Finnish Racing Championship

Circuit racing’s premier championship series in Finland is the Finnish Racing Championship (FRC).

The FRC features five different championship classes with Finnish Championship (SM) status. In addition, race weekends include national-level series such as the Legends hobby series. The competition calendar consists of five rounds: four held on domestic circuits and one in Pärnu, Estonia, as part of the traditional Estonian Grand Prix.

Classes

Legends SM

The highly popular Legends cars, known for close and competitive racing on Finnish circuits, visually resemble American coupe and sedan models from the 1930s and 1940s. The cars have a tubular frame and are powered either by a 1300 cc four-cylinder, air-cooled engine from the Yamaha XJR 1300, or a water-cooled 850 cc three-cylinder engine from the Yamaha FZ09. Acceleration from 0–100 km/h takes about four seconds, and top speed ranges between 140–200 km/h depending on gear ratios.

V1600 SM and V1600 Cup

V1600 is one of the most affordable ways to get into motorsport, while still offering opportunities to learn car setup in various ways. The class is based on standard production cars from the 2000s with engines up to 1600 cc. With around 120–140 horsepower and race-prepared suspension, these modern cars are cost-effective and sensible race vehicles. The class features familiar hatchback models such as Mini One, Toyota Auris, Kia Ceed, and Honda Civic. Drivers can compete from the year they turn 15.

The V1600 Cup class is intended for older V1600 cars. All V1600 cars are eligible except:

• Mini One / Mini Cooper (2006–2013)

• Mini One / Mini Cooper (2000–2006)

• Toyota Auris (Valvematic, 2010–)

• Kia Ceed (2007–2012)

• Kia Ceed (2012–)

V8 Thunder SM

Originally from Sweden, V8 Thunder is a high-performance class featuring tubular-frame, naturally aspirated silhouette cars that visually resemble iconic V8-powered muscle cars. Models in the class include Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro, Dodge Challenger, Audi RS5, and Mercedes-AMG C63. The iconic roar of V8 engines has made the class popular among both drivers and fans, while the cars provide exciting and competitive racing. The LS3 engines produce around 500 horsepower, delivered to the rear wheels via a four-speed manual gearbox.

BMW Race Series SM

Launched in 2007, the BMW class offers young drivers a cost-effective way to compete with rear-wheel-drive race cars. It provides an accessible entry into circuit racing, as drivers can participate from the year they turn 15. The car used is the BMW 325 from the E36 series, available in two- or four-door versions, with a 2.5-liter engine producing around 210 hp.

Starting from the 2026 season, a new class—BMW M235—will be introduced, offering up to 350 hp. Race weekends include two sprint races and one longer 40-minute race, allowing for driver changes during the event. In some events, the class runs four shorter races, giving both drivers the opportunity to start in two finals.

FRC GT Open SM

The FRC GT Open class allows competition with both factory-built sports and production-based race cars, including full GT3 and GT4 cars, Porsche and other manufacturers’ GT3 Cup and TCR cars, as well as the fastest national-spec sports and touring cars in Finland. These include V8 Thunder cars, TGT and Special Saloon classes, as well as former popular categories such as Sport 2000 and Super 2000.

Cars are divided into four subclasses based on performance, ensuring close and exciting competition within each category.