Finnish Formula One driver Kimi Räikkönen has sparked controversy in his country by building a motocross track without permission on a farm he owned in Porkkala, about 30 kilometers west of Helsinki, YLE national television reported on Wednesday.
The 22-hectare estate is located in a coastal area of great natural beauty dotted with forests and country houses, where the Finnish Government is considering creating a national park.
According to YLE, some residents of Räikkönen are so fed up with the noise that they are considering reporting the rider to the police so that they can investigate whether the motocross track meets all legal requirements.
“When they use the track it sounds like there are ten loggers with their chainsaws behind my cabin,” complains to the aforementioned Patrick Eriksson, a neighboring architect from Räikkönen who does not understand how they have allowed him to build the small dirt circuit.
And it is that the local authorities do not finish agreeing on whether a permit is necessary to build a track of this type on private property.
In the municipality of Kirkkonummi, a municipality to which Porkkala belongs, they believe that the license is not compulsory as it is not strictly a construction or a commercial sports circuit.
On the other hand, regional authorities believe that the motocross track requires at least an environmental permit due to its possible ecological impact, especially in an area of great biodiversity.
The municipality has asked Räikkönen to present a report specifying the type and frequency of use it wants to give the track, before deciding whether to finally require an environmental permit.
The Ferrari driver, a great fan of all motorsports, did not want to make a statement, but has shown his willingness to collaborate with the authorities. EFE
Räikkönen builds a motocross track on his own farm without permission
