Petri Suvanto is a Finnish

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

 racing driver from Seinäjoki

Seinäjoki

Seinäjoki is a city located in Southern Ostrobothnia, Finland. Seinäjoki originated around the Östermyra bruk iron and gunpowder factories founded in 1798. Seinäjoki became a municipality in 1868, market town in 1931 and town in 1960...

.

After winning and placing highly in several Finnish karting championships, Suvanto moved to car racing in 2010

2010 Formula BMW Europe season

The 2010 Formula BMW Europe season was the third and final season of the Formula BMW Europe championship. The championship began on May 8 at Barcelona and finished on September 12 at Monza...

 in Formula BMW Europe

Formula BMW

Formula BMW is a junior racing formula for single seater cars. It is positioned at the bottom of the motorsport career ladder alongside the longer established Formula Ford category...

 for Josef Kaufmann Racing. He finished eleventh in points with a best finish of sixth at Zandvoort

Circuit Park Zandvoort

Circuit Park Zandvoort is a motorsport race track located in Burgemeester van Alphenstraat 108, 2041 KP in the dunes north of the town of Zandvoort, in the Netherlands, near the North Sea coast line.- History :...

 and Silverstone

Silverstone Circuit

Silverstone Circuit is an English motor racing circuit next to the Northamptonshire villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury. The circuit straddles the Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire border, with the current main circuit entry on the Buckinghamshire side...

. Seeking a change of venue for 2011, Suvanto entered the American Road to Indy

Road to Indy

The Mazda Road to Indy is a group of developmental racing series launched in 2010 managed by IndyCar with a goal being the IZOD IndyCar Series and the Indianapolis 500. As part of the program, all series participate in the three disciplines of the IndyCar Series: oval races, permanent road courses,...

 ladder in the U.S. F2000 National Championship

U.S. F2000 National Championship

Cooper Tires presents the U.S. F2000 National Championship powered by Mazda is an American racing series using the American variation of the Formula Ford formula, "F2000", that resumed operation for the 2010 season...

. Suvanto captured four poles, five wins, and finished on the podium in all but one of the season

2011 U.S. F2000 National Championship

The 2011 U.S. F2000 National Championship is a season of the U.S. F2000 National Championship, an open wheel auto racing series that is the first step in IndyCar's Road to Indy ladder. It is the second full season of the series since its revival in 2010. It follows the first 2011 U.S. F2000...

's twelve races. He secured the championship in the first race of the final race weekend of the season over American Spencer Pigot by 47 points. By winning the championship he secures full funding to compete in the Star Mazda Championship in 2012.