Mika Juhani Salo (born November 30, 1966 in
Helsinki) is a Finnish
racing driver. He competed in
Formula One between and . His best ranking was 10th in the world championship in 1999. He also won the GT2 class in the
2008 and
2009 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Career
Formula Three and Japanese racing
In 1989, Salo competed in the
British Formula Three Championship, racing for
Alan Docking Racing. He raced with the
Reynard Toyota package which was not the season's best. Staying with Alan Docking Racing for 1990 and moving to a more competitive
Ralt chassis, he raced against countryman and fierce rival
Mika Häkkinen in F3, finishing second to him. In 1990, Salo was caught
driving under the influence in London. Subsequently the chance of him gaining a
FIA Super Licence necessary to compete in
Formula One was destroyed in the short-term. He then moved to Japan in an attempt to revive his damaged reputation.
Formula One
1994 – 1998: Lotus, Tyrrell and Arrows
|width=40%|align=left}}
After a few years racing in Japan he made his first F1 start at the penultimate round of the season in Japan for the ailing Lotus team. He was kept on for the season's finale in Australia. Following the collapse of Lotus following the end of the season, Salo moved to Tyrrell for . He was to spend three years with the team, scoring points several times. In the 1997 Monaco Grand Prix he completed the whole (rain-shortened and -slowed) race without refuelling, taking fifth place ahead of the faster Giancarlo Fisichella as a result. Despite a promising with Arrows, he had no full-time drive in .
1999: British American Racing and Ferrari
at the
1995 British Grand Prix.]]
at
Monza in .]]
Following an injury to BAR driver Ricardo Zonta, Salo did get a short-term drive with the team for three races whilst the Brazilian recovered. However a greater opportunity arose when Michael Schumacher broke his leg at a crash during the 1999 British Grand Prix. Salo was selected as his substitute to partner Eddie Irvine at Ferrari. In his second race in Ferrari at the 1999 German Grand Prix Salo led for part of the race and would have scored a Grand Prix win but team orders demanded that he give the lead to Irvine, who at the time was fighting for the championship with Mika Häkkinen. Following the race, Irvine handed his victory trophy over to Salo as a gesture to show his gratitude. He also finished third at Monza, ahead of Irvine.
2000 – 2002: Sauber and Toyota
Salo was back full-time in with Sauber, taking 11th in the championship, although he left the team at the end of the season to join the new
Toyota team in preparation for its F1 entry in . He scored two points for Toyota in their first season, becoming the first driver since
JJ Lehto at the
1993 South African Grand Prix to score points on a team's debut by finishing sixth at the
2002 Australian Grand Prix. He retired from Formula One at the end of 2002, after surprisingly getting fired from Toyota.
During his Formula One career, he achieved two podiums, and scored a total of 33 championship points.
Post-Formula One
His first post-F1 race came at the 2003
12 Hours of Sebring, driving the UK-entered
Audi R8, the same car he was due to race at the
24 Hours of Le Mans if it had not ran out of fuel already after the first hour. He raced in four
CART races for PK Racing during the same year, his best finish being third in Miami in his second series start.
Because of his strong links with Ferrari he was picked up to be part of the development program of the Maserati MC12 GT racer. He made his FIA GT debut in 2004, narrowly losing the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in a Ferrari 575. After that he entered the last four races of the season in the Maserati, winning two races and finishing second once.
2005 was a year somewhat lost in the doldrums with only two participations with the Maserati MC12 in the ALMS GTS-class, a competition where the car turned out to be not even half as competitive as in the FIA GT series.
For 2006, Salo returned to racing full-time, signing with AF Corse in the FIA GT to drive the Ferrari F430 and later on in the year with Risi Competizione in the ALMS. He was victorious in class in the 24 Hours of Spa and finished 3rd in the FIA GT2 Drivers' Championship with 61 points, while his efforts in the ALMS contributed to Risi's Teams' Championship cup.
In the following year he continued with Risi Competizione in the ALMS and took the GT2 class honors in the 12 Hours of Sebring and the championship along with teammate Jaime Melo. They won a total of eight races out of twelve in the class. In addition, he won the RAC Tourist Trophy with Thomas Biagi when substituting for Michael Bartels, driving a Maserati MC12 once more.
Salo and Melo with Risi Competizione earned the first team At-Large honours on the 2007 All-American Racing Team, as voted for by the American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters (AARWBA).
Salo raced again in the ALMS for Risi Competizione in 2008. Although he was not successful in defending his previous year's titles, he won the GT2 class in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, coming in 18th overall.
In 2009, he joined the Risi Ferrari team at the blue-riband races only, the 12 Hours of Sebring, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Petit Le Mans event, winning all three of them.
Having won these enduro races all more than once, Salo feels he is ready for a new challenge. He has set his mind on NASCAR, having recently had his first test with Michael Waltrip Racing at the half-mile New Smyrna Speedway.
Personal
He currently resides in
Monaco with his Japanese wife Noriko Salo (born Endo) and their two children, son Max and daughter Mai. His godson
Jesse Krohn competes in
Formula Renault, both in Scandinavia and the UK.
Like fellow Finns Keke Rosberg and JJ Lehto, both former F1 drivers, Salo has commentated on several F1 races on MTV3 and the pay-channel MTV3 MAX. During the controversial 2005 United States Grand Prix, he walked out of the commentator's booth in mid-race after the Michelin teams refused to race.
