The owner of the Ajo MotoSport team, Aki Ajo, tells the story of how he started and was able to build what is known today in the world of motorbikes.

His inspiration came at the age of 13, when he learned, according to him, the technical things, how to assemble a motorbike, ride it and also the commercial part because he came from a family that did not have many resources.

“They thought I was crazy, but in 1997 I founded ‘AjoMotorsport’, the same company that is still registered in Finland and runs my team,” Ajo said as quoted by MotoSan.

“Parents and children came to see the bikes and buy them. It was my economics school, but also my engineering and riding school.”

“I started dreaming of having my own team and one day competing in the world championship.”

“People laughed at me, we started with an ice racing team, before moving on to the European and Scandinavian championships. Then things got serious in 2001, with wildcard Mika Kallio.”

Big names have been eyeing Aki Ajo.

Pedro Acosta, Marc Marquez, Johann Zarco, Brad Binder and Raul Fernandez are MotoGP riders who used to be under the umbrella of Aki Ajo .

All of them achieved good results, some even became world champions.

“I try to keep people on the same level. We are human beings and we have talents, and we all have weaknesses,” Ajo said.

” Marc Marquez is special, but we have seen that he is human.”

“Life is not always easy and I try to teach my athletes that we need moments of weakness, just as much as success,” he said of one of his great champions.

It’s not just Marquez who talks about this, but also Pedro Acosta , the latest champion.

“Pedro is like Marc. He understood a lot about life since he was little and he is special, but he is also sensitive,” Ajo admitted.

“In 2022, when he was mentally depressed and lost confidence, I told him that he needed to experience this and it was very important to have this moment (of doubt) now.”

“If it happens later, it will be more complicated for him. The sooner you face the problem, the stronger you will be.”

“And if you go through problems, when not everything is so easy, when you reach the top, you have more chances to survive.”

Not only that, Ajo remains motivated and wants to return to the top even though the competitiveness in the lower categories is also increasing.

“What do I look for in a driver? First of all, you look for speed and driving style, but there is so much talent out there and I think attitude is also important.”

“I need to see an attitude where we have the opportunity to grow together and that fits our method.”

“I’m looking for something ready-made, where the riders are already at a good level.”

“But, maybe we can fix the missing pieces with our special skills: scouting, training and helping riders develop.”