Mika Salo
Template:Short description Template:Paid contributions Template:Use dmy dates Template:BLP sources Template:Infobox person
Mika Juhani Salo (born 30 November 1966) is a Finnish former racing driver and broadcaster, who competed in Formula One from Template:F1 to Template:F1.
His best ranking was 10th in the world championship in Template:F1, when he stood in for the injured Michael Schumacher at Ferrari for six races, scoring two podiums and ten points, contributing to Ferrari's constructors' championship win by a four-point margin. He also won the GT2 class in the 2008 and 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Career
Formula Three and Japanese racing
In 1989, Helsinki-born Salo competed in the British Formula 3 Championship, racing for Alan Docking Racing. He raced with the Reynard Alfa Romeo 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 Formula Three, finishing second to him. In 1990, Salo was caught driving under the influence in London.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Formula One

1994–1998: Lotus, Tyrrell and Arrows
After a few years racing in Japan he made his first Formula One start at the penultimate round of the Template:F1 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 Template:F1. 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Despite a promising Template:F1 with Arrows, he had no full-time drive in Template:F1.
1999: British American Racing and Ferrari

Following an injury to BAR driver Ricardo Zonta, Salo took his place for three races whilst the Brazilian recovered. BAR's first season was not successful but Salo scored their best result of the year, with a seventh-place finish at San Marino.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> However a greater opportunity arose when Michael Schumacher broke his leg in 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.<ref>1999 German Grand Prix www.grandprix.com Retrieved 21 June 2007</ref> Following the race, Irvine handed his victory trophy over to Salo as a gesture of gratitude. He also finished third at Monza, ahead of Irvine. These podium finishes were critical in helping Ferrari win their first Constructors' title since Template:F1.
2000–2002: Sauber and Toyota

Salo was back full-time in Template:F1 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 Formula One entry in Template:F1, and also cited a desire to score podiums rather than lower points-scoring positions. 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 getting fired from Toyota. Though the news was initially met with general surprise, it was later revealed that Salo was not on good terms with the team, who heavily criticized his deemed poor performance.
During his Formula One career, he achieved two podiums, and scored a total of 33 championship points.
Post-Formula One
His first post-Formula One 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 run 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.Template:Citation needed
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 third 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 honours 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).<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link</ref> 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 felt he was ready for a new challenge. He set his mind on NASCAR, and had his first test with Michael Waltrip Racing at the half-mile New Smyrna Speedway in November 2009.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2010–12, Salo competed in the Gold Coast 600, an endurance event for the V8 Supercars. In 2010, he partnered with Walkinshaw Racing's Andrew Thompson and retired from both races. For 2011–12 he raced with Will Davison and the Ford Performance Racing team, finishing 2nd in the 1st race of 2011 and winning the 2nd race in 2012.
In 2014, driving for Maranello Motorsport, Salo co-drove a Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 to victory at the Bathurst 12 Hour alongside Australian motor racing legends Craig Lowndes and John Bowe, and another local Australian driver Peter Edwards.
Personal life
Salo lives in Estonia,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and has a sonTemplate:Citation needed and a daughter with his wife Noriko Endo, who he married in July 1999.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His godson Jesse Krohn competes in the IMSA SportsCar Championship. Like fellow Finns Keke Rosberg and JJ Lehto, both former Formula One drivers, Salo has commentated on several F1 races on MTV Oy since 2005.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Since 2011, Salo has been hosting the Finnish TV-show, Virittäjät ('Test Drive by Mika Salo'), along with his former co-host Tomi Tuominen, who is a Finnish journalist, television presenter, sports commentator and former co-driver in the World Rally Championship.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2013, Salo featured in Discovery channel's program called Driven to Extremes along with Hollywood actors Tom Hardy and Adrien Brody. Salo appeared in two episodes, one with Tom Hardy in minus 50 degrees Celsius in Russia, and the other one with Adrien Brody to the Malaysian jungle at the height of the monsoon season.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Helmet
Salo's helmet was originally dark blue with a white halo on the top (with a red line inside), two white stripes (with a red line inside) going from the rear going down diagonally to the sides of the helmet and a white trapezoidal shape on the chin area (with blue outline), slightly based on Prost's helmet. When he raced in Formula One, he changed the helmet from dark blue to sky blue with the rest of the elements intact.
Racing record
Career summary
{{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B=Template:AmboxTemplate:Main other }}
† Not eligible for championship points.
‡ Team standings.
