Relaa Racing Searches For a New Junior Driver

Finnish racing team Relaa Racing competes in the new FRC GT Open championship this year. Fielding two Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars, 992 and 991.2 generation, the team is searching for new Junior Drivers for its traditional and highly successful Junior Program.

Relaa has been working with young Finnish talents for years. Competing in both national and Northern European Zone series, the team has acted as a proving ground for a number of young drivers. Last year, Relaa’s Junior Program graduate and Porsche Sprint Challenge NEZ runner-up Matias Salonen has moved to compete in the ADAC GT4 Championship in Germany. In Italy, another Junior Program graduate Luka Nurmi is competing this year in the Italian GT Championship with Ferrari, after winning the Ferrari Challenge World Championship in 2022. Furthermore, making his breakthrough all the way back in 2011 was Jesse Krohn, who has moved up to BMW’s GTP prototype in the IMSA series. Another highly successful driver in Finland is Emil Westman, with multiple championship titles in national level competition in The Gran Turismo and V8 Thunder championships among others. Overall, 3 out of 9 Junior Program drivers are currently competing actively in GT classes around the world, and many others have competed in full championship seasons or single events in Europe.

Relaa has been working together for over a decade with Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences’ Motorsport field to further help young talents to succeed in the field of motorsports, this time in engineering. Engineering students have been able to act as mechanics in the team, giving them a unique opportunity to study with factory-made Porsche GT race cars, and to understand the daily operations of a sports car team. Students who have been part of the team have graduated into motorsports, both in GT racing and rallying. Relaa Racing’s partnership with Seinäjoki-based CFAcademy sees the Junior Program drivers gain valuable knowledge and skills behind a world-class simulator together with highly experienced staff.

With multiple drivers’ and teams’ titles in Porsche championships, the team set out for success in the new sprint-style FRC GT Open championship. Additionally, Relaa is competing in the endurance-style FRC GT Open 4h series, which includes three four hour races across the FRC season. Competing with the team is possible in either of the two series, either in single events or as a full-season entry. 

The sprint series consists of 10 race starts spread over 5 weekends. Relaa offers the young drivers the opportunity to participate in Kuortane Olympic Training Center’s racing driver and physical mentoring programs, simulator practice with CFAcademy, media training, and to be a part of Relaa’s own press program. A full season of the FRC GT Open costs around 60,000 €. A single four-hour event with two drivers costs just under 10,000 €.

Finnish Racing Championship season 2024