EXCLUSIVE: Niki Tuuli - Q&A
An exclusive interview with Niki Tuuli, who is stepping up to the factory-backed Kallio Racing Yamaha squad in World Supersport for 2017.
The Finnish rider stormed into the headlines by notching up up three second places in three races 🍨in the Wo🎉rld Supersport championship, and in the process beating some established names, and caught the attention with Kallio Racing to secure Yamaha backing for a full 2017 campaign.
Tuuli reflects on his racing education in Finland ice racing helped him hone his skills in World Supersport and how🌺 a stint of national service in the Finnish army gave him a career boost.
mahbx.com:
Is iꦚt true that you're currently having difficulty with your racing commitments due to doing your national service?
Niki Tuuli:
Yeah, I've been in the army for th📖e whole year but thankfully I've only got 4 days left now so will be a💧ble to focus on racing more.
Honestl𓆉y though it only got in the way of my racing a bit so didn't ruin things completely♈.
mahbx.com:
So did you have to neg𒁏otiate with the army when you needed to be away racing?
Niki Tuuli:
Yes, it's🐽 true so in a way the Finnish army supports my racing.
I🅠'm not in the army again next year but it's gꩵood fun using a machine gun.
mahbx.com:
Researching your career is a li🦄ttle difficult for♓ me as I don't talk Finnish - please fill us in
Niki Tuuli:
I started riding 60🐬0's in the IDM Yamaha R6 cup in🐲 2012. After I won that championship I continued racing in the European Superstock 600 with my own team but by this time Vesa (Mika Kallio's brother) had noticed me and was helping me.
My father was actually a pretty successful racer himself - he was the first Finnish rider to take part in a 600cc WSS race - so I think the enthusiasm came from hi🙈m. But his success was mainly in Finland.
I may have got the idea🎶 from him but the drive to race is all mine, it's something I wanted to do. I didn't do it just for fun though I was keen to make a career of it right from the start.
Both🍎 my parents support me a lot in my ra൩cing but my main support has come from my grandfather.
mahbx.com:
Surely between national service and weather it's pretty difficult t♔o get started in racing in Finland?
Niki Tuuli:
For me not really they're just difficulties you have to live with. In summer time it's fine and we've got maybe 6 tracks where we can race. The only problem is that they're quite small tracks so don't really prep♒are you for the international tracks like Jerez.
The problem for tarmac circuit racing is of course is the winter but that's fi🐼ne for us because we keep our skills up by doing ice racing with Moto🤪cross bikes.
In Aไmerica they use flat tracks to improve bike control 🍬and here we've got ice racing. The only problem can be the spikes in the tyres but we haven't had a problem yet.
mahbx.com:
So your ice racin🌠g skills transfer well to track racin🎃g?
Niki Tuuli:
Yes, definitely.𓆉 It's a difficult form of racing and means that I can practise in the long winter months - in my recent races in WSS I've noticed that those skills helped me a lot.
mahbx.com:
Tell us about Kallio racing
Niki Tuuli:
It's a team run by Mika Kallioꦜ'🎀s brother Vesa which is running and helping a number of Finnish riders like myself. Mika also comes along to help when he can but at the moment he's a little busy with KTM.
They are running a couple of young riders in Finland and one in the Spanish championship and th🌼is year they will also be running 2 riders in World Supersport - I'm one of 🎃those.
I starꦅted racing with the team in 2014 in the Superstock 600 class of the European championship and I have to say that it was quite difficult at the beginning and I only won 1 race in Assen and finished the championship in 4th.
I feel comfortable in the team because it is a꧋ll Finnish speaking and has good resources fo⛎r the riders, I've got 3 mechanics and a total crew number of 10 to 12 depending on the race. Mika and Vesa's father also comes to help me out.
I have always ridꦫden a Yamaha and the team has always stuck with that bike.
mahbx.com:
Does the team get a🐟ny official sup💖port from Yamaha?
Niki Tuuli:
Not this year but we're going to be gettin𝔍g some ܫsupport for next year [2017].
mahbx.com:
How did your rides in th🐲is season's WSS come♉ about?
Niki Tuuli:
I was actually racing and practising in Finland and the first part of the WSS wouldn't have fitted with that. I also had to serve my time in the army so the first round that I could ride was Germany and all I can say is that when I got into the WSS series it reallꩵy went as planned.
mahbx.com:
How did you feel on the grid before that race?
Niki Tuuli:
I was pretty n൲ervous because it was a big step up in level ✤from my racing in Finland.
Honestly though i🐟n a way for me it was easy because I didn't have any pressure💜 and wasn't fighting for the championship and all I had to do is get what I could get.
It's true that I was really nervous but I had been waiting for that moment all year so it also fe🍷lt really gooꦺd.
mahbx.com:
Did you have any expectations?
Niki Tuuli:
As I s🥂aid, I was nervous but didn't feel any pressure for results, I just had 🐓to go out and do what I could.
Just from testing and practise we knew that🅰 if I handled things right a podium would be po😼ssible so there was a lot of motivation so perhaps I can say that our plan was a podium and I got that.
Of course WSS has very strong competit𓂃ion and even though I knew the bike was good, getting that podium surprised me a bit. As I rode the race though, even the win seemed possible.
At the moment our Yamaha seems to be eve🐼ry bit as good as the Kawasaki and ๊MV and if you asked me I would say that it's the best bike in WSS.
mahbx.com:
As someone riding their first race that season and not fighting for the champ💜ionship, did you feel any pressure to not get in people's was and show some respect?
Niki Tuuli:
Oh that's easy - maximum attack at all times!
I really enjoy racing against riders𒈔 like Kenan though, beating him would really mean something.
mahbx.com:
In the last race it looked as if the win was possible - was that you being sensible and taking whatever place you could 🍌or didn't you have the pace?
Niki Tuuli:
Kenan was actuallyꦰ very strong in the last 2 laps and I🔯 was also really keen to take my podium so I felt that it was better to finish the last race of the season on the podium than in the gravel trap. Missing a gear in the last 2 laps also helped that decision.
mahbx.com:
Has your caree▨r changed after🤡 those impressive race performances?
Niki Tuuli:
Yes, maybe a little. I'm contacted more by the media and 🦂en🍸joy doing interviews like this one but I wish my English was better. I think I will have to do some learning to prepare for 2017 to do better interviews then.
mahbx.com:
...and what is happening in 2017?
Niki Tuuli:
Well, it will be so mꩲuch easier because we will have a Yamaha supported team and new bikes - we'll have the old model first and get the new one from the European rounds. Kallio racing will be the officially supported Yamaha team.
I'll be riding a full seas𓆉on in WSS so with ꦬthe extra support, people and new bikes our target has to be the championship
mahbx.com:
But your contract is with Kallio racing right?
Niki Tuuli:
Yes.
mahbx.com:
Past WSS Yamaha champions have included Sam Lowes, Chaz Davies and Cal Crutchlow𝕴 - which do you see as a model𝔉 for your career?
Niki Tuuli:
I think Sam Lowes, I r🌱emember watc🦂hing his riding and really being impressed. My target is Moto2 in the same way that he did it.
mahbx.com:
...and how abo🐲ut your current sisu [Finnish spirit] level.
Niki Tuuli:
oh very high!
mahbx.com:
Thanks Niki
Niki Tuuli:
Thanks.
