33 Facts About JJ Lehto

In sportscar racing, Lehto won the American Le Mans Series in 2004 and is a two-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1995 and 2005, as well as a two-time winner of the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1999 and 2005.

JJ Lehto competed at 70 Formula One Grands Prix for Onyx, Italia, Sauber and Benetton, making his debut at the 1989 Portuguese Grand Prix with the former.

JJ Lehto achieved a podium finish with Italia at the 1991 San Marino Grand Prix.

In June 2010, JJ Lehto was injured in a boating incident in Ekenas, during which an unnamed associate was killed.

JJ Lehto was found guilty of negligent homicide and driving under the influence, and sentenced to 28 months in prison.

JJ Lehto appealed the conviction to the Turku Court of Appeal, who overturned the verdict in November 2012, due to inconclusive evidence that Lehto was driving the boat.

JJ Lehto then won the British and European Formula 2000 championship in 1987 and went on to win the coveted British Formula 3 title in 1988, driving for Pacific Racing.

In 1989 JJ Lehto drove in Formula 3000, again for Pacific Racing.

JJ Lehto did not participate in the last race which was held in Dijon-Prenois.

JJ Lehto was a protege of Finnish 1982 Formula One World Champion Keke Rosberg, who first suggested that Jyrki Jarvilehto should abbreviate his name to the more manageable JJ Lehto.

In 1989 JJ Lehto tested for Ferrari before making his Formula One debut for the Onyx team as a late-season replacement for Bertrand Gachot.

JJ Lehto, marked by many as a star of the future, was paired with Gregor Foitek but financial difficulties hampered his season, leading to the team's withdrawal after the Hungarian Grand Prix.

JJ Lehto impressed elsewhere but did not score again through poor reliability and bad luck.

JJ Lehto stayed with the team in 1992, now paired with Pierluigi Martini and using Ferrari V12 engines but the new Dallara B192 chassis had severe handling problems.

JJ Lehto landed the second seat at the new, much-anticipated Sauber team for 1993, running Ilmor engines.

JJ Lehto returned to the cockpit for the ill-fated San Marino Grand Prix despite some question marks over his fitness.

JJ Lehto returned to the cockpit for the Italian and Portuguese rounds in place of the suspended Schumacher but did not impress and was released entirely soon afterwards when the team signed Johnny Herbert.

JJ Lehto was a late addition to the 1995 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in a McLaren F1 GTR, but he won the race outright, at his third attempt, sharing the car with Yannick Dalmas and Masanori Sekiya.

JJ Lehto was an integral part of the win, gaining the lead for the team by driving a few stints during the rainy night.

JJ Lehto had three more guest appearances in the same car the next year, winning another race, before he got picked up by BMW to join the factory squad in the inaugural FIA GT season, partnering Steve Soper.

BMW and JJ Lehto stayed in the ALMS series, but stepped down to the GT-class with the controversial M3 GTR.

JJ Lehto found the M3 already not fast enough to his liking, so it was not surprising when Lehto turned down BMW's offer to join them in the European Touring Car Championship the following year, having to race a near standard 320i tin-top racer.

JJ Lehto won four times in 2003, but it was not until the factory Audi squad left the ALMS series that he was finally able to reap full rewards in 2004 and score his first championship success since his 1988 title in the British Formula Three, picking up six victories on the way.

One car would be driven by JJ Lehto, partnered by Johnny Herbert.

JJ Lehto did show up at the 2007 edition of the 24 Hours of Daytona to team up with Colin Braun and Max Papis in the Krohn Racing Pontiac-Riley.

In 2001 JJ Lehto joined Finnish television as an expert race commentator and remained a mainstay at MTV3's Finnish Formula One race broadcasts until 2010, alongside Oskari Saari.

On 17 June 2010, JJ Lehto was involved in a boating incident in Ekenas.

JJ Lehto was injured and the other man was killed in the incident.

JJ Lehto had been drinking throughout the day and was heavily intoxicated at the time of the incident.

In January 2011, Ilta-Sanomat reported that the police investigations had concluded that no one besides JJ Lehto could have been driving the boat at the time of the incident.

JJ Lehto faced charges of negligent homicide, reckless driving and driving under the influence.

Regardless of the pending trial, JJ Lehto made a return to sportscasting on the Finnish sports-channel URHOtv, commentating on a DTM event.

JJ Lehto however appealed the decision, and on 30 November 2012, the Turku Court of Appeal cleared him of all charges relating to the incident, finding the evidence regarding who had been driving the boat inconclusive.