After turning heads in Riga with a third-place finish followed by a victory, Peetu Piira did it again last weekend at KymiRing, securing back-to-back wins in the CrossCar Junior category. And clearly, the young Finn had his own way of celebrating the occasion.

Second in the intermediate standings with two fastest times to his name, Peetu Piira quickly took control on home soil at KymiRing.

In fact, with three fastest laps clocked between Q1 and the final, the 13-year-old made a bold statement and capped it all off with a dominant win that puts him at the top of the overall standings heading into the next round in Älvsbyn.

There was just one problem: when it was time to bring him to the RallyX TV studio for a post-race interview, Peetu was nowhere to be found in the paddock. The reason? Simple.

“My spotter promised me an ice cream if I won, so I went to get one,” laughed the new leader of the CrossCar Junior standings.

When asked about his flavor of choice before sitting down with Andrew Coley and Hal Ridge, Peetu didn’t hesitate.

“Just vanilla,” he said. “Plain and simple.”

But behind that refreshing anecdote lies a top-tier performance on home ground.

“The start of the weekend was a bit unexpected, especially when we found out that only one race would count instead of two. The first qualifying heat went well, but the next two were more difficult. Luckily, Sunday played out perfectly.”

In the final, he had to contend with a tricky track and strong competition, but kept a cool head to beat Peetu Matalamäki and Carl Svedlund, who had already claimed three wins since the start of the championship.

“There were a few bumps on one part of the track that proved more challenging than in the semi-final, and the start was a little tight. But after that, I found my rhythm and pushed when I needed to, managing my joker lap strategy exactly how I planned. Everything came together smoothly.”

To top it off, he delivered a one-two Finnish finish alongside local talent Peetu Matalamäki:

“You couldn’t dream of a better result in the final for Finland.”

Far from being self-centered, Piira highlighted the team spirit and supportive atmosphere that defines the RallyX paddock:

“It’s a really diverse group, with drivers from both Finland and abroad. We all know each other well, and everyone helps each other out. The vibe is really good.”

Unlike Riku Huuhka and Iivari Mannisto, who had to cut their weekend short on Saturday to compete in the Finnish Championship the following day at nearby Pieksämäki, Piira has no regrets about prioritizing RallyX.

“With a result like this, I have absolutely no regrets about skipping the Finnish Championship. I’ll be back in that series next weekend at Kolari, before heading straight to the next RallyX round in Älvsbyn.”

At just 13 years old, Peetu Piira is already turning heads with his calm precision behind the wheel—and his laid-back charm off the track. A vanilla ice cream to celebrate a win? Why not, as long as the formula keeps working.

Interview by Mari Pekkanen