Jesse Krohn
Encyclopedia
Jesse Kurki-Suonio more commonly known as Jesse Krohn, is a Finnish
racing driver
currently competing in the Italian Formula Three Championship
. He is notable for winning the Finnish, Northern European Zone (NEZ) and Estonia
n Formula Renault
championships.
Krohn comes from a motorsport central family, with his father, Pertti, competing in the 1987 Finnish Formula Ford
championship alongside 1998 and 1999 Formula One world champion Mika Häkkinen
whilst his sister, Jenni, and brother, Oskari also compete in motorsport professionally in Finland.
, located in the southern Uusimaa
region of Finland
, during September 1990. His father, Pertti Kurki-Suonio was a racing driver. He competed in the Finnish Formula Ford
championship alongside future Formula One
drivers Mika Häkkinen
and Mika Salo
. However, despite finishing behind Salo and Häkkinen in the championship, Pertti's career never went beyond Scandinavia, excluding a one-off appearance at Brands Hatch
for the Formula Ford festival.
His elder sister, Jenni, and younger brother, Oskari, are also both racing drivers both currently racing in their native Finland.
events in his home country, finishing in eighth, and also competing in the Ford Ford Festival at Brands Hatch
, finishing 10th, and also in the British Formula Ford Winter Series, finishing as runner up to Brit
David Mayes. The Finn entered the full UK championship the following year as well as the Finnish Formula Three
championship, "I was in a '97 Dallara
with a H-pattern gearbox" Krohn recalls, "my shoulders were over the cockpit". In the UK championship, Krohn finished the year in 17th with 82 points whilst he had a better time in Finnish Formula Three with six wins and finishing second overall in the championship. He also re-entered the Formula Ford festival as well, performing better than the previous year finishing eighth.
2008 was Krohn's best year yet, with three championship wins in the Finnish, Northern European Zone (NEZ) and Estonia
n Formula Renault
championships, recording ten wins in total. He also competed in the British, Italian and Northern European championships as well, but experiencing little success by comparison. With a number of successes the previous year, Krohn entered the UK Formula Renault championship for the whole season where he has so far tallied 117 points, including a win at Thruxton
.
Krohn gained some notoriety during the year as well after climbing up from twenty–fifth to seventh in the wet conditions at Donington Park
but soon dropped out of the point after his suspension failed and so had to complete the final three laps on three wheels, "exactly what Jan Magnussen
would have done" commented Mark Burdett Motorsport
engineer Andy Miller, who ran the Danish
driver during his 1994 British Formula Three
campaign.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
racing driver
Auto racing
Auto racing is a motorsport involving the racing of cars for competition. It is one of the world's most watched televised sports.-The beginning of racing:...
currently competing in the Italian Formula Three Championship
Italian Formula Three Championship
The Italian Formula Three Championship is the Formula Three racing competition in Italy.-History:Formula Three has traditionally been regarded as the first major stepping stone for F1 hopefuls - it is typically the first point in a driver's career at which most drivers in the series are aiming at...
. He is notable for winning the Finnish, Northern European Zone (NEZ) and Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
n Formula Renault
Formula Renault
Formula Renault is a class of formula racing founded in 1971. It is popular in Europe and other countries. Regarded as an entry-level series to motor racing, it is a respected series where drivers can learn advanced racecraft before moving on to Formula Three, World Series by Renault, GP2 or...
championships.
Krohn comes from a motorsport central family, with his father, Pertti, competing in the 1987 Finnish Formula Ford
Formula Ford
Formula Ford is a single seater, open wheel class in motorsport which exists in some form in many countries around the world. It is an entry-level series to motor racing....
championship alongside 1998 and 1999 Formula One world champion Mika Häkkinen
Mika Häkkinen
Mika Pauli Häkkinen is a Finnish racing driver and two-time Formula One World Champion...
whilst his sister, Jenni, and brother, Oskari also compete in motorsport professionally in Finland.
Personal and early life
Jesse Krohn was born in NurmijärviNurmijärvi
Nurmijärvi is the most populated rural municipality of Finland, located north of the capital Helsinki.The close proximity to Helsinki has led to a considerable growth of the major villages such as Klaukkala and Rajamäki, which nowadays are considered dormitory towns of Helsinki...
