Leo Kinnunen

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Kinnunen in 1966

Leo Juhani "Leksa" Kinnunen (5 August 1943 – 26 July 2017) was a Finnish racing driver, and the first Formula One driver from Finland. He was born in Tampere, Finland.

Kinnunen won the Nordic Challenge Cup in 1969, the Interserie from 1971–1973, and helped Porsche to take the World Sportscar Championship for manufacturers in 1970 (drivers championships were not awarded until 1981). In 1974, he switched to Formula One. He was the last driver to compete in Formula One using an open-face helmet.[1]

Kinnunen died on 26 July 2017 at his home in Turku, Finland of pneumonia at the age of 73.[2]

References[change | change source]

  1. "Leo Kinnunen – Biography". F1 Rejects. Archived from the original on 2006-11-06. Retrieved 2007-01-28.
  2. "Ensimmäinen suomalainen F1-kuljettaja Leo Kinnunen on kuollut". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). 26 July 2017. Retrieved 26 July 2017.

Other websites[change | change source]