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Jyrki Juhani Järvilehto (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈjyrki ˈjærvilehto]), better known as "JJ Lehto", (born January 31, 1966 in Espoo), is a racing driver from Finland. He won the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice, in 1995 and 2005. He is also a former Formula One driver.
He was a protégé of Finnish 1982 Formula One World Champion Keke Rosberg, who first suggested that Jyrki Järvilehto would abbreviate his name to the more manageable JJ Lehto, much as Rosberg had done before him ("Keke" being derived from Keijo, his own given name).
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Like many racing drivers he began in karts at age 8, winning numerous events, before graduating to Formula Ford at the early age of 15. A switch to single seaters saw him dominate the Scandinavian Formula Ford. He then won the British and European Formula 2000 championship in 1987 and went on to win the coveted British Formula 3 title in 1988.[1] He was driving for Pacific Racing. In 1989 Järvilehto drove in Formula 3000, again for Pacific Racing. The season wasn't successful and he didn't score any podium finishes. Järvilehto didn't participate in the last race which was held in Dijon-Prenois.
In 1989 Lehto tested for Ferrari before making his Formula One debut for the Onyx team.[1] Financial difficulties forced the small team to quit Formula One in the summer of 1990 leaving Lehto free to move to Scuderia Italia, where he remained until the end of the 1992 season. During that time he collected his only podium finish in the 1991 San Marino Grand Prix.
In 1993 Lehto signed for the new Sauber team, who had moved into Formula One from Sports car racing, where he partnered Karl Wendlinger. Despite failing to repeat his 1991 podium result, Lehto scored a respectable 5 points before signing for the front-running Benetton team to partner Michael Schumacher in 1994.
Sadly, when it appeared Lehto was finally to receive his break in Formula One, disaster struck. A testing accident at Silverstone shortly before the beginning of the season forced him to sit out the first two races with an injured neck. Lehto made his return at the ill-fated 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, in which Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna were killed. Lehto was good friends with Ratzenberger. They had dined together on the previous evening and traveled to the Imola track together. Lehto's neck was all but recovered and he was constantly in pain. In that race, Lehto's Benetton stalled on the starting grid and was ploughed into by Pedro Lamy's Lotus.
Benetton were fighting for the constructors title in 1994, and despite a sixth place finish in Canada, Lehto lasted only four races before once more being replaced by Jos Verstappen, who the team felt was in better form at the time. Lehto made two more appearances for Benetton while Schumacher was suspended in the latter stages of the season, but by now, with his confidence terminally damaged, it was clear that Lehto's Formula One career was effectively over. Benetton replaced him with Briton Johnny Herbert. Lehto was then drafted in to the Sauber team for the final two events of the 1994 season, races which would be his last in Formula One.
After his Formula One career stalled, and advised by his manager Keke Rosberg, Lehto joined the German Touring Car Championship, DTM, in 1995 and 1996. Even though rated highly, victories eluded him, but this loss was probably made up by his successes in GT and sports car racing.
He was a late addition to the 1995 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in a McLaren F1 GTR, but he won the race outright, at his third attempt, sharing the car with Yannick Dalmas and Masanori Sekiya. Lehto was an integral part of the win, gaining the lead for the team by driving a few stints during the rainy night. While others were driving cautiously, Lehto was seen to be sliding the car, lapping at times 30sec faster than everyone else.[2] He had three more guest appearances in the same car the next year, winning another race, before he got picked up by BMW to join the factory squad in the inaugural FIA GT season, partnering the talented Steve Soper. Even though success came initially easily (a highlight must surely have been winning in front of his home crowd at the Thunder In Helsinki event), the might of Mercedes-Benz caught up with the McLarens and left Lehto conceding the title to former DTM rival Bernd Schneider.
After an unsuccessful 1998 campaign as a Mercedes-Benz factory driver in the American-based single-seater CART series with Team Hogan, Lehto stayed States-side but returned to the BMW camp, which entered their V12 LMR sportscar racer in the American Le Mans Series, ALMS. Even though he ended up winning four races, Lehto lost the title on the account of a formality (he wasn't awarded the points gained for winning the 12 Hours of Sebring because he didn't have an American racing license back then). 2000 proved less successful as the near-unbeatable Audi R8 entered the scene.
BMW and Lehto stayed in the ALMS series, but stepped down to the GT-class with the controversial M3 GTR. The team was virtually unbeatable but Lehto lost out in the championship to the driver he shared the car with, Jörg Müller, as the latter had more fastest laps and laps in the lead to his name.
He found the M3 already not fast enough to his liking, so it was not surprising when Lehto turned down BMW's offer to join them in the European Touring Car Championship (ETCC) the following year, having to race a near standard 320i tin-top racer. 2002 started with unemployment, but he was picked up by Cadillac as an addition to their Northstar LMP sportscar programme at Le Mans and in the ALMS series. Although the car wasn't on the pace of the Audi R8s or Panoz LMPs, the car's fortunes did seem to turn for the better when it started to notch up regular podium finishes in the second half of the year. Cadillac's mother company General Motors pulled the plug on the project, leaving Lehto again without a job if it hadn't been for Champion Racing, who offered him a drive in their Audi R8.
Lehto won four times in 2003 (including the prestigious Petit Le Mans event at Road Atlanta), but it wasn't until the factory Audi squad left the ALMS series that he was finally able to reap full rewards in 2004 and score his first championship success since his 1988 title in the British Formula 3, picking up six victories on the way.
