Eläintarhan ajot (Suomea Grand Prix in Finnish, Djurgårdsloppet in Swedish, Eltsun ajot in slang) or Suomen Suurajot (Finnish Grand Race) as it was called in 1932 was a motor racing competition arranged between years 1932 and 1963 in Eläintarha, Helsinki, Finland. The idea for the race came from a racing driver, S. P. J. Keinänen. Its racing history included the pre-war Finnish Grand Prix.
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The first Grand Prix-race was a success and it attracted around 25,000 spectators. There were ten cars in the first start, six of them Finnish and four Swedish. The very first win went to the Swede Per Viktor Widengren who drove a Mercedes-Benz, second to qualify was S. P. J. Keinänen in a Chrysler and the third place went to Karl Ebb driving a Mercedes-Benz.
Motorcycle races were also held from the beginning – the first motorcycle win was also taken by a Swede – Gunnar Kalén. The best-placed Finn was Raine Lampinen who finished second in the lower class.
The Eläintarha race was an annual happening in Helsinki for almost 30 years until the final race was held in 1963. The winner of this last race was Timo Mäkinen, although the main start (Formula Junior) was canceled after a fatal accident. At the start a driver (whose identity has not been confirmed) hit Curt Lincoln's Brabham BT6 (Formula Junior), and the car slid to the left side of track. Most drivers managed to avoid a collision but the Swedish Örjan Atterberg hit his countryman Freddy Kottulinsky. Unfortunately Atterberg's car flipped over and the driver was pinned under his vehicle. As a result of the crash Atterberg sustained fatal injuries. The race was stopped by the race officials one minute after crash and the jury told the race was over.
As the setup was considered too dangerous this was the final race to be conducted on the city circuit. The racing events that followed the ill fated Eläintarha race were held at Keimola Motor Stadium between 1966–1978.
In the 1930s motor racing events were also arranged couple of times in Munkkiniemi, a residential district in northwest Helsinki.
The race has been arranged three times since to honour its memory – the first time was in 1982, then 1992 and the last time was in 2002. In the 1992 event Juan Manuel Fangio was present. Around 2005, a detailed and driveable virtual recreation of the circuit appeared for the Grand Prix Legends historical racing simulation.
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| Year | Driver | Car | Class | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1932 | Per-Viktor Widengren | Mercedes-Benz SSK | Grand Prix | Report |
| 1933 | Karl Ebb | Mercedes-Benz SSK | Grand Prix | Report |
| 1934 | Eugen Bjørnstad | Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza | Grand Prix | Report |
| 1935 | Karl Ebb | Mercedes Benz SSK 7.1L | Grand Prix | Report |
| 1936 | Eugen Bjørnstad | Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza | Grand Prix | Report |
| 1937 | Hans Rüesch | Alfa Romeo 8C-35 3.8L | Grand Prix | Report |
| 1938 | Not held | |||
| 1939 | Adolf Westerblom | Alfa Romeo Monza 2.6L | Grand Prix | Report |
| 1946 | Only motorcycles | |||
| 1947 | Asser Wallenius | Ford Roadster 1934 | Class B | – |
| Helge Hallmann | Ford special | Formula Libre | – | |
| 1948 | Magnus Knutsson | BMW | Class A | – |
| Leo Mattila | Ford Roadster | Class B | – | |
| S. P. J. Keinänen | Chrysler special | Formula Libre | – | |
| 1949 | S. P. J. Keinänen | BMW 328 | Class A | – |
| 1951 | S. P. J. Keinänen | Jaguar XK120 | Production | – |
| 1952 | Michael Head | Jaguar XK120 | Division +2000 | – |
| Valdemar Stener | Ferrari 166 MM Touring Barchetta | Division 2000 | – | |
| Roger Laurent | Talbot-Lago T26C | 1952 Formula One season | Report | |
| 1953 | Robert Nelleman | Allard | +2000 GT | – |
| Valdemar Stener | Ferrari 166 MM Touring Barchetta | 2000 GT | – | |
| Rodney Nuckey | Cooper T23 | 1953 Formula One season | Report | |
| Curt Lincoln | Cooper-Norton | Formula 3 | – | |
| 1954 | Michael Head | Jaguar C-type | GT +2000 | – |
| John Bengtsson | Ferrari 166 Touring Barchetta | GT 2000 | – | |
| Rodney Nuckey | Cooper-Bristol F2 | Formula Libre | – | |
| Eric Brandon | Cooper-Norton | Formula 3 | – | |
| 1955 | Michael Head | Jaguar D-type | Division +2000 | – |
| Curt Lincoln | Jaguar C-type | +2000 production | – | |
| Joakim Bonnier | Alfa Romeo 1900 Sprint | 2000 production | – | |
| Eric Brandon | Cooper | Formula 3 | – | |
| 1956 | Curt Lincoln | Jaguar D-type | +2000 production | – |
| Harry Saaristo | Triumph TR2 | 2000 production | – | |
| John Kvarnström | Ferrari 750 Monza | +2000 | – | |
| Eric Brandon | Halselec-Climax | 2000 | – | |
| Eric Brandon | Cooper | Formula 3 | – | |
| 1957 | Joakim Bonnier | Maserati 200S | S+2.0 | – |
| Curt Lincoln | Ferrari 500 TR | S 2.0 | – | |
| Arne Lindberg | Mercedes-Benz 300 SL | GT+2.0 | – | |
| J.A. Iversen | Porsche 356 Carrera | GT 2.0 | – | |
| Curt Lincoln | Cooper T 42 Mark XI | Formula 3 | – | |
| 1958 | Graham Whitehead | Aston Martin DB3S | Division +2000 | – |
| Ivor Bueb | Lotus 12 Coventry Climax | Division 2000 | – | |
| Curt Lincoln | Ferrari 250 GT TDF | GT +2000 | – | |
| Curt Lincoln | Cooper T 42 Mark XII | Formula 3 | – | |
| 1959 | Carl-Otto Bremer | Ferrari 750 Monza | S+2.0 | – |
| Curt Lincoln | Cooper Monaco | S 2.0 | – | |
| Carl-Gunnar Hammarlund | Porsche 356 Carrera | GT | – | |
| Curt Lincoln | Cooper T 42 Mark XII | Formula 3 | – | |
| 1960 | Jimmy Blumer | Cooper Monaco | S 2.0 | – |
| Heimo Hietaranta | Cooper/Norton | Formula 3 | – | |
| Curt Lincoln | Cooper | Formula Junior | – | |
| 1961 | David Hitches | Lola | 2000 | – |
| Heimo Hietaranta | Cooper/Norton | Formula 3 | – | |
| Carl-Otto Bremer | Elva 100 | Formula Junior | – | |
| 1962 | Carl-Gunnar Hammarlund | Porsche 356 Carrera | GT +1300cc | – |
| Curt Lincoln | Lotus Elite | GT 1300cc | – | |
| Curt Lincoln | Cooper T 42 Mark XII | Formula 3 | – | |
| Olle Nygren | Cooper T56 | Formula Junior | – | |
| 1963 | Holger Laine | Volvo PV544 | ST +1600cc | – |
| Timo Mäkinen | Morris Mini Cooper | ST 1150cc | – | |