Kirsi Kainulainen has made history by becoming the first woman ever to gain a World Championship medal in Road Racing Sidecar. Kainulainen took bronze, together with her partner Pekka Päivärinta (4-time world champion), at the season’s finale in Oschersleben, Germany.
“I still haven´t understood that I really have a medal now”, says Kanulainen. “Perhaps as time goes by I will grasp what I have achieved. But to be honest it was a bit bittersweet feeling when I got the medal because at quite an early stage of the season I realised that it would be quite realistic to target the World Championship title, and for sure we gave it everything we could. So for a moment I was thinking that we had lost the Championship, but then I realised that bronze is not that bad, and I did so much work for this medal. So naturally I am happy that I managed to get a medal from my debut season.”
The season was not a walk in the park for the Finnish duo. They had many problems throughout the season and Kainulainen was even taken to hospital after a crash.
“It took some time to recover from the crash”, she recalls, “and we had all kind of other obstacles as well. The positive side of these challenges is that now we are wiser about the changes we need to make for the bike, to develop it to be even more competitive, and that way we can really battle for the Championship in the future.”
There is no doubt about it that the target for this ambitious young woman is to be the first female Sidecar World Champion one day.
"That is my plan”, she confirms. “If everything goes well and we are able to continue like this. Of course everything depends on the financial situation as well.”
Kainulainen actually competes with solo bikes as well. She was only 3 and a half years old when her father, who used to race in Finnish Championship class, bought her a moped! Since then, she has ridden bikes and this year she also competed in Finland whenever the Sidecar races left her the opportunity.
“In my heart I am a solo rider, and I am really happy that my sponsors have made it possible for me to compete in some of the races this season also. Anyways, I will invest more in that after my Sidecar career. I don´t think I will ever be able to quit completely,” Kainulainen laughs.
Kainulainen has always felt very welcome in the male dominated world of Sidecar, and the co-operation with her boyfriend Pekka has been very smooth.
“At the paddock I have lots of friends, even including the toughest rivals”, she smiles. “At the race we are competitors and everyone tries to get the best result but outside the race we are joking together. I have only received good feedback. Everyone seems to really support me all the time. Also, the work with Pekka has been easy and for sure it´s good when both have their helmets on! You can do something you like and you can´t hear if the other one is nagging”, Kainulainen jokes.
The girl from Finland even thinks that it is beneficial for the passenger to be a woman.
“It´s always good for the passenger to be small and light, and strength doesn´t play that big a role in this event. I would say that it´s crucial to be supple and agile. The most important thing is the timing - how and when you move. You also have to manage to predict the track and the situations.
For Kainulainen it is really important to promote women in motorcycling and that is one reason why she also wanted to put a “Women in Motorcycling” sticker on their Sidecar for the season finale.
“I did that for all the girls and women to show that we are on the same level with the men. I want to say to all of them who are interested in motorcycling: ‘Never hesitate and think that you couldn´t do this because you are a woman. Welcome to the world of motorsport!’.”
pictures of Tuomo Seppänen