FORMULA DRIVER EMMA KIMILÄINEN LOVES SNOWMOBILING

Emma Kimiläinen was 3 years old when she drove the first time with a karting car and competed the first time at the age of 5. Success in karting classes led to the Formula Ford Championship class from which she proceeded to the European Touring Car series. In 2018 she returned to single seaters and started to compete in women’s W Series.

Alongside her racing career, Emma is a well known radio and TV host in her home country of Finland and she is also an experienced public speaker.

Currently Emma is preparing for the coming W Series season where her only goal is to win the championship. Emma is a passionate piston-head whose best preparation for formula racing is sporty trail riding with snowmobiles in wintertime.

Emma Kimiläinen enjoying spring ride in Lapland with the 2022 Rave RE 850.

WHEN WAS THE FIRST TIME YOU TRIED SNOWMOBILING?

Emma: My dad purchased a snowmobile when I was a kid. I remember how I sat in front of him when he rode the sled. At the time we had a cabin in southern Finland where I was able to ride whenever the lakes were frozen and there was enough snow for riding. We always had our sled with us when we travelled north on our winter holidays. I got a tractor driver’s license when I was 15 which allowed me to legally ride a snowmobile. Tractor is one of the few vehicles I have never driven yet! I had a gap of many years from snowmobiling as an adult and I rode just a couple of times each winter. Last season I fixed that and after a long time I finally got to ride several times in Lapland.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF AS A SNOWMOBILER?

Emma: I ride mostly on trail. I like to ride with a sporty style, in as many different trails as possible. In our riding group, I am usually the one who asks the rest of the group to continue riding after 2 hours of fast riding! I have also tried deep-snow riding a couple of times. I find that very interesting and challenging which fits me. I love challenges and always want to learn new things. In deep-snow riding you have to use totally different riding techniques and you have to use your body in a different way than in trail riding. It would be awesome to get to ride deep snow more next season.

BY FORMULA CAR YOU DRIVE FLAT TRACK WITH NO BUMPS AND JUMPS. WHAT DO CAR RACING AND SNOWMOBILING HAVE IN COMMON?

Emma: A lot. In both you have to have good reactions, riding instinct and three-dimensional perceptual ability. Even though you sit in different positions and use your body in different ways in a race car and a sled, you have to drive both with every part of your body with body feeling. In a race car you have to sense how weather conditions affect a track and grip – just like when riding a sled, you have to feel how current conditions affect grip. It is all about adapting to the vehicle and surface and how you tune your own actions to be faster. Snowmobiling is good training for me and actually the only sport in winter that shares the same elements with car racing. Snowmobiling is also very good physical training. In the W Series we drive 40 minute races where the average heart rate is about 20 percent from your maximum. The heart rate zone is quite similar, that you have in trail riding on a demanding, bumpy trail.

YOU HAVE BEEN RIDING A LOT WITH THE LYNX RAVE ENDURO MODEL. WHAT MAKES THAT SLED SO GOOD FOR YOUR TASTE?

Emma: The Rave Enduro fits well for my physique and riding style. The suspension is just insanely good out of the box: it’s stiff enough and eats moguls well. The short track is optimal for trail and helps a rider with my size control the vehicle with weight transfer. In tight turns, you can have a controlled slide with just a little touch to the brake lever. The 600cc engine is great for this sled and with that you can hit the throttle in the right spot of a corner’s apex – just like with a race car. I have also tried the Rave RE 850 model and without a doubt, the Rave Enduro with the same engine would be a fascinating idea. Just a bit more power, and Rave Enduro would be my dream sled!

WHAT WOULD BE THE SNOWMOBILE JOURNEY OF YOUR DREAMS?

Emma: Group of friends, some mountain scenery for location and a couple of different sleds. First we would ride a couple of days sporty on trails to some point, spend the night in the wilderness and next day we would continue our adventure with deep-snow sleds. Campfire, outdoor spirit and lovely people. This could happen for example in Norway or in Russia. There is always a good spirit in snowmobiling and I never ride alone. Through snowmobiling I have met people who have a mix of adventurous spirit, sportiness and piston-head mentality!

Emma will be aiming for the championship for the W Series starting in June. According to her, snowmobiling is the best way to prepare for the racing season in winter.

WHAT KIND OF RACE CAR DO YOU DRIVE IN W SERIES?

Emma: The cars are FIA’s Formula 3 standard F3 T-318 formula cars which feature the Alfa Romeo 1.8 litre turbocharged engine. Top speeds on straightaways are a maximum of 270 kilometers per hour (168 mph). They are raw race cars without power steering or extra electronics. Brake balance is the only attribute that a driver can adjust when driving. It requires driver input to turn the car in corners and you have to struggle against G-forces and vibrations with your whole body.

