Name: Henri Mikael Karjalainen
Born: February 19, 1986
Height: 5'7'' (180cm)
Weight: 163lbs (74kg)
Hobbies: gym, jogging, swimming, skiing and basketball
Henri started indoor kart racing when just 10 years old. "I got the spark immediately, there is no doubt about that. I drove for a year in various indoor tracks when the track records started to loom ahead and some of them I was able to renew", says Henri. "We acquired a car of our own and joined the Espoo UA where the hobby became really serious."
(above photo: Henri trainning at home in Helsinki Finland)
The following years I did karting in different junior categories and roamed through almost all Finnish tracks with my father. The development was rapid and I got acquainted with the podium. We realized what a demanding sport we had chosen. My desire to race increased so we started to compete in Scandinavia. In ICA Junior category I drove the Finnish Championship series for three years and also international races in Scandinavia. In 2002 I joined the bigger Formula a category to the karting top. In Finland I had given a proof of my skill and I received the A license, which entitled me to participate in European Championship races. The first year competing internationally with the Swedish Team Ward Racing in Formula A category was to learn the secrets of the tracks and driving. At the end of the season I found my speed in the Formula A Finnish Championships and in the Scandinavian Championships. Also I proved myself to the observers in Monaco where we received an offer to start testing Formula BMW with Team Rosberg.
The very first time behind the wheel in a Formula car was fantastic.
Everything was new and on a grander scale. After getting familiar with the car for one day, the following day I drove competitive lap times. The tests with Team Rosberg went better than expected and we knew we were heading for the Formula.
Going into the Formula was postponed because during the 2003 season I drove the European Championship race of a very high level and the World Championship race.
My team was the Dutch Peter De Bruijn Racing Team, the very same one where drove when he was at my age. The highlight of the season was the European Championship race in Alahärmä, Finland where all karting professionals had gathered. For the whole weekend I was in the leading group and also the best Finnish driver. The Finnish spectators encouraged me in the finals to rise up to the 4th position.
After the end of the season we started testing Formula BMW. We tried a few different teams in the cold and rainy weather in Hockenheim.
The season 2004 I drove in the Formula BMW ADAC series with Matson Motorsport. The first year in the Formulas was a disappointment to me and to my team. A new team and a new driver make a very difficult combination for the first year. Nevertheless, some good results were brought about during the season. I learned a lot about the Formula during the first year and I gained experience from ten races altogether. After the season I applied to Team Rosberg. In the autumn tests my speed was very good and I got accepted in the famous team.
During the season 2005 I drove for another year European Formula BMW ADAC series, in Team Rosberg. The expectations were high regarding the results after the tests that went well. It was a surprise to me that there were five drivers in the team, which I think was too much for the team. I did not reach the expected goals but my speed was every now and then near the top, which I am very satisfied with. Especially during the rainy weather I was every time in the top speed. During the season there were a few good races and fine rises towards the lead in spite of the unsuccessful qualifying session. I and the entire team were disappointed with the result because we all knew that we can do much better than this.
During the season 2006 I transferred to a bigger category, Formula Renault 2000. I drove my first Formula Renault test in Zhuhai, China, in Asian Racing Team (Art Motorsports) and that went really well. I broke my pole record of the previous year. Based on the four Formula Renault test days we reached an agreement with Art Motorsports. There were only those four-day test but am self-confident that there is no harm in there. The Asian series in Formula Renault includes seven race events, in other words 13 starts.
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