, located in the southern Uusimaa
Uusimaa
Uusimaa, or Nyland in Swedish, is a region in Finland. It borders the regions Finland Proper, Tavastia Proper, Päijänne Tavastia and Kymenlaakso...
region of Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, during September 1990. His father, Pertti Kurki-Suonio was a racing driver. He competed in the Finnish Formula Ford
Formula Ford
Formula Ford is a single seater, open wheel class in motorsport which exists in some form in many countries around the world. It is an entry-level series to motor racing....
championship alongside future Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
drivers Mika Häkkinen
Mika Häkkinen
Mika Pauli Häkkinen is a Finnish racing driver and two-time Formula One World Champion...
and Mika Salo
Mika Salo
Mika Juhani Salo 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....
. However, despite finishing behind Salo and Häkkinen in the championship, Pertti's career never went beyond Scandinavia, excluding a one-off appearance at Brands Hatch
Brands Hatch
Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit near West Kingsdown in Kent, England. First used as a dirt track motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently holds many British and international racing events...
for the Formula Ford festival.
His elder sister, Jenni, and younger brother, Oskari, are also both racing drivers both currently racing in their native Finland.
Racing career
Krohn began his career in karts when he was six, he spent nine years karting before moving up into car racing in 2005 as a test driver for saloon cars. In 2006, he competed in a number of Formula FordFormula Ford
Formula Ford is a single seater, open wheel class in motorsport which exists in some form in many countries around the world. It is an entry-level series to motor racing....
events in his home country, finishing in eighth, and also competing in the Ford Ford Festival at Brands Hatch
Brands Hatch
Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit near West Kingsdown in Kent, England. First used as a dirt track motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently holds many British and international racing events...
, finishing 10th, and also in the British Formula Ford Winter Series, finishing as runner up to Brit
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
David Mayes. The Finn entered the full UK championship the following year as well as the Finnish Formula Three
Formula Three
Formula Three, also called Formula 3 or F3, is a class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One drivers...
championship, "I was in a '97 Dallara
Dallara
Dallara Automobili is an Italian chassis manufacturer for various motor racing series, being most notable for its near-monopoly in Formula 3 since 1993...
with a H-pattern gearbox" Krohn recalls, "my shoulders were over the cockpit". In the UK championship, Krohn finished the year in 17th with 82 points whilst he had a better time in Finnish Formula Three with six wins and finishing second overall in the championship. He also re-entered the Formula Ford festival as well, performing better than the previous year finishing eighth.
2008 was Krohn's best year yet, with three championship wins in the Finnish, Northern European Zone (NEZ) and Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
n Formula Renault
Formula Renault
Formula Renault is a class of formula racing founded in 1971. It is popular in Europe and other countries. Regarded as an entry-level series to motor racing, it is a respected series where drivers can learn advanced racecraft before moving on to Formula Three, World Series by Renault, GP2 or...
championships, recording ten wins in total. He also competed in the British, Italian and Northern European championships as well, but experiencing little success by comparison. With a number of successes the previous year, Krohn entered the UK Formula Renault championship for the whole season where he has so far tallied 117 points, including a win at Thruxton
Thruxton Circuit
Thruxton Circuit is a motor racing circuit located near the village of Thruxton in Hampshire, England which is used to host a number of motorsport events including British Touring Cars and Formula 3 racing....
.
Krohn gained some notoriety during the year as well after climbing up from twenty–fifth to seventh in the wet conditions at Donington Park
Donington Park
Donington Park is a motorsport circuit near Castle Donington in Leicestershire, England.Originally part of the Donington Hall estate, it was created as a racing circuit during the pre-war period when the German Silver Arrows were battling for the European Championship...
but soon dropped out of the point after his suspension failed and so had to complete the final three laps on three wheels, "exactly what Jan Magnussen
Jan Magnussen
Jan Magnussen is a racing driver from Denmark and a GM factory driver. He has competed in several of the most prestigious events in motor sport including CART, NASCAR, the FIA Formula One World Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.- Lower series racing :Magnussen dominated the 1994 British...
would have done" commented Mark Burdett Motorsport
Mark Burdett Motorsport
Mark Burdett Motorsport is a motor-racing team, that races in Formula Renault and Formula BMW. The team was established in 1994 by Mark Burdett, who is still the Team Manager.Past drivers in the team have included Markus Niemelä and Stian Sørlie in 2006....
engineer Andy Miller, who ran the Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
driver during his 1994 British Formula Three
British Formula Three Championship
The British Formula Three Championship is an international motor racing series that takes place primarily in the United Kingdom with a small number of events in mainland Europe. It is a junior-level feeder formula that uses small single seater Formula Three chassis. Its current official title is...
campaign.