Emma’s racing car is a reduced and raw Formula 3 type racing car that runs at a maximum of 270 kilometers per hour on straightaways. The car has very little electronics and turning the car without power-steering requires a lot of rider input. Photo: W Series

YOUR EXPECTATIONS FOR THE W SERIES SEASON THAT STARTS IN THE END OF JUNE?

Emma: I am really looking forward to the coming season because the previous season was cancelled due the covid-19 pandemic. The huge thing now is that our races will be held in conjunction with F1 races on the same race circuits. That means a large increase in visibility for the W Series and gives us as drivers a great opportunity to show our talent to influential people in motorsports. I believe that within five years at the latest we will see a female driver in F1. At the age of 32, I am getting maybe too old for that, but I believe that increased visibility of the W Series will help me find new interesting work opportunities in motorsports.

Our series is very even and when we all race similar cars, the difference between the drivers really matters. The last complete season of 2019 left a lot of cause for disappointment because I missed half of the races due to my injury. The championship is of course my main goal now, but the short season with 8 races doesn’t give room for suspensions or other misfortunes. You can’t try to win every race by force – I believe that by finishing consistently with good points will lead to success in the championship race.

VOZAČICA FORMULE EMMA KIMILÄINEN OBOŽAVA VOŽENJE

Emma Kimiläinen imala je 3 godine kada je prvi put vozila karting automobil, a prvi put se takmičila sa 5 godina. Uspjeh u časovima kartinga doveo je do klase Formula Ford Championship iz koje je nastavila u seriju European Touring Car. Godine 2018. vratila se u jednosjede i počela se takmičiti u ženskoj W seriji.

Pored svoje trkačke karijere, Ema je poznata radio i TV voditeljka u svojoj matičnoj Finskoj, a takođe je i iskusan govornik.

Trenutno se Emma priprema za nadolazeću sezonu W serije gdje joj je jedini cilj osvajanje šampionata. Emma je strastveni klipnjak čija je najbolja priprema za trke formule sportska vožnja motornim sankama zimi.

Emma Kimiläinen uživa u proljetnoj vožnji po Laponiji sa 2022 Rave RE 850.

KADA STE PRVI PUT ISPROBALI VOŽITI SNJEŽNJEM?

Ema: Moj tata je kupio motorne sanke kada sam bila mala. Sjećam se kako sam sjedio ispred njega dok je vozio sanke. U to vrijeme imali smo kolibu u južnoj Finskoj u kojoj sam mogao da se vozim kad god su jezera bila zaleđena i bilo je dovoljno snijega za vožnju. Uvijek smo imali sanke sa sobom kada smo putovali na sjever na našim zimskim praznicima. Dobio sam vozačku dozvolu sa 15 godina što mi je omogućilo da legalno vozim motorne sanke. Traktor je jedno od rijetkih vozila koje nikad nisam vozio! Imao sam mnogo godina pauze od vožnje motornim sankama kao odraslog i vozio sam se samo nekoliko puta svake zime. Prošle sezone sam to popravio i nakon dugo vremena konačno sam uspio nekoliko puta da se vozim u Laponiji.

KAKO BI SE OPISAO KAO MOTORICA NA SNJEŽIMA?

Emma: Ja uglavnom vozim na stazi. Volim da vozim u sportskom stilu, na što više različitih staza. U našoj jahačkoj grupi, ja sam obično taj koji traži od ostatka grupe da nastavi jahanje nakon 2 sata brze vožnje! Nekoliko puta sam probao i vožnju po dubokom snijegu. Smatram da je to vrlo zanimljivo i izazovno što mi odgovara. Volim izazove i uvijek želim naučiti nove stvari. U vožnji po dubokom snijegu morate koristiti potpuno različite tehnike vožnje i morate koristiti svoje tijelo na drugačiji način nego u trail vožnji. Bilo bi sjajno sljedeće sezone više voziti po dubokom snijegu.

FORMULA BOLOM VOZITE RAVNU STAZAJU BEZ UDARA I SKOKOVA. ŠTA JE ZAJEDNIČKO U TRKAMA AUTOMOBILA I VOZLJENJU SANU?

Emma: Puno. U oba slučaja morate imati dobre reakcije, instinkt za jahanje i sposobnost trodimenzionalne percepcije. Iako sjedite u različitim položajima i koristite svoje tijelo na različite načine u trkačkom automobilu i saonicama, morate voziti oba svakim dijelom tijela s osjećajem tijela. U trkaćem automobilu morate osjetiti kako vremenski uslovi utiču na stazu i prianjanje – baš kao i kada vozite sanke, morate osjetiti kako trenutni uslovi utiču na prianjanje. Sve je u prilagođavanju vozilu i površini i načinu na koji podešavate svoje akcije da budu brže. Vožnja sanjkama je dobar trening za mene i zapravo jedini sport zimi koji dijeli iste elemente sa automobilskim utrkama. Vožnja sanjkama je takođe veoma dobar fizički trening. U seriji W vozimo utrke od 40 minuta gdje je prosječni broj otkucaja srca oko 20 posto od vašeg maksimalnog. Zona otkucaja srca je prilično slična, koju imate u vožnji po zahtjevnoj, neravnoj stazi.

