About JJ Lehto
Jyrki Juhani Järvilehto (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈjyrki ˈjærʋilehto]; born 31 January 1966), commonly known as JJ Lehto, is a Finnish former racing driver and broadcaster, who competed in Formula One from 1989 to 1994. 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. Born and raised in Espoo, Lehto began competitive kart racing aged eight before graduating to Formula Ford in 1981. A protégé of 1982 World Drivers' Champion Keke Rosberg, Lehto won several national and continental Formula Ford titles prior to dominating the 1988 British Formula Three Championship with Pacific. 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. He achieved a podium finish with Italia at the 1991 San Marino Grand Prix. Upon retiring from motor racing, Lehto became a commentator and pundit for MTV3. In June 2010, Lehto was injured in a boating incident in Ekenäs, during which an unnamed associate was killed. Lehto was found guilty of negligent homicide and driving under the influence, and sentenced to 28 months in prison. He 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. He 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. He was a protégé of Finnish 1982 Formula One World Champion Keke Rosberg, who first suggested that Jyrki Järvilehto should abbreviate his name to the more manageable JJ Lehto.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.