuit is being designed and built by former Formula 1 driver Alexander Wurz’s Test & Training company in the Northern Finland region.
