Driver profile: Joni Hagner

JONI HAGNER

Simracing since: 2007

iRacing since: 2010

Current series: Blancpain Endurance Series

Favourite car(s): Mercedes-Benz AMG GTR, Ford GT3

Favourite track(s): Nürburgring, Mosport

A man who lives for the competition, always driven to win and gifted with the kind of car control that most drivers can only dream of. Joni Hagner has it all, and is not afraid to put those qualities into use. 

Starting out way back in 2007, Hagner quickly made a name for himself in the vibrant Live for Speed -community. Achieving good amount of success, he kept going for roughly 3 years, until the fields got smaller and drivers started to migrate elsewhere, primarily to iRacing. He soon became an active member of the Finnish community, and found himself driving for Glacier Racing right from the beginning. Speaking of beginnings, what was Hagner’s primary motivation to start simracing?

“I was looking for a driving game that I could play, that’s about it”

A simple answer, suited for a man who simply loves racing. When he is not practicing for an upcoming endurance race, fiddling with the setup or fine-tuning his lines, he is usually watching racing videos on YouTube. It is said that his blood sample contains significant amounts of high-octane gasoline, which would explain another part of his personality: Highly flammable. He will not shout at you, he will not hold grudges against you, but if you piss him off on track, look out.

There are numerous examples of when Joni has managed to anger even his own team mates. As WCS driver Riku Alatalo put it: “Would’ve been a three-way battle if it weren’t for Pori”, name of the city where Hagner is from. Occasional mishaps, a couple of judgement errors and somewhat erratic driving style may fool one into thinking that he doesn’t know how to drive. That is not the case, as evidenced by being part of a Glacier squad that conquered the first-ever iRacing 24 hour race at Spa. It was yet another example of Hagner at his very best: Consistent, smooth, flawless and mighty fast.

Even though he prefers cars, Joni is mighty fast on two wheels as well…

Capable of jaw-dropping performances in both good and bad, it’s not entirely unjustified to call him the black ace of Glacier Racing. It also seems that he has managed to settle down recently, and if that trend continues, he is going to find even more success in future as he continues to climb the mountain of GT drivers, heading for that summit.

“One of my future goals is to participate in the upcoming iRacing Endurance WCS, if I can get a couple of guys interested.”

Questions & Answers

Q: Favourite car & track?

A: Hmm, Merc AMG GTR and some boring track… Nürburgring. Both GP and Nordschleife. From service, the Ford GT. Three. and Mosport.

Q: Do you listen to music while driving? And if yes, what kind?

A: No I don’t.

Q: What song gets you fired up?

A: Depends on the day. Nothing specific.

Q: Choose 3 teammates with you to a deserted island?

A: This is a tough one. Hmm, Joni Bäckman and (Aleksi) Elomaa. 

Q: What 3 things would you change in iRacing?

A: More users, say, five times the current amount, it could be better known and, well, some staff changes would be good.

Q: Do you stream your driving? If so, where?

A: Nope.

Q: Your favourite meal?

A: Pizza with double kebab, peach, salami, onions and garlic. 

Q: And favourite drink?

A: Cold beer.

Q: Finally, your favourite animal?

A: Don’t know… Fox.