Matias Köykkä (born November 23, 1994) is a

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

racing driver. He won the

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

F1600 Championship Series.

Karting career

Matias started karting when he was 8 years old in the Finnish 'Raket' class. His father entered him in races until 2009. For 2009 Matias signed with the CRG factory team. He won the Finnish championship in the KF3 class. For 2010 he stepped up to the KF2 class and also competed in the CIK-FIA Under 18 World Championship. In the CIK-FIA Under 18 World Championship he finished second behind Jake Dennis. In 2011 he was placed 15th in the Finnish KF2 championship. He also raced in the

KF1 KF1 is the top level of karting. It is open to drivers aged 15 and up. This class used to be called Formula A and has changed since January 2007 when CIK-FIA decided to replace the 100 cc water-cooled two-stroke engines with 125 cc Touch-an ...

class.

Formula racing

Matias Köykkä made his first appearance in a racing car in 2011. He raced in the Finnish Formula Ford Junior championship in a

Duratec Duratec is a brand name of the Ford Motor Company used for the company's range of gasoline-powered four-cylinder, five-cylinder and six-cylinder passenger car engines. The original 1993 Duratec V6 engine was designed by Ford and Porsche. Ford ...

powered

Mygale Mygale Racing Car Constructor (Mygale SARL) is a French racing car manufacturer that specialises in the production of single seater chassis for use in formula racing. It is most notable for its Formula Ford chassis. Mygale also produces the cha ...

SJ08 prepared by LMS Racing. In the three races he competed in he had one win, 2 podium finishes and 1 fastest lap. He was eventually placed 10th in the championship. Teammate

Antti Buri Antti Buri (born 2 December 1988) is a Finnish racing driver currently TCR Italian Series champion. Having previously competed in the ADAC TCR Germany Blancpain Endurance Series, Porsche Carrera Cup Germany & International GTSprint Series amo ...

took the championship. In 2011 Matias moved to

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

where he continued to go to high school at

Western Reserve Academy , motto_translation = Light and Truth , address = 115 College Street , city = Hudson , state = Ohio , zipcode = 44236-2999 , country = United S ...

. For 2012 he signed with

Cape Motorsports A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment which drapes the wearer's back, arms, and chest, and connects at the neck. History Capes were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon. Th ...

Wayne Taylor Wayne Taylor (born 15 July 1956) is a South African sports car racing driver and team owner. He won the 1996 and 2005 24 Hours of Daytona, and the 2005 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series Daytona Prototype drivers' championship. He drove for SunTr ...

Racing. During the first practice of the season, at

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, he was the fastest of 20 drivers. The season started smoothly for Köykkä with wins at Virginia and Lime Rock. Race 5 at

New Jersey Motorsports Park New Jersey Motorsports Park is a road course "Motorsports Entertainment Complex" located in Millville, Cumberland County, New Jersey, United States. It has hosted races since opening in 2008 and currently hosts a schedule including MotoAmerica P ...

was a low point. Matias shut off the engine while leading the race, but managed to recover to sixth position. Due to this mistake his nearest competitor

Bryan Herta Autosport Bryan Herta Autosport is an American auto racing team that competes in the IndyCar Series and the Michelin Pilot Challenge. It is owned by former IndyCar driver Bryan Herta. The team won the 2011 Indianapolis 500 with driver Dan Wheldon. In 2016 ...

driver

Brandon Newey Brandon Newey (born August 18, 1992) is an American racing driver. He was classified second in the 2012 F1600 Championship Series season. In 2014 he is competing in the Pro Mazda Championship. Karting Brandon started his career in karts at New ...

was hot on his tail. After this Matias scored 6 podium finishes, including 2 wins, in the 7 remaining races. This secured Matias Köykkä of the championship placing

second place and Jeremy Grenier in third.

References

External links

Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Koykka, Matias Finnish racing drivers Living people 1994 births Karting World Championship drivers Wayne Taylor Racing drivers