Complete British Formula Three Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Complete Japanese Formula 3000 Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Ad Racing Team Co. Ltd. | SUZ | AUT Template:Small |
FUJ Template:Small |
MIN Template:Small |
SUZ Template:Small |
SUG Template:Small |
FUJ Template:Small |
SUZ Template:Small |
FUJ Template:Small |
SUZ Template:Small |
FUJ Template:Small |
23rd | 1 |
| 1992 | Ad Racing Team Co. Ltd. | SUZ Template:Small |
FUJ Template:Small |
MIN Template:Small |
SUZ Template:Small |
AUT Template:Small |
SUG Template:Small |
FUJ Template:Small |
FUJ Template:Small |
SUZ Template:Small |
FUJ Template:Small |
SUZ Template:Small |
15th | 5 |
| 1993 | Ad Racing Team Co. Ltd. | SUZ Template:Small |
FUJ Template:Small |
MIN Template:Small |
SUZ Template:Small |
AUT Template:Small |
SUG Template:Small |
FUJ Template:Small |
FUJ Template:Small |
SUZ Template:Small |
FUJ Template:Small |
SUZ Template:Small |
17th | 1 |
| 1994 | Team 5ZIGEN | SUZ Template:Small |
FUJ Template:Small |
MIN Template:Small |
SUZ Template:Small |
SUG Template:Small |
FUJ Template:Small |
SUZ Template:Small |
FUJ Template:Small |
FUJ | SUZ Template:Small |
7th | 6 |
Complete Formula One results
(key)
Complete CART results
(key)
| Year | Team | No. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Rank | Points | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | PK Racing | 27 | STP | MTY | LBH | BRH | LAU | MIL | LS | POR | CLE | TOR | VAN | ROA | MOH | MTL | DEN Template:Small |
MIA Template:Small |
MXC Template:Small |
SRF Template:Small |
FON C † |
16th | 26 | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
† Cancelled due to California Fires
24 Hours of Le Mans results
| Year | Team | Co-drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Template:Tooltip | Template:Tooltip |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Template:Flagicon Audi Sport UK Template:Flagicon Arena Motorsport |
Template:Flagicon Frank Biela Template:Flagicon Perry McCarthy |
Audi R8 | LMP900 | 28 | DNF | DNF |
| 2007 | Template:Flagicon Risi Competizione | Template:Flagicon Johnny Mowlem Template:Flagicon Jaime Melo |
Ferrari F430 GT2 | GT2 | 223 | DNF | DNF |
| 2008 | Template:Flagicon Risi Competizione | Template:Flagicon Gianmaria Bruni Template:Flagicon Jaime Melo |
Ferrari F430 GT2 | GT2 | 326 | 19th | 1st |
| 2009 | Template:Flagicon Risi Competizione | Template:Flagicon Jaime Melo Template:Flagicon Pierre Kaffer |
Ferrari F430 GT2 | GT2 | 329 | 18th | 1st |
| 2010 | Template:Flagicon AF Corse | Template:Flagicon Luís Pérez Companc Template:Flagicon Matías Russo |
Ferrari F430 GT2 | GT2 | 0 | DNS | DNS |
| 2014 | Template:Flagicon SMP Racing | Template:Flagicon Sergey Zlobin Template:Flagicon Anton Ladygin |
Oreca 03R-Nissan | LMP2 | 303 | 37th | 12th |
Complete American Le Mans Series results
Complete GT1 World Championship results
| Year | Team | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Mad-Croc Racing | Chevrolet Corvette C6.R | ABU QR Ret |
ABU CR 15 |
SIL QR |
SIL CR |
BRN QR 19 |
BRN CR 12 |
PRI QR |
PRI CR |
SPA QR |
SPA CR |
NÜR QR 15 |
NÜR CR 23 |
ALG QR |
ALG CR |
NAV QR |
NAV CR |
INT QR |
INT CR |
SAN QR |
SAN CR |
52nd | 0 |
Complete V8 Supercar results
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | Final pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Walkinshaw Racing | YMC R1 |
YMC R2 |
BHR R3 |
BHR R4 |
ADE R5 |
ADE R6 |
HAM R7 |
HAM R8 |
QLD R9 |
QLD R10 |
WIN R11 |
WIN R12 |
HID R13 |
HID R14 |
TOW R15 |
TOW R16 |
PHI Q |
PHI R17 |
BAT R18 |
SUR R19 Template:Small |
SUR R20 Template:Small |
SYM R21 |
SYM R22 |
SAN R23 |
SAN R24 |
SYD R25 |
SYD R26 |
NC | 0 + | ||||
| 2011 | Ford Performance Racing | YMC R1 |
YMC R2 |
ADE R3 |
