The reason for the crash is still a mystery to Erno Kostamo: “I didn’t make a driving mistake”

Erno Kostamo had to watch from the sidelines when familiar racing partners turned the throttle on the legendary street track of Imatra over the weekend.

A violent fall during the Mansaari TT races took the man to a long recovery period, but it did not take away the flame to compete on motorcycles.

Kostamo from Joensuu had to defend his victories in Imatranaj. Now he had to watch the races sitting on the side of the track in a wheelchair.

Last year, Kostamo, 35, swept the table and won all four starts he drove. Now he sits in a wheelchair surrounded by fans, an eyepatch covering his right eye.

Kostamo is typically still cheerful and has a positive attitude towards life.

Fall In Mansaari’s classic competition, he left his mark. Physical recovery may take a long time, but mentally Kostamo is already on his way back to the reins of his racing bike.

“The feeling is quite different now than when I rode here for the first time in 2016. The race was back on the calendar then. I still remember, even in my rocking chair, the first time I rode Vuoksi’s straight three hundred, but I remember this year as well. Both extremes have now been experienced,” says Kostamo.

Kostamo lost control of his bike in a high-speed corner combination. He was rushed to the hospital by helicopter, and he spent two weeks in local treatment before being repatriated to Finland.

Injured legs have been treated with surgeries. The right eye, on the other hand, is allowed to whistle under the eye patch. Kostamo hit his head hard during the fall, and it caused the vision in one eye to deteriorate.

“I didn’t make a driving mistake, but the accident was the sum of many coincidences. We have thought about it with the mechanics and looked for an answer in the data collection, but no explanation has been found. The front tire just started to slide under, and there was nothing that could be done because there was so much speed. Maybe it would be easier to deal with the matter if I had made the mistake myself. The hood works and the mind is clear, so we are winners.”

Serious despite the injury, Kostamo has no intention of putting on his driving gloves. One day he will be back in the sport he loves.

“Sure. Let’s go ahead and see what day that return could happen. It’s still a question mark at the moment.”

“At this point, I can’t say anything about recovery. Both legs are really bad and there was damage to my vision. However, I want to come back.”

If the return to competitions is not successful, Kostamo has something to do with the sport in his own team.

“Driving is just part of this job. I love putting the wheels on and organizing things. It doesn’t end there. The role of team manager is a lower drop if I can no longer drive myself.”

Still visiting Imatranajó regularly Giacomo Agostinin Kostamo, on the other hand, is thirsty for a record.

Agostini has won 16 times at Imatra, and Kostamo would like to beat the Italian superstar’s record. With his 14 wins, he is very close, and under normal circumstances, he could very well have become the record driver already this year.

“That’s the biggest disappointment. Injuries are part of the sport, but it would have been great to beat Agostini’s winning record here. It will be from this year, but there are still years left in this,” says Kostamo.