KymiRing funding green lighted — Finnish MotoGP race on track for 2019
The planned KymiRing motorsports complex project located in Southern Finland has secured it's funding. The track is set to host a major event, a MotoGP championship race, in 2019. The exact schedule is to be decided in the autumn of 2018.
The project has been delayed due to uncertainty of funding, but this is now resolved and construction will go ahead as planned. The Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture approved the proposal for funding, which will also unlock continued funding from the Finnish state agreed upon earlier.
The private funders of the project are AKK Sports Oy, Suomen Moottoriliitto Ry, A. Ahström Kiinteistöt Oy and the municipality of Iitti. The municipality owns a total of 19 percent of the project, and earlier received a formal request for funding from the KymiRing project.
In a statement to the press Kymiring Oy chairman of the board Kari O. Sohlberg states:
We [Finland] have been missing a modern, international grade race track. Now Finland has a genuine opportunity to host more world class motorsports events in addition to the Neste Rally (FIA Rally World Championship Race)
The grading would also allow hosting a Formula 1 Grand Prix in Finland, which has been rumored before: Plans for first Finnish Formula 1 GP held at KymiRing moving forward
Construction work ongoing, 2019 race schedule open
The Iitti Kymiring track is seeking for the highest motorsport grading, which will allow all classes of track cars and motorcycle races to be held in the track. An example of such an event is the Finnish MotoGP race set for Kymiring. The exact schedule of that event will be decided by Dorna Sports the company controlling the commercial rights of MotoGP.
Parts of the KymiRing project are already functional, for example the training track is partly in use. The target is to have the Grand Prix track to be drivable in May, and that first tarmac would be laid at the end of Summer 2018. In parallel trackside buildings, safety gear and other equiment will be worked on.
The exact date for the Finnish MotoGP race at the track under construction will be decided in August 2018, but even before that the funding will be used to improve road connections to the track. As an example example a thorough renewal of the Tillola-Keltti stretch will be done to ensure sufficient capacity for the audiences arriving to the location.