Valle Mäkelä
Valle Mäkelä | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 2, 1986 Laitila, Finland |
| Occupation | Racing driver |
| Years active | 2000–2010, 2016 |
Valle Mäkelä (born 2 February 1986 in Laitila, Finland) is a professional Finnish racing driver.
Career
Starting his karting journey at the age of five, Mäkelä claimed the Finnish Championship title in the ICA-J category in 2000. He transitioned to Formula Ford competitions across the UK and Nordic countries in 2002. By the following year, he secured third place in the British Formula Ford Championship, achieving one victory and seven podium finishes. Continuing with Nexa Racing, he captured the 2004 British Formula Ford championship, amassing 506 points along with ten wins.
In 2005, Mäkelä took part in the World Touring Car Championship representing GR Asia, piloting a Seat Toledo alongside teammate Tom Coronel; his top result was tenth place at Silverstone. The next year saw him return to single-seater racing with Manor Motorsport in British Formula Renault, where he ended the season ranked 13th. Rejoining Nexa Racing in 2007 for the Formula BMW UK series, Mäkelä finished fifth overall and won the season opener at Brands Hatch.
After competing in three Star Mazda races in the United States during 2008, he moved to the Finnish GT3 Championship, securing three victories driving a Porsche 997 GT3 Cup S for No Brakes Motorsport. In 2009, racing an Oreca FLM09 for Hope PoleVision Racing in the Formula Le Mans Cup, Mäkelä achieved two wins and placed fourth in the championship standings. He entered a single event of the 2010 24H Series, finishing third at Hungaroring behind the wheel for Westend Racing. Following a six-year break from competitive racing, Mäkelä returned in 2016 to participate in the Baltic Touring Car Championship's Riga Summer Race driving a Lamborghini Gallardo.
Career summary
| Season | Series | Team | Car No. | Races | Poles | Wins | FLaps | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Formula Le Mans | Template:Country data SWITemplate:Namespace detect showall Hope PoleVision Racing | 17 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 140 | 4th |
Complete World Touring Car Championship results
(key) (bold = pole position; italics = fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | GR Asia | SEAT Toledo Cupra | ITA 1 Ret |
ITA 2 13 |
FRA 1 16 |
FRA 2 Ret |
GBR 1 16 |
GBR 2 10 |
SMR 1 |
SMR 2 |
MEX 1 |
MEX 2 |
BEL 1 19 |
BEL 2 Ret |
GER 1 18 |
GER 2 Ret |
TUR 1 |
TUR 2 |
ESP 1 |
ESP 2 |
MAC 1 |
MAC 2 |
NC | 0 |