Relaa Racing Junior Matias Salonen continued in Bikernieki where he left off in Alastaro

The Kauhajoki-based team, Relaa Racing, continued their victorious streak in the Porsche Sprint Challenge NEZ in Latvia’s Bikernieki circuit. The team’s young talent, Matias Salonen, secured his second win of the season.

On Saturday, June 10th, the Porsche Sprint Challenge NEZ series resumed at Latvia’s Bikernieki circuit with Relaa Racing fielding two cars at the event.

During qualifying, the fastest pace was set by Matias Salonen of Relaa Racing’s Junior Program. The upcoming talent from Lempäälä clinched pole position at the high-speed Bikernieki circuit by a 0.2 second margin whilst breaking the Bikernieki lap record. Relaa team owner, experienced Raimo Niemi finished the qualifying in 10th position.

In the opening race, Salonen refused to give an inch to his competitors, maintaining his lead as the pack approached the second turn and first proper breaking zone of the Bikernieki circuit. From there on, Salonen impressively controlled the race, crossing the finish line with a comfortable 2.3-second lead. Niemi, on the other hand, made a good start, climbing up to ninth place.

For the second race, Salonen started from the front row in second position. However, he found himself on the outside going into the second turn, which caused him to lose some ground but still hold onto second place. Unfortunately, the race was halted after the first lap due to a car stranded in a gravel trap. During the restart, Salonen once again started from the second place, but this time he had to surrender his position during the braking into turn two hairpin and the young Finn had to settle for third step on the podium.

”I’m extremely pleased with the results from this weekend. I had to push hard on both races and keep mistakes to a minimum. The Bikernieki track was an absolute joy to drive on, easily one of the finest circuits this season. I want to express my gratitude to the team for their trust in my work; everything worked flawlessly throughout the entire weekend. Now, it’s time to carry this momentum to Pärnu,” Salonen summarized after the race.

Unfortunately, Raimo Niemi’s second race was cut short due to an electrical issue. Nevertheless, the veteran driver enjoyed the Bikernieki track, and the weekend went according to plan.

”Everything went as planned. Matias had a great weekend, and we managed to bring home some valuable points for the team as well. Although the second race was cut short due to an electrical issue, I truly enjoyed racing here. The track is fantastic, the fastest in the series, with average speed exceeding 160 kilometers per hour. I want to extend my thanks to the team and our partners for the weekend,” Niemi commented on the race weekend.

The Porsche Sprint Challenge NEZ will continue at the Porsche Festival in Estonia on June 30th to July 1st.

Dewalt GP Bikernieki Results:

Race 1:

1. Matias Salonen           16 laps                  FIN

2. Henri Tuomaala            +2.348                  FIN

3. Thomas Kangro            +6.399                  EST

4. Valters Zviedris             +6.486                  LVA

5. Jani Käkelä                    +7.690                  FIN

9. Raimo Niemi                +58.573               FIN

Race 2.

1. Jani Käkelä                   16 laps                   FIN

2. Thomas Kangro            +0.806                  EST        

3. Matias Salonen           +2.545                  FIN

4. Henri Tuomaala            +3.332                 FIN

5. Valters Zviedris             +3.850                 LVA

11. Raimo Niemi               DNF                     FIN

Porsche Sprint Challenge NEZ Point Standings after 4/12 rounds:

1. Matias Salonen           81                          FIN

2. Henri Tuomaala           71                          FIN

3. Thomas Kangro            66                          EST

4. Valters Zviedris             58                          LAT

5. Jani Käkelä                    57                          FIN