Despite having just 2 drivers in Formula Virtual - one of whom scored no points - Finland has had a fairly notable presence in the series, thanks to the successes of Tumo Kinnumen and the pair of wins achieved by former team FUN FV. There hasn't been many notable Finnish junior drivers however, until now. With third in the VERS 2019, the title of VARS champion this year and a in-class 4th place in the 24hr of Nurburgring, Henri Ruotsalainen has risen through the ranks quickly. Now part of the Highwind junior academy and set to race in the VWRS for 2021, Neil Allenby sat down to have a talk with him (over Skype). Neil Allenby: So Henri, nice to meet you. Could you tell us a little bit about yourself, and how you got into motorsport at first?
Henri Ruotsalainen: Erm, hei, I’m Henri Ruotsalainen. Everyone in Highwind calls me Ruotsey. I come from Saariselkä in Finland, it is in the north. I got into motorsport first when Äiti [mother] brought me to this Action Centre when I was 6. There was go-karting there which I did and it gave me this… I don’t know the English word, buzz? I enjoyed it so much so I begged my parents to bring me again and again. Later on when I was 11 I got my own kart and started entering proper races. I starting doing well so I starting focusing fully on motorsport and started racing in single seaters in 2019 at age 16. NA: And the rest of your career is well documented! Moving on to to this year, you had an incredible season last year in VARS; finishing off the podium just once all season. What was your highlight? HR: It felt like a good season, I had some bad moments, like the first race, but I felt like I really improved over the year. I really enjoyed some of the race 3’s where I did lots of overtaking. But my favourite highlight was the win in Brazil. In some of my kart races in Finland we raced in snow, it was so much fun and I loved it. That doesn’t happen with single seater races. The closest it gets to that is rain. I remember it was very heavy rain in the first race at Brazil this year and I won. Everything feels more alive, more on the edge I think is what people say. NA: Moving on to next year, you’re making the step up to compete in VWRS for the upcoming season where you’ll be racing alongside Ingram youth driver Heikki Veskila at Nebula Powerteam. What are your personal goals this season, what made you sign for Nebula, and how do you feel about having Heikki as a teammate? HR: I have to be realistic, it will be tough. This will be the first time I take part in a world series. There are lots of good rookies there next year as well. I would really like to be the rookie champion but my goal is to get at least top 3 among them. If I could maybe get a race 3 win as well somewhere I would be very happy. Nebula went to Highwind first and talked to Achmid [Ahmed Cheema, Highwind team principal] first. He knows Diogo [Vennez, Nebula team principal] well so he talked to me about it. He thought it would be helpful for me to be with a team from Scandinavia and I thought the same so we said yes. I went to the factory just before the holidays for Christmas and everyone was quite friendly so I am looking forward to racing with them. I haven’t met Veskila yet but I know he has done very well in VERS so he will be a tough teammate, I look forward to racing with him as well and hopefully learning from him. NA: You were signed to Highwind’s youth academy prior to last season, do you feel that being picked up by a Formula Virtual team helped to settle you for the season ahead and helped you to dominate the championship in the way that you did? HR: Yes, it helps knowing that there is a FV team who thinks I’m good enough for their academy, makes me more confident. It was their idea actually for me to do VARS. I wanted to stay in Europe but when I was talking to Kimi [Young, Highwind technical director] he told me that it would be good for me to get experience outside of Europe before I go to tier 2. It was tough but they sent a few team members who helped me at the races and gave me company. Without their support I would have struggled a lot more in America. NA: How would you say they were involved with you this year? HR: They were more involved than I thought they would be. They showed me around their factory and how a FV team works. I got to attend some races, I went to the US race which was really interesting. I worked a lot with Nikolai [Milkovich, FV driver]. He helped me improve my driving style and also gave me tips on things like starts and overtaking. My racing improved a lot after that, without his help my season would have not been as good. NA: Looking at your career as a whole, has there been any point where you have really struggled? Or perhaps felt that you might not achieve your dream of getting to FV? HR: My first weekend of VARS was quite bad. I had a crash early in the first race and took one podium overall when lots of people were saying I should be towards the front. After moving to America for VARS and all it hurt a lot. It wasn’t that I thought I would fail but it affected my confidence. The support from my mechanics helped me past the disappointment though and after Uruguay things got much better. NA: It certainly did, plenty of wins and podiums. Moving away from motorsport, what other interests do you have? HR: Skiing, definitely skiing. Every winter I go with my family skiing in Finland, and sometimes in mid-season breaks. Like motorsport it gives me that buzz feeling. EC [Estrella Carreras, VARS team] told me not to do it this year because of danger but Nebula told me I’m allowed for next year so that’s something I will look forward to. I like to read a lot as well. And sleep! Laughs I nearly missed a race in VERS because I slept in, the team weren’t very impressed. I use two alarms now to be safe. NA: Oh dear, what race was that? HR: The day of the second and third race in Netherlands I think it was. I crashed in the second race then won the third so was a mixed day to say the least! NA: If you had to describe yourself as a person using three words, what would they be? HR: Pfft, that is tough. I guess, motivated, helpful I think and a bit quiet. NA: Not a bad combination. So to finish off this interview, final question, is there anyone in the world of Virtual Motorsport that you would consider to be a close friend? And why? HR: There is a good few people I get along with, quite a lot from Highwind. In Johansson Motorsport [VERS team] there were some mechanics who I still talk to. I think the closest friend would be Declan Byrne [junior driver]. I raced with him in the 24 hour race and he is a funny guy, gets everyone’s mood up. I remember racing him in VERS as well, he was quite friendly with everyone. NA: Well you'll be racing him in VWRS next year, that'll be interesting to see. Anyway, that's the interview, thank you very much and have a happy new year! HR: Thank you Neil and same to you!
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