Arto Kekkonen

Arto Mikael Kekkonen, sometimes referred to as AK or just Arto is a Finnish race car driver from Tampere, Finland. He is best known for starting on the front row for the 2008 Karjala Grand Prix driving for the then-underfunded Finntech team. Kekkonen's success is credited for helping the resurgence of Finnish teams and drivers in the Karjala Grand Prix and in TM Master Cup Series racing. Kekkonen attempted to get a Master License to race in the 2007 Karjala Grand Prix, but was one of many drivers and teams shut out of the race because of the 2007 Master License Fees. He instead participated as a track marshal for the event.

Background
He previously raced in German Supercars and in rallying, with some success. Kekkonen attempted to get into the GRL in 2006 but failed to secure enough funds to do so, even though then-teammate in the German Supercar series Franz Redlich managed to get in. Kekkonen and Redlich are the only drivers to win in German Supercars and in TM Master Cup Series competition to date. The only other drivers to have competed in both German Supercars and TM Master Cup Series cars are Michael Sykes and Avery Holtzmann.

2008
Kekkonen made his second attempt to run the Karjala Grand Prix in 2008 and surprised the racing establishment by qualifying one of Finntech's year-old Saars on the outside of the front row and dominating most of his qualifying races. However, Kekkonen suffered from an inexperienced pit crew and he did not finish very well. He did not conduct an interview with the English-language television feed because, at the time, Kekkonen did not feel comfortable with his English fluency.

This did not stop FLASH Racing from wanting to see him racing full-time in 2009, and entered a fourth car (#14) for a few scattered events for Kekkonen, in order to evaluate him. He only failed to qualify once, and that was a result of him being punted off the course in the first lap of the qualifying race by Matt Smith. Kekkonen's first oval race, much to the chagrin of many of his competitors, was at the Alberta Superspeedway in Canada, but despite many fears, he proved competent.

2009
The Finn impressed enough to earn the attention of the Launch Energy Drink and a full-time seat with FLASH Racing. Kekkonen proved to be both a fast and ice-cool competitor, traits that earned him a win in the 2009 Karjala Grand Prix and the Rookie of the Year honors at the end of the year.

2010
Kekkonen started off 2010 by nearly winning in Japan, but his season was hampered by mechanical failures. He managed to win in Italy on a short oval.

2011


Kekkonen and teammate Leonid Roderick started off the 2011 campaign slowly. However, he shone during the European rounds, winning in the rain in the Czech Republic, a win he later called "a throwback to rallying". Kekkonen's smooth driving earned him several points finishes, the pole at Karjala, and ultimately left him in contention for the title. Despite a valiant effort, Kekkonen lost out to rival Adrien Devereux.

FLASH Racing offered to keep him on for the 2012 season, however the Finn opted to take an opportunity to drive for Carl Richter's Gessler team. Kekkonen did not respond to comments that suggested that Carl Richter was willing to pay him more than what he would have earned with FLASH Racing.

2012


Kekkonen's arrival at Gessler along with 2010 Karjala winner Mathias Taube created high expectations in pre-season testing. While Hodges-Walter Racing was dominating most of the test sessions, Kekkonen was usually the closest car to the dominant Calton-Morel Altairs. He claimed that Hodges-Walter's innovative car could be beaten, and remained positive in testing. Unlike some other drivers in the TM Master Cup Series paddock, Kekkonen did not suggest that the Calton-Morel Altair is illegal.

Kekkonen was the first driver to successfully defeat the Altair by winning the crash-filled race in Brands Hatch. He suggested that beating Hodges-Walter Racing, who had gone undefeated until then, was a wake-up call to the rest of the paddock.

Despite winning the pole for the 2012 Round of France, Kekkonen dropped through the field and finished 10th at the end.

Once again, Kekkonen was a threat to win the Karjala Grand Prix. Despite qualifying all the way back in 38th, he demonstrated superior racecraft to march through the field and ended up third in a stellar drive. Kekkonen did not say much after the race, only responding with; "Imagine if we didn't start in the back". As was the case in the past, 'Artomania' was present at Karjala, with many fans donning Kekkonen apparel.

The next race in Russia was a disaster for both Gessler drivers. Neither of them qualified well and Kekkonen struggled to a 20th place finish, netting a single point for himself. The 2012 Round of Wales was little better, Kekkonen again struggling to a 17th place finish.

When the series returned to North America, it appeared Kekkonen's luck was turning around. However, despite a strong challenge in the 2012 Round of Quebec, Kekkonen's car failed less then a lap after he assumed the lead of the race. A frustrated Kekkonen did not stop to be interviewed and did not take his helmet off until he reached his motorhome.

However, his luck finally turned around at the 2012 Round of Ohio where he patiently worked his way through the field and won after Scott Bates checked up to avoid running into the back of the lapped car of Mélanie Clévenot. Kekkonen claimed that managing the tires and the lapped cars were significant in his victory. It is the first time Kekkonen has won more than one race in a season. After Ohio, he was only 17 points behind Adrien Devereux in the Driver's Championship, and optimistic he could beat Devereux for the title.

Kekkonen showed a lot of optimism coming into Quincy, but it all halted when a mechanical issue, similar to his teammate Taube's, took him out of the race. The following race at Road America, it looked like that he was gonna finish runner-up until Sykes lost control in the carousel and Kekkonen was given a 3rd victory and had a big points lead coming to Indy. He arrived to the Brickyard and was fastest in pole qualifying and that meant he got 10 points added to his lead. He was a contender all day but managed to finish in the top 10 but lost the points lead to race winner and archrival Devereux.

The 2012 Round of Victoria made things smoothly for Arto when he finished 4th and took the points lead back from Devereux, who was caught up in a scuffle with Ben Atkins. He went to Queensland with a lot of optimism but finished 5th while Devereux dominated the entire race. He was able to cross the finish line but ran out of fuel in the cool-down laps.

He started on pole for Brazil which meant that he was a deadlock tie with Devereux, although Devereux holds the lead with more wins with 5 than Arto's 3. Kekkonen's race would go downhill when the officials caught him passing Ian Cooper under caution, so he had to come in the pits for a stop-and-go and couldn't get back on the lead lap but managed to sneak into 18th place with a 2-point lead on Devereux at that point.

Things went from bad to worse for Arto at British Columbia when another reliability issue took him out of the race. He was 3rd in the championship coming into the final race of the season at Decatur, but lost out after contact with several other cars relegated him.

2013
Kekkonen returned to Gessler for the 2013 season, again paired with Taube. Unlike in 2012, Taube matched Kekkonen during testing, sparking the intra-team rivalry. However, in the first race of the season in California, Kekkonen stamped his authority and came home with 2nd after a thrilling battle with Taube in the opening laps.

Personal
Kekkonen married Swedish motorsport journalist Anna Soderberg before the 2011 season. She is present at most TM Master Cup series events. He is also an avid hockey fan.