Atte Suolammi: Track was good but I was lacking some skill to drive on such a long one (interview)

Atte Suolammi was the youngest participant if the Sunday’s European Championship. Just sixteen years old Finnish rider scored one point, but as he said, he wasn’t expected to reach good result.

Follow us to read a short interview with Atte.

– You’re not a well known rider in Poland. Before we start, please introduce yourself to polish fans.
– I’m a young rider and I can ride aggressive on track, if i know it is good.

– I read somewhere, that your family were also a part of speedway world. Can you tell us something more about that?
– Yeah. My grandfather and father were racing in ice speedway. They inspire me.

– Have you ever tried any other sport or there is only space for speedway in your heart?
– During the summer I race on motocross and speedway. Because of that the only other sport that I know is motorsports.

– For the first time in your career you took part in the final of the European Championship. One point is not a good result, but we can agree that nobody expected more?
– I was aware that nobody expected big results from me. This track was also new to me. Beacuse of that I was just cruising around. It was my first time on ice this year.

– What can you say about your performance?
– I tried my best and just raced for fun. Not for the title.

– Were you surprised by the nomination for this competition?
– I was very suprised about that.

– What can you say about the track that was prepared in Tomaszów Mazowiecki?
– Track was good but I was lacking some skill to drive on such a long one.

– Any adjustments should be made to make your performance even better?
– Training. I need to feel good on the bike again and also try some new setups.

– Do you think you will visit Poland again in March?
– With that result I don’t think that the Finns will let me race, but if I will be given a place, I will come.

– Where did you even get the idea to do ice racing?
– From my family. As I said before, my grandfather and father have been racing. Because of that my father thought I should also give it a go.

– Will you still race on classic tracks?
– Currently I focus more on ice racing but during the summer, if I will have some time, I will switch to classic.

– And in the future you want to focus on one of them? Or perhaps during the summer classic speedway and in the winters ice speedway?
– I think mostly I will focus on the ice speedway. It feels lot easier to me.

– Do you have any goals for next year?
– I don’t have them because there are not so many races. Currently I mostly just look for good bike setups during trainings.

– Which speedway rider is your role model?
– In classic speedway finnish rider Jesse Mustonen and in ice speedway russian rider Igor Kononov.

– Is there anything that we didn’t talk about but is important for you?
– I would like to thank all those who belived in me. I am sorry for the bad result. I am not satisified with it, but I tried my best.

Konrad Cinkowski