Flame Airikkala — Racing Driver

Flame Airikkala in her race suit sitting by the pit lane wall

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Racing driver

Follow Flame's journey

The story

Learnt to drive in the forests of Finland, aged five and aiming for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Flame comes from a family steeped in motorsport. Her late grandfather Pentti Airikkala was a world renowned rally driver with extensive World Rally Championship experience including winning the 1989 RAC Rally. Her grandmother, Kirsti Jouhki, competed in the Thousand Lakes Rally (WRC Rally Finland) on 7 occasions, and Flame's mother Jo-Ann was a prominent racing driver in the 1990s.

Flame was a Chess and English Indoor Rowing Champion before her love for speed developed.

At aged 14 Flame asked if she could try go-karting after watching F1 and "Drive to Survive". She went on to complete a year in Junior Rotax but was already too tall for karting. She entered the highly competitive Ginetta Junior Scholarship in 2023 and reached the final - her first ever time out in a race car.

Aged 15, in the 2023 Fiesta Junior Championship she took 2nd place on only her third race weekend in cars, at Oulton Park.

"The round previously I had been hit and barrel rolled in a test session, through no fault of my own, so to not only line up on the grid again, but to achieve my best ever result after such a knockback was a real stand out moment for me."

This was just the beginning

Flame Airikkala's green Porsche #67 at Jerez

Flame Airikkala in the Kyojo Cup car at Fuji Speedway

Flame Airikkala's white Ford Fiesta rally car on snow

Career

Racing

ActivePorsche Sprint Challenge IbericaPortugal / SpainPortugal / Spain
2026World Racing LeagueUSAUSA
2025Test in LMP4Spain, BarcelonaSpain, Barcelona
2025GB4Great BritainGreat Britain
2025Kyojo CupJapanJapan
2025RadicalGreat BritainGreat Britain
2024Formula NordicSwedenSweden
2024Testing in GB4Great BritainGreat Britain
2023Winfield, 3 day F4France, Paul RicardFrance, Paul Ricard
2023Skip Barber 5 day course in F4USA, Circuit of the AmericasUSA, Circuit of the Americas
2023Ford Fiesta Junior ChampionshipGreat BritainGreat Britain
2021/22KartingGreat BritainGreat Britain

Beyond circuits

Rallying

ActiveMG3 Rally ChallengeGreat BritainGreat Britain

The driver

Racing attributes

Sim

I use the sim at iZone to practice consistency skills, qualifying drills, race runs and adaptability. I also spend a lot of time on my FPZero home rig.

Fitness and Health

I love sport and fitness and do a variety of gym sessions with and without a PT, combining cardio and weights, cycling and running, plus yoga and Pilates for mind and body. I am Coeliac and eat a super healthy and nutritious diet. I have competed and won indoor rowing competitions and previously played in national netball leagues.

Reactions

I have super-fast reactions and have been tested on several occasions. Before getting into a race car, I like to warm up with skipping, drop ball exercises and juggling.

Training

Bedford Autodrome – 2 days instruction to fast track finding the limits in a RWD car · Ice Driving in Finland · Rally 3 Test in April 2024 · Drifting.

Education

I am an A Grade student studying Economics, Business and Maths A Levels online with MVA (Minerva Virtual Academy), which lets me put racing first. Most MVA students are athletes, so I also work with a high performance coach.

Mindset

I have been working with Gloria Budd, who has over 20 years' experience in motorsport as a Performance and Mindset Coach. My sessions with Gloria have been invaluable.

Media Training

In person session with Louise Goodman and online media courses. Interviewed many times during the Fiesta Junior Championship as one of two females. GB4 Media day. International Pageant Experience.

Flame Airikkala in the cockpit under the orange halo

What the paddock says

Flame has natural talent and is extremely coachable.

Doi Ryuji

KCMG Japan

Flame not only showed speed and race-ability in her first year of car racing but also the resilience needed for a career in professional motorsport. With a continuation in this aptitude, I have no doubt that she will be in the battle for overall podiums and race wins. Moreover, she has shown how she can really harness support and guidance to achieve great results on track.

Max Coates

Grade A ARDS Driver Coach

Flame was a late starter to Motorsport but already in the short time working together we can see the drive to learn and better herself every session on circuit. We are confident that Flame can progress far in the coming years.

Oliver Barnard

PrepTech Team Manager

On and off track