At the same time, Kymi Ring sought permission for the F1 and MotoGP circuit. The track company was unable to meet the conflicting requirements of two international sports federations, says former track manager Timo Pohjola.
In the end, the Kymi Ring did not pass the safety requirements of the International Motorcycle Federation (FIM), and the long-awaited MotoGP race was canceled in May 2022. The reasons for the cancellation were the track’s safety deficiencies and the geopolitical situation due to the Russian invasion.
According to Timo Pohjola, the kind of tire barriers that were built for the Kymi Ring are not allowed in MotoGP at all.
– If the tire barrier is in front of the guardrail, and a motorcyclist hits it, it doesn’t matter whether he hits the guardrail or the tire barrier. Such obstacles are life-threatening for motorcyclists.
Big plans in the background
Why would Kymi Ring, who was aiming for the MotoGP races, decide to build such obstacles on her track that are not even suitable for the sport?
According to Timo Pohjola, the background was the track company’s big plans, because initially Kymi Ring also applied for permission for the F1 track.
– That’s why the first barriers built here were specifically tire barriers. They were built according to the instructions of the International Automobile Federation (FIA), which is completely different from what kind of obstacles should be built for motorcycling.
Kymi Ring applied for permission to organize the MotoGP races from the FIM. According to Pohjola, the tire barriers should have been built completely differently for MotoGP.
– The methods of attaching tire barriers are from the end of the 1970s. They do not meet current needs at all. A lot has been required here that does not increase safety.
Consultant requirement
Timo Pohjola, who has also been described as Kymi Ring’s father figure, says that he will report on the problem of tire embankments to the other management of the railway company as early as 2020 and 2021.
The problem could have been fixed, he says:
According to Pohjola, the matter was influenced by a Spanish consultant who demanded tire barriers on the track and did not agree to discuss the matter.
– Then it should have been demanded that the matter be done with the specifications that the rule book requires. Should have taken a stricter approach to the matter, and not go along with the consultant’s stubbornness. Good Finnish common sense was forgotten, Pohjola suomii.
This is how Kymi Ring’s CEO answers
Kymi Ring’s CEO Riku Rönnholm says that discussions about tire ramparts and their number have taken place during the construction of the track.
However, he does not agree with Timo Pohjola’s view that the tire embankments on the track would be life-threatening for motorcyclists.
Rönnholm repeats what he said earlier that the Kymi Ring did not pass the inspection of the International Motorcycle Federation FIM, because the tire ramps were not completed.
Sen Rönnholm admits that the tire barriers are built with the requirements of the Formula 1 track in mind.
– That can certainly be true. The tire ramps and plans are such that they are sufficient for the FIA’s first category, Rönnholm commented.
*Did the conflicting demands affect the fact that the MotoGP race had to be cancelled?*
– I do not think so. That wasn’t the point. We had gone through what should have been for MotoGP. That level was not reached in time.
He says that initially there were fewer tire berms, but more have been built along the way.
– Partly probably because we wanted to make a track that is enough for the first class on the car side, i.e. formulas. But I don’t think that means that it has made the track unfit for motorcycles.
According to Rönnholm, the consultant and Timo Pohjola had clearly different views on tire berms.
However, according to the CEO, FIM has reviewed and approved Kymi Ring’s plans, according to which the tire barriers were also built.
– Yes, it has been a continuous dialogue with the FIM. It’s another matter whether all (tire barrages) have been necessary.
The security flaws were mentioned in the restructuring program
Kymi Ring’s renovation program mentions that the company had also made safety-related mistakes during the construction period, which are expensive and time-consuming to fix.
Rönnholm repeats that this refers to the fact that the construction of the required tire barriers was incomplete and some of the tire fastenings did not comply with the requirements.
Pohjola, on the other hand, is of the opinion that the safety deficiencies were caused precisely by the fact that tire embankments had been built in the first place and they were of the wrong type.
– Six-pack fences stapled to the railing are not used in MotoGP. Tire embankments would have to be removed from, for example, straights. If there is a tire barrier on the straight, and there is a derailment and a collision, the vehicle bounces back onto the track, he specifies.