Ahvenisto
Race Circuit Oy
Ahvenisto Race Circuit Oy was founded in 2023 and after a public competition by the City of Hämeenlinna, we received the highest points in the selection ceremony for the operator of the motor track. We had prepared carefully and it was also visible in the presentation and certainly helped us to become a part of the pride of Hämeenlinna, the Ahvenisto Motor Circuit.
My name is Sami Liljedahl. I am 42 years old and have lived in Hämeenlinna almost my entire life. My family includes my wife Terhi and our four children, as well as two cats and our dog Menni. We own a small farm on the border of Hämeenlinna and Janakkala, and property and outdoor maintenance are everyday occurrences in our family. I have been an entrepreneur for 25 years. My motorsport background runs deep: I hold national championship medals, a Nordic championship title in Formula Ford, and in 2023 I won the Road Sport B-class championship with a Ford Sierra Cosworth. Since childhood I’ve also taken part in organizing races — working as a mechanic for Jussi Pinomäki in foreign competitions, including European Rallycross championships, as well as the French and Swedish national championships. Ahvenisto has been my breath of fresh air since birth because my family spent summers here and was strongly involved in the track’s operations.
Ahvenisto Race Track means a great deal to me, and it is an honour to be a hometown boy helping to elevate it to the flourishing status that I watched as a little boy from the sidelines.
The driving force behind our company also includes my own brother Miika, who acts as the strong professional in the business side. His experience and entrepreneurship give him a broader view of what is required to make things work, and he steps in as brake-hand if little brother’s ideas get carried away.
Our father Jouko served as both competition director and judge, and was a long-time leader and honorary chairman of our local club Ahveniston Autourheilijat. As children, Miika and I often worked as marshals or flaggers. Sadly, our father cannot share this story today, but he is strongly present in our thoughts.
Ahvenisto needs a new boost — ten years require commitment, a future focus, and also improvement of the old. We need significantly more activity at Ahvenisto; it calls for investment, and here cooperation with the city and local operators plays the starring role.
If we truly aim for tens of thousands of spectators at Ahvenisto — which is absolutely possible — it will take a lot of work. We need full-scale, year-round use of the area for everyone, where imagination is the only limit.
We already have the missing corners drawn for this track, and when that is combined with all our strengths, we’ll achieve a setup where the chequered flag waves not as a sign of the finish line, but as a mark of a new beginning.
Welcome on board this journey, where everyone is needed for the team effort. We bring a cheerful attitude every day and service that is our trademark.
With kind regards,
Sami ja Miika Liljedahl.
