Ella Lahdemaa
Karting racing //
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Ella Lahdemaa is a rising Finnish motorsport star excelling across karting, rallying and single-seaters since 2009, breaking barriers for women in European racing.
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The steering wheel doesn’t care about gender, only the grip and the grit you bring.
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FULL BIO: Ella Lahdemaa
Ella Lahdemaa is a rising Finnish motorsport talent who emerged from a family deeply immersed in racing culture, with her competitive driving journey beginning at just six years old on go-kart tracks.
EARLY YEARS
Born in Helsinki, Finland in 2003, Ella grew up surrounded by motorsports. Her father Jari, a former rally driver who competed in Finnish national events during the 1990s, and her mother Tiina, a motorsport event organizer, created an environment where racing was part of everyday life. By age six, she was already navigating go-kart tracks under her father’s guidance. The icy Finnish winters proved valuable for developing her car control skills, as she often jokes that “learning to drift on frozen lakes was my first driving school.”
EARLY SUCCESS
A defining moment in Ella’s young career came at age nine when she won her first junior karting championship in Lahti, Finland. This victory cemented her passion for racing and showcased her natural talent behind the wheel. Her parents’ encouragement extended beyond motorsports, as they fostered her competitive spirit through other Finnish sports like skiing and ice hockey, helping build the mental toughness required for racing.
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS
- 2019: Secured first podium in SM3 class at the O.K. Auto-Ralli, Finnish Rally Championship (July 20, 2019)[1].
- 2020: Finished fourth in the Junior category at the Höljes RX event, RallyX Nordic series (August 15, 2020)[2].
- 2021: Achieved top female finisher honors at Rally Liepāja, European Rally Championship (May 15, 2021)[3].
- 2022: Delivered multiple top-five stage times in the WRC3 class at Rally Estonia (July 17, 2022)[4].
- 2023: Placed fifth in the WRC3 class at Rally Sweden, World Rally Championship (February 12, 2023)[5].
REPUTATION
FUTURE GOALS/PLANS
Looking beyond 2025, Ella aims to secure a seat in the Formula Regional European Championship, which she views as a critical stepping stone toward her ultimate goal of competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Hypercar class. She has expressed commitment to advocating for gender inclusivity in motorsport, building on her mentorship role with the “Girls on Track” initiative. While Formula 1 remains of interest, her immediate focus is on proving her technical consistency and physical endurance in junior categories.
References:
Finnish Motorsport News – O.K. Auto-Ralli Results
RallyX Online – Höljes RX Event Coverage
ERC Press Release – Rally Liepāja Results
Team Lahdemaa – Rally Estonia Results
Motorsport.com – Rally Sweden WRC3 Coverage
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