Leo Kinnunen, Finnish racing driver, Died at 73

  Sports

Leo Juhani “Leksa” Kinnunen was born on August 5, 1943 and died on July 26, 2017.

He was a Finnish racing driver, and the first Formula One driver from Finland.

He won the Nordic Challenge Cup in 1969, the Interserie from 1971–1973, and helped Porsche to take the World Sportscar Championship for manufacturers in 1970 (drivers championships were not awarded until 1981).

During 1974, Leo changed to Formula One, but in addition to the problems with the underpowered Surtees TS16, his team soon ran into financial problems.

Kinnunen was the last driver to compete in Formula One using an open-face helmet.

Leo Kinnunen passed away at 73 years old.