ADE R4 |
HAM R5 |
HAM R6 |
BAR R7 |
BAR R8 |
BAR R9 |
WIN R10 |
WIN R11 |
HID R12 |
HID R13 |
TOW R14 |
TOW R15 |
QLD R16 |
QLD R17 |
QLD R18 |
PHI Q |
PHI R19 |
BAT R20 |
SUR R21 Template:Small |
SUR R22 Template:Small |
SYM R23 |
SYM R24 |
SAN R25 |
SAN R26 |
SYD R27 |
SYD R28 |
52nd | 201 | ||
| 2012 | Ford Performance Racing | ADE R1 |
ADE R2 |
SYM R3 |
SYM R4 |
HAM R5 |
HAM R6 |
BAR R7 |
BAR R8 |
BAR R9 |
PHI R10 |
PHI R11 |
HID R12 |
HID R13 |
TOW R14 |
TOW R15 |
QLD R16 |
QLD R17 |
SMP R18 |
SMP R19 |
SAN Q |
SAN R20 |
BAT R21 |
SUR R22 Template:Small |
SUR R23 Template:Small |
YMC R24 |
YMC R25 |
YMC R26 |
WIN R27 |
WIN R28 |
SYD R29 |
SYD R30 |
NC | 0 † |
† Not Eligible for points
Complete International Superstars Series results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Swiss Team | Maserati Quattroporte | MNZ 1 Template:Small |
MNZ 2 Template:Small |
IMO 1 |
IMO 2 |
DON 1 |
DON 2 |
MUG 1 |
MUG 2 |
HUN 1 |
HUN 2 |
SPA 1 Template:Small |
SPA 2 Template:Small |
VAL 1 |
VAL 2 |
PER 1 |
PER 2 |
19th | 30 |
Bathurst 12 Hour results
| Year | Team | Co-drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Template:Tooltip | Template:Tooltip |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Template:Flagicon Maranello Motorsport | Template:Flagicon John Bowe Template:Flagicon Peter Edwards Template:Flagicon Allan Simonsen |
Ferrari 458 GT3 | A | 111 | DNF | DNF |
| 2014 | Template:Flagicon Maranello Motorsport | Template:Flagicon John Bowe Template:Flagicon Peter Edwards Template:Flagicon Craig Lowndes |
Ferrari 458 GT3 | A | 296 | 1st | 1st |
| 2015 | Template:Flagicon Maranello Motorsport | Template:Flagicon Ben Collins Template:Flagicon Tony D'Alberto |
Ferrari 458 GT3 | A | 0 | DNS | DNS |
| 2016 | Template:Flagicon Maranello Motorsport | Template:Flagicon Tony D'Alberto Template:Flagicon Grant Denyer Template:Flagicon Toni Vilander |
Ferrari 458 GT3 | AP | 63 | DNF | DNF |
Complete European Le Mans Series results
| Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | SMP Racing | GTC | Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 | Ferrari 4.5 L V8 | SIL | IMO | RBR | HUN | LEC Template:Small |
12th | 11 |
| 2014 | SMP Racing | GTC | Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 | Ferrari 4.5 L V8 | SIL | IMO Template:Small |
RBR Template:Small |
LEC Template:Small |
HUN Template:Small |
28th | 4 |
References
Template:Sister project Template:Navboxes Template:KV Racing Technology
- 1966 births
- Living people
- Racing drivers from Helsinki
- Finnish racing drivers
- Finnish Formula One drivers
- Team Lotus Formula One drivers
- Tyrrell Formula One drivers
- Arrows Formula One drivers
- BAR Formula One drivers
- Ferrari Formula One drivers
- Sauber Formula One drivers
- Toyota Formula One drivers
- British Formula Three Championship drivers
- Champ Car drivers
- Japanese Formula 3000 Championship drivers
- FIA GT Championship drivers
- American Le Mans Series drivers
- 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers
- Supercars Championship drivers
- Finnish expatriate sportspeople in Japan
- Finnish expatriate sportspeople in Monaco
- Finnish expatriate sportspeople in England
- Finnish expatriate sportspeople in the United States
- FIA GT1 World Championship drivers
- Superstars Series drivers
- GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup drivers
- ADAC GT Masters drivers
- European Le Mans Series drivers
- 24 Hours of Daytona drivers
- WeatherTech SportsCar Championship drivers
- 24 Hours of Spa drivers
- Finnish expatriates in Estonia
- Russian Circuit Racing Series drivers
- SMP Racing drivers
- AF Corse drivers
- Arena Motorsport drivers
- Alan Docking Racing drivers
- KV Racing Technology drivers
- Nürburgring 24 Hours drivers