Following a fatal accident at
Eläintarha racetrack in 1963, the street circuit was closed for good and a need for a permanent racetrack was born in Finland. While the Finnish national motor racing association AKK was planning a new track at Tattarisuo in Helsinki, Curt Lincoln, a Finnish motorsport legend, leased a better suited place near the village of Keimola,
Vantaa. The area of was more than enough to build a racetrack of international proportions. The track was opened on 12 June 1966 with races of various classes. The track was designed to fit
Formula Two specifications, being too short for
Formula One cars. Because Formula One drivers could also participate in Formula Two races during the late 1960s, the track saw legends like
Jim Clark,
Graham Hill,
Jack Brabham,
Jochen Rindt and
Denny Hulme in 1966 and 1967. The track raised interest into
Formula Vee in the late 1960s. In addition to race events, the track was used to host music festivals in the 1970s. They included Helsinki Rock Festivals (or Keimola-Rock) in 1972 and 1973. The 1972 event became known as "Keimola mud festival" after a rainstorm transformed the rallycross track into a lake.
Closure Financial difficulties finally led to the closure of the track at the end of 1978. The last event held on the track was a world record in reverse driving made by journalists of
Tekniikan Maailma and
Vauhdin Maailma on 20 and 21 October 1978. They drove a
Volvo 343 equipped with a
Variomatic continuously variable transmission, which meant the car could be driven at the same speed in both directions. The total distance was covered during 24 hours. After the closure, the track remained in a good condition for some time, with local enthusiasts using the track illegally. These were called the "moonlight races" (Finnish: kuutamoajot). These races ended with a
moose accident on 10 May 1988, which injured seriously a young motorist. Deep ditches were then cut through the track at five locations. These were quickly filled with sand by moonlight racers, but the owner of the track area soon learned about this and destroyed the surface of the track with a
plough in early 1989. This ended the racing for good. The track has been unsuitable for driving for many years, but some structures are left standing, such as the control tower next to the back straight and a television camera tower near turn seven. The control tower was badly damaged in a fire in 2004 and its door is sealed shut with concrete.
Future During the next few years, the track will be redeveloped into a
residential area with some roads running on the original track. The control tower will also be preserved as a historical monument. The track area is owned by media group
Sanoma. == Layout ==