PUNO STE VOZILI SA LYNX RAVE ENDURO MODELOM. ŠTA ČINI TE SANKKE TAKO DOBRIMA ZA VAŠ UKUS?

Emma: Rave Enduro dobro pristaje mojoj građi i stilu vožnje. Ovjes je ludo dobar iz kutije: dovoljno je krut i dobro jede mogule. Kratka staza je optimalna za stazu i pomaže vozaču moje veličine da kontrolira vozilo s prijenosom težine. U uskim zavojima, možete imati kontrolisano klizanje sa samo malim dodirom poluge kočnice. Motor od 600 ccm je odličan za ove sanke i uz to možete pritisnuti gas na pravom mjestu vrha krivine - baš kao kod trkačkog automobila. Probao sam i model Rave RE 850 i bez sumnje bi Rave Enduro sa istim motorom bio fascinantna ideja. Samo malo više snage, i Rave Enduro bi bio moj san!

ŠTA BI BILO PUTOVANJE MOBILAMA VAŠIH SNOVA?

Emma: Grupa prijatelja, malo planinskog pejzaža za lokaciju i nekoliko različitih sanjki. Prvo bismo se nekoliko dana sportski vozili po stazama do nekog trenutka, prenoćili u divljini, a sutradan bismo nastavili avanturu sa sankama po dubokom snijegu. Logorska vatra, duh na otvorenom i divni ljudi. To bi se moglo dogoditi na primjer u Norveškoj ili Rusiji. U motornim sankama uvijek vlada dobar duh i nikad ne vozim sam. Kroz motorne sanke upoznao sam ljude koji imaju mješavinu avanturističkog duha, sportskog duha i mentaliteta klipa!

Emma će imati za cilj šampionat za W seriju počevši od juna. Prema njenim riječima, vožnja sanjkama je najbolji način da se zimi pripremite za trkačku sezonu.

KAKAV TRKAČKI AUTOMOBIL VOZITE U W SERIJI?

Emma: Automobili su FIA-ini standardni F3 T-318 automobili formule 3 koji imaju Alfa Romeo 1,8 litarski turbo motor. Najveće brzine na ravnoj stazi su maksimalno 270 kilometara na sat (168 mph). Oni su sirovi trkaći automobili bez servo upravljača ili dodatne elektronike. Ravnoteža kočnica je jedini atribut koji vozač može podesiti tokom vožnje. Za skretanje automobila u krivinama je potreban unos vozača i morate se boriti protiv G-sila i vibracija cijelim tijelom.

Emmin trkaći automobil je smanjeni i sirovi trkaći automobil tipa Formula 3 koji trenutno radi maksimalno 270 kilometara na sat. Automobil ima vrlo malo elektronike i okretanje automobila bez servo upravljača zahtijeva mnogo doprinosa vozača. Fotografija: W serija

VAŠA OČEKIVANJA ZA SEZONU W SERIJE KOJA POČINJE KRAJEM JUNA?

Emma: Zaista se radujem nadolazećoj sezoni jer je prethodna sezona bila otkazana zbog pandemije covid-19. Velika stvar sada je to što će se naše trke održavati zajedno sa F1 trkama na istim trkačkim stazama. To znači veliko povećanje vidljivosti za W seriju i daje nam kao vozačima sjajnu priliku da pokažemo svoj talenat utjecajnim ljudima u motosportu. Vjerujem da ćemo najkasnije za pet godina vidjeti vozačicu u F1. Sa 32 godine postajem možda prestar za to, ali vjerujem da će mi povećana vidljivost W serije pomoći da pronađem nove zanimljive mogućnosti za posao u motosportu.

Naša serija je vrlo ujednačena i kada se svi trkamo sa sličnim automobilima, razlika između vozača je zaista bitna. Posljednja kompletna sezona 2019. ostavila je dosta razloga za razočarenje jer sam zbog povrede propustio pola trka. Prvenstvo mi je naravno sada glavni cilj, ali kratka sezona sa 8 trka ne daje prostora za suspenzije ili druge nedaće. Ne možete pokušavati da dobijete svaku trku na silu – verujem da će dosledno završavanje sa dobrim bodovima dovesti do uspeha u šampionskoj trci.