A Surprising Encounter Brought Jutta Haverinen Back to the Drift Track

With the support of Autotarvike, Jutta Haverinen—who has returned to drifting competitions—is aiming high. Her first season showed that she has plenty of speed—as long as her technique keeps up.

When three-year-old Jutta Haverinen was zooming around her backyard on her ATV, hardly anyone could have guessed what kind of tracks her passion for driving would eventually take her to. Ahead lay the Nürburgring, California’s drifting circuits, and even stunt driving.

Cars and driving have been a part of Jutta Haverinen’s life since she was little. She got her first ATV at age three, and soon she was zipping around the backyard on a moped. After moving to the countryside, she had even more space to drive. At age eight, Haverinen got her first farm car, an automatic Opel Omega. The nearby lake and the fields all around provided the young driver with a place to practice year-round. In the summer, she drove in the fields; in the winter, on the ice.

– We drove the cars practically as long as they lasted.

Of course, with rear-wheel-drive farm cars, we weren’t content to just drive in a straight line. Drifting became second nature years before Haverinen ended up on a drifting track.

The attention didn’t appeal to the young driver

Drifting entered Haverinen’s life partly through Krisse Aalto. They knew each other even before Aalto took up the sport, and Haverinen closely followed his early steps in drifting. Young Jutta would sometimes drive her moped car from Mäntsälä—a distance of about 100 kilometers—to Hämeenlinna to visit Aalto and ride along in his drift car for hours on end—according to Haverinen’s recollection, at most even six hours straight.

Haverinen wanted to drive, but she didn’t want to be the center of attention.

There were few female drivers in drifting circles, so a young girl behind the wheel stood out. For Haverinen, this was anything but natural. It felt particularly uncomfortable to hear her own name announced during races.

“I always asked my mom to pick up my trophies because I was too embarrassed to go get them myself.”

However, her mom refused to do it for her and insisted that she go get them herself.

Over the years, her attitude toward the attention has changed. These days, Haverinen hardly pays any attention to her name being announced over the competition venue’s loudspeakers. This season, she says she’s been so focused on her own performance during races that she hasn’t even thought about how many people are watching her drive.

“I don’t really know how”

His drifting career, however, began almost by accident. The real push to start competing came unexpectedly when he was 16. Drifting champion Harri Kosunen called Haverinen and asked if he’d like to go to Motopark for a drifting competition.

– I said no. I don’t know how to do that!

As a compromise, they agreed that Haverinen would go to the venue the day before the competition to practice. He had virtually no experience with an actual drifting car. For example, the hydraulic parking brake was unfamiliar to him. Kosunen, however, refused to be his co-driver; instead, he sent Haverinen on his way with the words: “You’ll figure out how it works.”

“After a couple of laps, he told me, ‘You’re racing tomorrow,’” Haverinen laughs.

In his first year, Haverinen competed in three races; the next year, in one; and in his third year, he drove the entire season. The result was a second-place finish in the Pro2 series that year.

Still, the young driver’s life wasn’t all about motorsports. 

Off to the U.S. as an au pair—and into the drifting scene

At age 18, Haverinen began to long for a change of scenery. She wanted to go to the United States and set out to figure out how she could move there. Google search results featured an ad for Au Pair info.

“I didn’t know what it meant, but my mom agreed to come along. Once I got there, I realized it was about taking care of kids,” Haverinen recalls.

That suited the young woman, who had previously taken care of her cousin’s children, just fine. In California, Haverinen ended up with a wonderful family where she could continue pursuing her interest in cars. In her free time, she attended car events, got to know local drivers, and became part of California’s drifting scene.

One of the people she met was Formula Drift driver Matt Field. When they were looking for a female drifting driver for a film shoot, Haverinen’s name came up. Her driving videos were impressive, and the Finnish driver ended up joining the filming of *Power Rangers*.

From the U.S., her path led straight to the Nürburgring in Germany. 

– I was on vacation in Hawaii after two years as an au pair when a friend called and asked me to come work at the track. I only stopped by Finland to switch out my bags. 

At the track, Haverinen organized driving sessions for both tourists and race drivers, and even got behind the wheel himself when a racing team was short a reserve or second driver. At the Nürburgring, he also got to know many well-known names in the world of motorsports, including Kalle Rovanperä.

A two-week vacation stretched into two years

Haverinen returned from Germany to Finland for a couple of years. Among other things, he worked at the Finnair lounge and took on various jobs in the automotive industry, such as car presentation work for BMW.

Then the rat race in Finland started to get to him again, and Haverinen headed off on vacation to Spain. However, the two-week vacation turned into something completely different when the COVID-19 lockdown struck in the middle of his trip. His stay was extended, and Haverinen remained near Fuengirola to remotely manage service appointments for Autokeskus.