Racing record
Complete Formula One results
(
key)
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%"
! Year
! Entrant
! Chassis
! Engine
! 1
! 2
! 3
! 4
! 5
! 6
! 7
! 8
! 9
! 10
! 11
! 12
! 13
! 14
! 15
! 16
! 17
! WDC
! Points
|-
|
1994
!
Team Lotus
!
Lotus 109
!
Mugen Honda V10
||
BRA
||
PAC
||
SMR
||
MON
||
ESP
||
CAN
||
FRA
||
GBR
||
GER
||
HUN
||
BEL
||
ITA
||
POR
||
EUR
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
JPN10
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|
AUSRet
|
! NC
! 0
|-
|
1995
!
Nokia Tyrrell Yamaha
!
Tyrrell 023
!
Yamaha V10
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
BRA7
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|
ARGRet
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|
SMRRet
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
ESP10
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|
MONRet
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
CAN7
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
FRA15
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
GBR8
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|
GERRet
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|
HUNRet
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
BEL8
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"|
ITA5
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
POR13
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
EUR10
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
PAC12
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"|
JPN6
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"|
AUS5
! 15th
! 5
|-
|
1996
!
Tyrrell Yamaha
!
Tyrrell 024
!
Yamaha V10
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"|
AUS6
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"|
BRA5
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|
ARGRet
|bgcolor="#000000" style="color: white"|
EURDSQ
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|
SMRRet
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"|
MON5
|bgcolor="#000000" style="color: white"|
ESPDSQ
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|
CANRet
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
FRA10
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
GBR7
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
GER9
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|
HUNRet
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
BEL7
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|
ITARet
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
POR11
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|
JPNRet
|
! 13th
! 5
|-
|
1997
!
Tyrrell
!
Tyrrell 025
!
Ford V8
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|
AUSRet
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
BRA13
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
ARG8
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
SMR9
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"|
MON5
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|
ESPRet
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|
CANRet
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|
FRARet
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|
GBRRet
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|
GERRet
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
HUN13
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
BEL11
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|
ITARet
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|
AUTRet
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
LUX10
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|
JPNRet
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
EUR12
! 17th
! 2
|-
|
1998
!
Danka Zepter Arrows
!
Arrows A19
!
Arrows V10
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|
AUSRet
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|
BRARet
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|
ARGRet
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
SMR9
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|
ESPRet
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"|
MON4
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|
CANRet
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
FRA13
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|
GBRRet
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|
AUTRet
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
GER14
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|
HUNRet
|bgcolor="white"|
BELDNS
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|
ITARet
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
LUX14
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|
JPNRet
|
! 13th
! 3
|-
| rowspan="2" |
1999
!
British American Racing
!
BAR 01
!
Supertec V10
||
AUS
||
BRA
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
SMR7
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|
MONRet
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
ESP8
||
CAN
||
FRA
||
GBR
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
! rowspan="2" | 10th
! rowspan="2" | 10
|-
!
Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro
!
Ferrari F399
!
Ferrari V10
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
AUT9
|bgcolor="#DFDFDF"|
GER2
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
HUN12
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
BEL7
|bgcolor="#FFDF9F"|
ITA3
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|
EURRet
||
MAL
||
JPN
|
|-
|
2000
!
Red Bull Sauber Petronas
!
Sauber C19
!
Petronas V10
|bgcolor="#000000" style="color: white"|
AUSDSQ
|bgcolor="white"|
BRADNS
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"|
SMR6
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
GBR8
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
ESP7
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|
EURRet
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"|
MON5
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|
CANRet
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
FRA10
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"|
AUT6
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"|
GER5
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
HUN10
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
BEL9
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
ITA7
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|
USARet
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
JPN10
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
MAL8
! 11th
! 6
|-
|
2002
!
Panasonic Toyota Racing
!
Toyota TF102
!
Toyota V10
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"|
AUS6
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
MAL12
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"|
BRA6
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|
SMRRet
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
ESP9
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
AUT8
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|
MONRet
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|
CANRet
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|
EURRet
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|
GBRRet
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|
FRARet
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
GER9
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
HUN15
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
BEL7
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
ITA11
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
USA14
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
JPN8
! 17th
! 2
|}
Complete CART results
()
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%"
! Year
! Team
! 1
! 2
! 3
! 4
! 5
! 6
! 7
! 8
! 9
! 10
! 11
! 12
! 13
! 14
! 15
! 16
! 17
! 18
! 19
! Rank
! Points
|-
|
2003
!
PK Racing
|
STP
|
MTY
|
LBH
|
BRH
|
LAU
|
MIL
|
LS
|
POR
|
CLE
|
TOR
|
VAN
|
ROA
|
MDO
|
MTL
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"|
DEN14
|bgcolor="#FFDF9F"|
MIA3
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"|
MXC5
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
SRF11
|
FONNH
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
16th
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"|
26
|}
References
Category:1966 births
Category:Living people
Category:People from Helsinki
Category:Finnish racecar drivers
Category:Finnish Formula One drivers
Category:Lotus Formula One drivers
Category:Ferrari Formula One drivers
Category:British Formula Three Championship drivers
Category:Champ Car drivers
Category:Japanese Formula 3000 Championship drivers
Category:FIA GT Championship drivers
Category:American Le Mans Series drivers
Category:24 Hours of Le Mans drivers
Category:Finnish expatriates in Japan
Category:Finnish expatriates in Monaco
Category:Finnish expatriates in the United Kingdom
Category:Finnish expatriates in the United States
