Keimola Motor Stadium

Keimola Motor Stadium at a glance

Location

Vantaa, Uusimaa

Type

historic circuit (defunct)

Length

3.3 km (2.051 mi)

Turns

8

Direction

counter-clockwise

Banking

constant-radius banked corners

Surface

asphalt (largely built over)

Elevation change

46 ft

Opened

1966

Owner

Sanoma (site); City of Vantaa (Keimolanmäki development)

Address

Keimolanmäki, Kivistö

Track map and layout

Keimola Motor Stadium was a purpose-built 3.3 km, eight-turn circuit near Vantaa, founded by Finnish driver Curt Lincoln after Helsinki's Eläintarha street circuit closed, and built with clearly defined, banked corners joined by long straights, including a 1 km home straight. It operated from 1966 to 1978 before being abandoned for financial reasons. The site has since been redeveloped into the Keimolanmäki housing district of Kivistö, with several streets, including Ajolenkki (Loop Drive), laid directly over sections of the old track, and the original control tower preserved and restored as a public monument and art installation at the centre of a plaza named after Curt Lincoln.

Configurations

Events and race weekends

No races have been held at Keimola since its 1978 closure, and there is no annual event calendar; the site today is a residential district. During its active years it hosted Formula Two in 1966 and 1967, drawing legends including Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Jack Brabham, Jochen Rindt and Denny Hulme, followed by the Interserie sports car series from 1970-1972, where local hero Leo Kinnunen won three consecutive championships in a Porsche 917. From 1974-1978 the circuit hosted rounds of the European Rallycross Championship and, in 1975, Finland's first-ever drag racing competition.

Getting there and parking

The former circuit site is in Keimolanmäki, part of the Kivistö district of Vantaa, close to Helsinki-Vantaa Airport and served by Kivistö railway station on the Ring Rail Line, making it an easy visit from Helsinki without a car. The neighbourhood is now ordinary suburban housing, so visitors come to see the preserved control tower and street layout rather than an active facility.

• Helsinki-Vantaa Airport (HEL) · about 15 min drive

Parking

Ordinary street parking in the residential Keimolanmäki neighbourhood; no dedicated visitor parking or facilities.

Kivistö railway station, on the Ring Rail Line linking Helsinki city centre and the airport, is within walking distance of the old track site and control tower.

Hotels and camping near Keimola Motor Stadium

Most visitors base themselves in Helsinki or near the airport, both a short train or drive away, rather than in the Keimolanmäki neighbourhood itself, which is residential housing with no visitor accommodation of its own.

Where to look

Helsinki city centre or the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport hotel cluster, both roughly 15-25 minutes away.

Track days, driving experiences and lap records

There is no track-day or ride access at Keimola; the circuit was decommissioned in 1978 and the land is now entirely residential, with roads following parts of the old layout used only as ordinary suburban streets.

Lap records

Spectator guide

There is no spectator racing at Keimola today. Visitors instead walk or cycle the residential streets that trace the old circuit's northern section and view the restored control tower, now a heritage monument with a glass canopy, at the centre of a small public plaza named after founder Curt Lincoln.

Best places to watch

The renovated control tower and surrounding plaza is the focal point for visitors interested in the circuit's history.

Weather

• May-September: most pleasant for walking the site; Finnish summer, typically 15-22°C

History of Keimola Motor Stadium

Built to replace a street circuit

Keimola Motor Stadium was founded by Finnish racing driver Curt Lincoln after Helsinki's Eläintarha street circuit closed in 1963, with construction beginning in 1965 on farmland near what is now Vantaa. The 3.3 km, eight-turn circuit opened on 12 June 1966, built with clearly defined, banked corners linked by long straights, including a 1 km home straight, giving it a distinctly modern, purpose-built character compared with the street circuits it replaced.

A brief golden era

Keimola quickly attracted top-level international racing. Formula Two visited in 1966 and 1967, with a field that read like a who's who of the era: Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Jack Brabham, Jochen Rindt and Denny Hulme all competed on the Finnish track. From 1970 to 1972 the circuit hosted the Interserie sports car series, where local driver Leo Kinnunen, racing a Porsche 917, won three consecutive championships in front of home crowds, cementing the circuit's place in Finnish motorsport folklore.

Decline, closure and rebirth as a neighbourhood

As the 1970s progressed, the circuit's programme shifted toward the European Rallycross Championship, which it hosted from 1974 to 1978, and it also staged Finland's first-ever organised drag racing competition in 1975. Mounting financial difficulties eventually forced the track's closure on 21 October 1978, after just twelve years of operation. The site lay dormant for decades under owner Sanoma before the City of Vantaa redeveloped it into the Keimolanmäki housing district within the wider Kivistö area, with the first residents moving in from 2016. Streets such as Ajolenkki (Loop Drive) and Varikkokuja (Pit Stop Lane) trace the old track's route, and the original control tower, damaged by fire in 2004, has been restored as a public monument and art installation, keeping Keimola's racing history visible within the modern neighbourhood that replaced it.

Frequently asked questions

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