Upon returning to Finland, Haverinen joined Juha Rintanen’s drifting team. He spent the following summers at international competitions and the Drift Masters series, showcasing race car parts and selling fan merchandise.

“If I’m going to race, I really want to race to win.”

Haverinen’s own desire to drive hadn’t gone away. The obstacle was more practical: drifting had become more expensive year after year.

The idea of his own racing project resurfaced in the summer of 2025 at the Drift Masters event in Alahärmä, where Haverinen was once again asked if he was interested in competing. The person behind the inquiry was Jan Koskela, CEO of Autotarvikke, which had handled tire services at the event; Haverinen had already met him at the Nürburgring. 

Just as he had done earlier in Germany, Koskela asked Haverinen if he was still eager to get back behind the wheel of a drift car.

“I told him it wasn’t that I didn’t want to drive. But every season gets more and more expensive, and it just didn’t seem feasible to me.”

Koskela, however, offered a solution: what if Autotarvike helped put the budget together and also provided support in securing other partners?

– At that point, I didn’t have to think about it much longer. We shook on it.

From the very beginning, Autotarvike’s role in the partnership went beyond traditional sponsorship. The company set out to build the entire racing project—from the car and the pit crew to assembling a network of partners. Jukka Suvisalmi, for his part, has provided valuable tips on securing sponsors.

The goal was ambitious from the very start.

“If I’m going to race, I really want to race to win—and race properly,” Haverinen states.

The season turned into a battle against technical issues

The start of the 2026 season quickly showed that his pace was still there. In the Lapua race, Haverinen qualified seventh out of 79 drivers.

Then his engine completely broke down, and Haverinen was unable to continue in the race.

The next race was only two weeks away. There wasn’t enough time to get a new engine, so help was sought elsewhere. Haverinen was able to continue the season in a loaner car, but he ran into technical problems with that one as well. A third car was brought into service during the season, but the difficulties persisted.

Haverinen takes these technical setbacks surprisingly in stride. In drifting, almost everyone experiences them, especially with a new or freshly built car. It’s just part of the sport.

– What was harder was that, as a driver, I didn’t get the chance to do my job as well as I knew I was capable of.

When preparing for a race, a driver should be able to trust his car 100 percent. When you don’t have many practice kilometers under your belt, you don’t have time to adjust the car to suit your driving style, nor do you get to know its behavior well enough. This season, Haverinen also had to deal with, among other things, a different type of transmission than he was used to.

However, the team stuck to one principle: giving up was never an option. The cars were repaired, alternatives were sought, and every effort was made to get Haverinen on the starting line from one race to the next.

He wants to give special thanks to Sami Tammi and Jussi Lammi of Hallix, who lent him their cars during the season and thus helped keep the racing season going. 

“Jussi from Hallix has been a huge support throughout my season anyway,” Haverinen says gratefully.

In drifting, it’s the thrill of success that keeps you hooked

A technically challenging season hasn’t dampened Haverinen’s enthusiasm for the sport.

In drifting, he’s drawn not only to the speed but also to the spectacle. The judges determine what kind of racing line, angle, and performance they expect from the driver. When everything comes together at the right moment, it creates a feeling that Haverinen says he keeps chasing over and over again.

“The sport is fast-paced and full of adrenaline, but at the same time, driving behind the wheel can even feel relaxing.”

An equally important part of drifting takes place in the pit area.

“The people and the sense of community are a big part of the sport’s appeal.”

This season, Haverinen says he has been so focused on his own performance that he hasn’t really thought about the audience during races. Encounters with fans in the pits are still important, though, and he enjoys it when people come to chat and ask for photos together.

Looking Ahead to Next Season

For next season, Haverinen hopes for two things above all else: more drifting and a little better luck.

The most important task this winter is to ensure the race car is reliable and tuned to suit Haverinen’s driving style. Once he can rely on the car, he can spend his time on what he wants most—driving and improving.

He plans to continue the collaboration with Autotarvike, which has gotten off to a good start, well into the future.

At the same time, he plans to expand his network of partners. Haverinen would like to offer his partners more than just visibility and a logo on the side of the race car. Partners are welcome to attend races, visit the pit area, and experience the sport up close. 

What would 16-year-old Jutta think if she were standing next to the race car right now and saw everything that has happened from her first drifting competitions to this day?

Haverinen’s answer comes quickly, with a smile:

“Yes, she’d be proud and happy. I’ve always wanted to drive, but now I know I have the skill, too.”

Author: Annika Koskela, Autotarvike Oy