Jim Boman is a formula mechanic in the IndyCar series. The journey from Porvoo to America is long.
When Christian Lundgaard drive into the pits for the Indy500 on Sunday, watch the mechanic changing the left rear tire.
He is Finnish Jim Boman.
Despite his young age, 32-year-old Boman from Porvoo has already made a handsome blue-and-white motorsport history.
Finns are wanted in the North American formula races, and Boman has responded to the call. However, not as a driver, but as a mechanic.
The announcement that changed everything
Boman’s journey to become a mechanic for one of the top drivers in the world’s toughest formula series began more than ten years ago.
– I drove karting when I was young and of course I dreamed of a professional career, but at some point the realities hit me. The skills and money were not enough, so the driving jobs faded away, Boman begins.
Ahead was a transition to working life and completely away from the world of motorsports, until fate intervened.
That fate was an eye-catching announcement of a new kind of education.
– Kouvola’s adult education center together with the Koiranen brothers, who ran their own formula workshop, applied for students for motor sports mechanic training. The idea was that it was heavily based on work training in the F4 series they run. I applied and was selected. The work stopped there, Boman said.
The mechanic’s work went so smoothly that even before the end of his studies, Boman had joined the ranks of the Dutch MP Motorsport.
A meritorious junior team is a familiar sight in Fia’s lower class formula series. This year, as a team driver, he is fighting for the Formula 3 class championship Tuukka Taponen.
In 2017, the young Lundgaard was selected as the driver of the young mechanic Boman.
The two immediately got on the same wavelength. The intervals were uncomplicated. The results were also a reason to smile. In 2017, Danskalaiskuski celebrated the championship of no less than two different F4 series.
Roommate life
Boman and Lundgaard worked together years ago. Friends are roommates in America. Jim Boman’s home album
Lundgaard’s path, which was part of Renault’s F1 junior program for several years, eventually did not lead to Formula One, but through a couple of turns to the IndyCar series in 2021.
That’s when Lundgaard contacted his old Finnish mechanic.
– After getting a contract with IndyCar, Christian called me, asked about the news and then inquired if I would be interested in becoming his mechanic again.
Boman didn’t have to think long about the offer.
– I have to admit that I was not very familiar with the series at the time. Of course I knew what it was about and I had watched the Indy500 before. After all, it was a big change from before, but on the other hand, it was such a card that you had to look at it, says Boman.
Boman followed Lundgaard to McLaren when the Dane switched for the 2025 season to the ranks of the Arrow McLaren team.
This year, Boman and Lundgaard are also roommates. Drink in the house to keep a Danish girlfriend. Boman’s spouse is waiting in his native Finland.
Work, not glamour
During pit stops, Boman is responsible for changing the rear tire on the side of the pit wall. AOP
Being a formula mechanic might sound like a glamorous profession, and in a way, it is. But it’s still work.
– It’s not glamorous at all. The days are long and there is a lot of work, Boman reminds.
Boman himself is mostly troubled by the interest his work arouses in others.
– If someone mentions what I do for work at a dinner party, then you can tell a lot about it during the evening. Of course, it sounds very exciting to many people, but it’s work just like anything else. However, I would often talk about any other topic myself, says Boman.
Seriously, but not seriously
Boman’s job description around Lundgaard’s car is diverse. The tire change seen at pit stops is only one small part of the whole.
Even though the days are long and often heavy and there is only time at home during the season to go for a spin, Boman enjoys his work.
– I like this job. I would describe the trip as relaxed and fun. Although everyone is a professional and the work is done properly, not everything is taken so seriously. In IndyCar, it is understood that this is also a show, says Boman.
Finland in mind
Earlier in May, Lundgaard celebrated a victory in Indianapolis, the race was run as a speedway version instead of an oval. The whole team, naturally also Boman, participated in the victory celebration. AOP
Boman has worked as a formula mechanic abroad for almost ten years. The fourth season is underway in North America.
Although Boman is living his dream in many ways, the work has also demanded a lot.
– Sometimes homesickness is hard, I have to admit it. And it is true that home life suffers quite a lot from this.
Boman’s spouse lives in Finland. A long distance and a different time zone create their own challenges for communication.
So Boman tries to travel to Finland as much as possible.
– In the summer it is of course challenging due to the tight competition calendar, but fortunately in the winter I had better time to be in Finland for longer periods. I am grateful that this has been understood in America, Boman thanks.
What does the future hold? That’s what Boman has been thinking about lately.
– Regarding the future, the plans are open. It’s a bit like the feeling that these travel chores are starting to be enough now. This is a nice job at best, but you can’t do this forever, Boman reflects.
However, no decisions have been made yet about the next steps in the mechanic’s career.
– Let’s go one day at a time and see what the future brings.