A disappointing second half of the 2005 season prevented him from scoring double championship success, but nonetheless he managed to end his last year in full-time racing on an impressive note when winning both the 12 Hours of Sebring and the 24 Hours of Le Mans again.
In 2006 it was announced the Solaroli team would purchase two Porsche RS Spyders to be entered in the ALMS series. One car would be driven by Lehto, partnered by Johnny Herbert. However, even though getting confirmation about the deal going through in early 2007, nothing ever materialized.
Lehto did show up at the 2007 edition of the 24 Hours of Daytona to team up with Colin Braun and Max Papis in the Krohn Racing Pontiac-Riley. His first participation in the event wasn't a success though as the car suffered from misfire, ending up with it, after having spent quite its share in the pits, finishing 17th only.
In 2008 he has made an unexpected return to the race tracks when he showed up at the Malaysian Grand Prix to drive in the Speedcar support race, taking over the #90 car previously vacated by Narain Karthikeyan.
In 2001 Lehto joined Finnish television as an expert race commentator and has remained a mainstay at MTV3's Finnish Formula One race broadcasts (and also for the pay-channel MTV3 MAX) until 2010, alongside Oskari Saari.
On June 17, 2010, Lehto was involved in a boating accident in Ekenäs. The accident happened when the boat carrying Lehto and his friend, whose identity was not released, hit the base of a bridge. Lehto was injured and his passenger was killed in the accident.[3][4] Lehto was drunk at the time. Later in August, 7 Päivää-magazine reported that Lehto had attended his friend's funeral.[5] Lehto has not issued official interviews or statements since the incident. In January 2011, Iltasanomat reported that the police investigations had determined that no-one besides Lehto could have been driving the boat at the time of the accident.[6]
Lehto faced charges of negligent homicide, reckless driving and driving under the influence.[7][8] Regardless, Lehto made a return to sportscasting on the Finnish sports-channel UrhoTV, commentating on a DTM event.[9] On December 14, 2011, Lehto was found guilty of drunk sailing and negligent homicide, and sentenced to prison for two years and four months.[10] Lehto denied all of the charges and announced that he intended to launch an appeal.
(key)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Pacific Racing | SIL DSQ |
VAL Ret |
PAU 4 |
JER 6 |
PER Ret |
BRH Ret |
BIR Ret |
SPA 5 |
BUG Ret |
DIJ |
14th | 6 |
(key)
| Year | Result | Team | Car | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Ret | Richard Lloyd Racing / Italya Sport | Porsche 962C GTi | C1 |
| 1991 | 9 | Porsche Kremer Racing | Porsche 962CK6 | C2 |
| 1992 | DNP | |||
| 1993 | DNP | |||
| 1994 | DNP | |||
| 1995 | 1 | Kokusai Kaihatsu Racing | McLaren F1 GTR | GT1 |
| 1996 | 9 | Gulf Racing / GTC Racing | McLaren F1 GTR | GT1 |
| 1997 | Ret | Team BMW Motorsport / BMW Team Schnitzer | McLaren F1 GTR | GT1 |
| 1998 | DNP | |||
| 1999 | Ret | Team BMW Motorsport / BMW Team Schnitzer | BMW V12 LMR | LMP |
| 2000 | DNP | |||
| 2001 | DNP | |||
| 2002 | 12 | Team Cadillac | Cadillac Northstar LMP02 | LMP900 |
| 2003 | 3 | Champion Racing | Audi R8 | LMP900 |
| 2004 | 3 | ADT Champion Racing | Audi R8 | LMP1 |
| 2005 | 1 | ADT Champion Racing | Audi R8 | LMP1 |
(key)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Hogan Racing | MIA 14 |
MOT Ret |
LBH 18 |
NZR 16 |
RIO 10 |
STL 9 |
MIL Ret |
DET Ret |
POR Ret |
CLE Ret |
TOR Ret |
MIS Ret |
MDO 15 |
ROA Ret |
VAN 8 |
LS Ret |
HOU 10 |
SRF 5 |
FON Ret |
20th | 25 |
Lehto's Helmet was blue with some white lines in the chin area and 2 lines in the middle with diagonal stripes (also red) with 3 Tricolor Feathers on the top, then in Scuderia Italia, his helmet became white with the lines red and black and the top became Plain and Black, In Benetton the top became Blue and White Checkered and the lines were blue white and red. Heikki Kovalainen's helmet was inspired on Lehto's helmet (the stripes on the sides)
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Johnny Herbert |
Autosport National Racing Driver of the Year 1988 |
Succeeded by Allan McNish |
| Sporting positions | ||
| Preceded by Johnny Herbert |
British Formula Three Champion 1988 |
Succeeded by David Brabham |
| Preceded by Yannick Dalmas Hurley Haywood Mauro Baldi |
Winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans 1995 with: Yannick Dalmas Masanori Sekiya |
Succeeded by Manuel Reuter Davy Jones Alexander Wurz |
| Preceded by Inaugural event |
Race of Champions Nations' Cup 1999 with: Tommi Mäkinen Kari Tiainen |
Succeeded by Régis Laconi Yvan Muller Gilles Panizzi |
| Preceded by Seiji Ara Tom Kristensen Rinaldo Capello |
Winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2005 with: Marco Werner Tom Kristensen |
Succeeded by Frank Biela Emanuele Pirro Marco Werner |
| Preceded by Frank Biela Marco Werner |
Winner of the American Le Mans Series P1 Title 2005 with: Marco Werner |
Succeeded by Frank Biela Emanuele Pirro |
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