BIOGRAPHY

L E H T O , JJ (Jyrki Jarvilehto) (SF)
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Born                 31. January 1966,
                     Espoo, Finland
Lives                Monte Carlo (MC)
Height/Weight        1,80 m / 70 kg
Status               married to Satu
                     (since 14. July 1995),
                     one daughter (Juulia)
Hobbies              old cars, squash,
                     badminton, skiing,
                     cycling
Favourite food       pasta
First race           1985 Formula Ford
                     1600, Finland
Favourite circuit    Donington (GB), Imola,
                     San Marino
Career highlights    1991 Formula 1 World
                     Championship - third
                     in San Marino GP


JJ Lehto: starting a new career 
===========================================
Rallye driving the Finnish way would
probably have become his passion if his
friends hadn't told him to pursue his quest
for traction on an oval track. "The formula
sports in Britain offered me a great
opportunity" he recalls. It wasn't just the
British drivers respected the fresh fair 29
year-old from the north in the Formula Ford
and Formula 3, his name quickly entered the
black books in the world of Formula 1.

Rarely in the proper spelling "Jyrki
Järvilehto", which is why he calls himself
JJ Lehto since 1988. With professional
precision he got up before the sun came up
to start his pre-qualification if F1.

But he couldn't find the truck of the Onyx
team. "Great way to start a day" he
thought. Less than two years later he stood
on the winner's pedestral. But the year
1994 was a big disappointment to him.
"Apart from the birth of my daughter!" he
proclaims. In January he got injured at the
fifth vertebra while test driving for
Benetton at Silverstone and was unable to
resume his career until Imola.

Missing tests were an additional handicap
so his best position was 6th in Canada. 

"The DTM is different from Formula 1 in
that the performance band is very wide in
Formula 1. The lucky ones are very happy,
the rest is all the more unhappy. Nowhere
else is it more important to sit in the
right car at the right time". Before 1995
he has never driven a touring car.

Together with his manager Keke Rosberg and
Manuel Reuter as his colleague on the Opel
Team Joest he has two friendly advisors.
"During the races the friendships are on
hold, in this the DTM is no different than
Formula 1". Just like Manuel Reuter JJ
Lehto now is a competitor of his manager.
"But in different teams - he can't give me
orders" the Fin grins but turns serious:
"Cooperations strengthens the team. I want
to become a good touring car pilot and
support Opel". 


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Source:
snoopy@rbg.informatik.th-darmstadt.de
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RACING CAREER:

L E H T O , JJ (Jyrki Jarvilehto) (SF)
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1972 - 1980 Karting
1981 - 1983 Motocross 80 cc / 125 cc
1985 - Finnish Formula Ford 1600
       Championship - fourth

1986 - Scandinavian FF1600 champion. 
       Finnish FF1600 champion. European 
       FF1600 champion

1987 - British and European FF2000 
       champion, 18 wins. Won F.Ford World 
       Cup

1988 - British F3 (Pacific) Champion (8 
       wins)

1989 - F3000 (Pacific), 13th. 4 F1 races 
       (Onyx). DNQ=2

1990 - 10 races (Onyx), 0 points. DNQ=5
1991 - 16 races (Dallara), 4 points. (3rd 
       Imola). Sportscars (Porsche), 9th
       in Le Mans 24hrs

1992 - 16 races (Dallara), 0 points
1993 - 16 races (Sauber), 5 points (5th 
       S.Africa, 4th Imola)

1994 - 8 races (6 Benetton, 2 Sauber), 1 
       point. (6th Canada)

       Broke neck in pre-season practice 
       crash. Never regained form.

1995 - Won Le Mans 24 hrs (McLaren) with 
       Y.Dalmas.

       DTM (Joest Opel Calibra), 36 
       points, 13th.
       (4th R2 Hockenheim short circuit,
       6th R1 & 2 Hockenheim). 
      
       ITC (Opel Calibra), 26 points, J11th
       (3rd R1 Helsinki,5th R2 Magny-Cours)

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SOURCE: Darren Galpin
http://www.bath.ac.uk/~py3dlg/motorsport/
snoopy@rbg.informatik.th-darmstadt.de
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