Joni-Pekka Rajala
| Joni-Pekka Rajala | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |
 Finnish |
| Born |
18 August 1984 Finland |
| European Rallycross Championship career | |
| Debut season | 2012 |
| Current team | Eklund Motorsport |
| Car no. | 60 |
| Starts | 11 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Best finish | 4th in 2015 (Supercar) |
| FIA World Rallycross Championship | |
| Years active | 2014–2016 |
| Car no. | 60 |
| Former teams |
Eklund Motorsport Hedströms Motorsport |
| Starts | 3 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Best finish | 31st in 2014 |
Joni-Pekka "Jonttu" Rajala (born 18 August 1984) is a Finnish racing driver currently participating in the FIA European Rallycross Championship. He currently races a Volkswagen Beetle for Per Eklund Motorsport.
Biography
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Rajala is a six-time champion of the Finnish Rallycross Championship. He has won 4 consecutive titles in the SRC – SuperNational (2WD) category (2011 through 2014) with a Ford Escort Mk7, along with back-to-back titles in the Supercars category (2013 and 2014) behind the wheel of a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI. This was also a Finnish record, as it was the first time a driver had won both categories two years in a row.
Rajala's big break came at the 2014 World RX of Finland, where he was able to showcase his talent in a privateer-entered Škoda Fabia. He was knocked out in the Semi-Final stage however was promoted to the Final as Petter Solberg was unable to make the grid and neither could first understudy Timmy Hansen. He subsequently retired with engine failure, but had done enough to maintain his drive for the following round in Sweden. Amongst a larger grid with more competitive drivers he finished a lowly 22nd and didn't race again that season – however he had attracted the attention of Per Eklund, who offered him a full-time 2015 FIA European Rallycross Championship drive in a Saab 9-3. Rajala exceeded all expectations that season, finishing 4th in the championship – with the highlight being 2nd in Norway – despite driving an inferior car.
Rajala returned to Euro RX with Per Eklund Motorsport in 2016, with a new VW Beetle which promised to be more competitive than the Saab. Despite this, he only managed to make the final once and finished 10th in the standings. He also made his third World RX start, in Germany, coming 20th overall in a new Mitsubishi Mirage.
Results
Complete FIA World Rallycross Championship results
Supercar
| Year | Entrant | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | WRX | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Hedströms Motorsport | Škoda Fabia | POR | GBR | NOR | FIN 6 |
SWE 22 |
BEL | CAN | FRA | GER | ITA | TUR | ARG | 31st | 13 |
| 2016 | Eklund Motorsport | Mitsubishi Mirage | POR |
HOC |
BEL |
GBR |
NOR |
SWE |
CAN |
FRA |
BAR |
LAT |
GER 20 |
ARG |
34th | 0 |
Complete FIA European Rallycross Championship results
TouringCar
| Year | Entrant | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | ERX | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Joni-Pekka Rajala | Ford Fiesta ST | GBR |
FRA |
AUT |
HUN |
NOR |
SWE |
BEL |
NED |
FIN 7 |
GER |
27th | 10 |
Supercar
| Year | Entrant | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ERX | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Eklund Motorsport | Saab 9-3 | BEL 7 |
GER 5 |
NOR 2 |
BAR 3 |
ITA 8 |
4th | 86 |
| 2016 | Eklund Motorsport | Volkswagen Beetle | BEL 6 |
NOR 9 |
SWE 15 |
BAR 20 |
LAT 18 |
10th | 33 |
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Joni-Pekka Rajala. |