MARTTI RITONEN
Official BirelArt Racing Team driver
MARA
Despite his young age, Martti is already experienced driver in karting. Martti got his first kart only at the age of one and the actual driving started at the age of three. Both big sisters drove karting, so it was easy for Martti to start the hobby.
Martti started competing in the Cadet class, from which he jumped straight to the Raket95 class, in which he won the Finnish Junior Championship in 2019.
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Best achievements so far:
2015-2016 Numerous podiums and wins in the Cadet class at regional level.
2017 Raket-JR class in Kartingliitto Series 5th, Regional Champions CUP in Raket-JR 2nd.
2018 Kartingliitto Series 3rd (participated only 3 races), Raket Finnish Junior Championship series 6th.
2019 Raket95 Finnish Junior Champion,
P1x2 and P2x2 in 4 national competitions
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2020: OKJ SM 13th & Rotax 4th
2021: OKJ SM 9th, IAME 4th, IAME Baltic Cup 4th, Rotax 1st
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2022: OKJ SM 2., Rotax 1.
name: Martti Ritonen
born: 2008
living: Tampere
club: Pirkanmaa Karting (PirKa)
home track: Lentola, Kangasala
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Season 2024:
European Championship series:
22.-24.3. Spain (Valencia)
26.-28.4. France (Val D’Argenton)
21.-23.6. Slovakia (Slovak Karting Center)
2.-4.8. Sweden (Kristianstad)
World Championship race:
13.-15.9. UK (PF International Kart Circuit)
Champions of the Future series:
6.-9.3. Spain (Valencia)
10.-13.4. France (Val D’Argenton)
30.5.-2.6. Slovakia (Slovak Karting Center)
17.-20.7. Sweden (Kristianstad)
29.8.-1.9. UK (PF International Kart Circuit)
+ Possibly few races in Finland
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Season 2023
Martti drove for the Birel ART Racing Team as their official factory driver. In the OK class, Martti's teammates were last year's OK world champion, Matheus Morgatto, and Swedish driver Joel Bergström, making the competition within the team very strong.
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Season 2022:
- OKJ category Finnish championship series: 2nd
- Rotax Finland series: 1st
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Season 2021:
In the season 2021, Martti drove all three series in Finland, otal of 15 race weekends in the summer. In the OKJ Finnish Championship series Martti finished in 9th place.
75 drivers had registered for the IAME Finland series, of which Martti was 4th at the end of the season. He led the series for 8 first races. The Rotax Max Challenge Finland series was a great success. Martti led the series from start to finish throughout the season. Martti secured his win already in the second last race weekend.
The Rotax Max organization holds annual World Grand Finals. The 2021 Final was in Bahrain. Martti was invited to represent Finland as a series winner in his class. There were 36 drivers out of 72 in the final. Martti started the final from place 11th and finished 23rd. In the whole World Grand Final there were 400 drivers around the world, everybody from top of his/her category.
"I like racing the most. It gives you excitement and adrenaline that you can't get anywhere else."