Finland - 28-30 Jul 17

M-SPORT FIRED UP AND READY TO FLY AT RALLY FINLAND

Posted: July 22, 2017 4:50 AM

M-Sport are fired up and ready to fly as the FIA World Rally Championship ventures to the famous jumps of Neste Rally Finland.

Despite three victories and an unbroken record of podium finishes, the team are hungry for more. Having crashed from the lead of Rally Poland earlier this month, the team are determined to recover the taste of champagne next week.

Knowing Finland’s fearsome forests and the championship’s formidable competition, another victory won’t come easy but the team are more motivated than ever.

NESTE RALLY FINLAND THE GRAVEL GRAND PRIX

Commonly known as the Gravel Grand Prix, Rally Finland is fast – seriously fast. Nine of the ten fastest rallies in WRC history have been contested on Finnish soil and the new-generation world rally cars are expected to eclipse them all next week.

But it’s not just the high-speed that makes Rally Finland so special. The route is notoriously technical with a mix of gravel roads and blind corners over crests which demand the upmost precision and confidence.

Pin-point accuracy is required by all members of the team: by the drivers as they expertly land each jump; by the co-drivers as they perfectly time the delivery of every Pacenote; and by the team as they fine-tune the set-up for optimum performance.

With a total distance of 314.20 competitive kilometres, the action starts on Thursday evening with the popular Harju street stage in the centre of Jyväskylä. On Friday, endurance is the name of the game with close to 16 hours of action through classic speed tests such as Jukojärvi, Urria, Laukaa and Lankamaa.

Saturday is the day that everyone will be waiting for as the crews tackle one of rallying’s most famous stages – Ouninpohja. Reversed from last year, the stage is run in its more traditional direction alongside nearby Päijälä and other Finland favourites.

A 33.84 kilometres sprint through four stages east of Lake Päijänne closes the action on Sunday and the stage is set for another epic battle.

MALCOLM WILSON TEAM PRINCIPAL

Having tackled the super-fast roads of Rally Finland as both a driver and a Team Principal, Malcolm Wilson knows what challenges lay in wait. The Cumbrian sampled the specialist Finnish roads for the first time in 1986 – securing a top-ten finish before returning to compete in both 1990 and 1993.

But it’s as a Team Principal where Wilson has excelled in Finland. In 1996, Jarmo Kytölehto and Arto Kapanen piloted their Malcolm Wilson Motorsport prepared Ford Escort RS Cosworth to a fine third place, and the results have only improved since then.

Teaming up with the Ford Motor Company from 1997 onwards, M-Sport cars have claimed 19 podiums and five wins on Finnish soil. The first victory came with Markko Märtin in 2003. Marcus Grönholm piloted the Focus to back-to-back victories in 2006 and 2007 and Mikko Hirvonen won on home soil in 2009 – as did Jari-Matti Latvala in 2010.

In 2017, Wilson is keen to see his team add to their impressive history at Rally Finland.

Team Principal, Malcolm Wilson OBE, said:
“It’s been a long time since the championship has been this close heading to Rally Finland and that sets the scene for a very interesting event.

“This is a rally that everyone looks forward to – teams, drivers and fans alike – and it’s easy to see why. The speeds and jumps are incredible and, with these new cars, I’m sure that this year’s offering will be something quite spectacular.

“We’ve had a lot of success at Rally Finland over the years, and the whole team has been working hard to ensure we can add to that this year.

“It’s a shame that our test was cut short, but both Ott and Sébastien came away happy having found a good feeling on these specialist roads. I believe that all of our drivers are capable of delivering some very positive results and we’re working to ensure that everyone is as prepared as they can be given the circumstances.

“I’m expecting a very close battle, but that’s what makes this sport so exciting. Needless to say, we’re all looking forward to the fight and hoping to come out on top.”

OGIER AND INGRASSIA THE CHAMPIONSHIP LEADERS

Currently leading the drivers’ standings by 11 points, Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia will be keen to extend their lead at next week’s Rally Finland.

Having claimed victory at the Finnish fixture in 2013, the Frenchmen know what it takes to win and will be determined to secure the best possible result through the famous forests.

Previous starts: 9
Best result: 1st (2013)

Sébastien Ogier said:
“Rally Finland is most definitely a highlight in the season. The Finns certainly know how to deliver a good rally, and these gravel roads are tailor-made for rallying.

“It’s fast – really fast – and the big jumps and high grip levels offer an incredible sense of speed that every driver looks forward to. At that pace, you’re fighting for tenths of a second and I’m expecting a very close battle.

“The weather looks as though it could be a little unsettled, so we’ll have to wait and see how that plays out, but we want to be in the fight at the top. That demands a near-perfect performance throughout the weekend with no mistakes and a set-up that delivers confidence in the driving.

“We had a two-day test this week and, although it was cut short and I’m sorry for my teammates who were unable to continue, the car felt fantastic. I’m really looking forward to the rally now – where we hope to secure a good result for our championship defence.”

TÄNAK AND JÄRVEOJA FOURTH IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP

Having missed out on victory in Poland, Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja have a score to settle. Keen to add another FIA World Rally Championship win to their ever-improving repertoire, the Estonians will be ones to watch in Finland.

Relishing the flat-out speed tests that Finland has to offer, the pairing are aiming for a podium finish and the top-step could well be within their reach.

Previous starts: 7
Best result: 5th (2015)

Ott Tänak said:
“Poland didn’t end the way we wanted it to, but we know that we have the pace and we’ll be looking to take that forward to Finland – another high-speed rally and another of my favourite events.

“I think every driver looks forward to Rally Finland. When you’re on it and hook up the perfect stage there really is no better feeling – and we’ll be hoping for plenty of that next week.

“The roads are really fast with blind corners after big jumps and a surprising amount of grip. You need to be brave and confident in yourself. If you don’t feel completely comfortable it’s almost impossible to push to the maximum and you’ll lose time – something that’s not easily gained at these speeds.

“We completed a two-day test in Finland this week – working to find the best set-up – and I’m confident that we’ll be able to fight at the head of the field again. I’m looking forward to it and I’m excited to see what we can do.”

EVANS AND BARRITT SIXTH IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP

Elfyn Evans and Daniel Barritt will be keen to make a return to the sharp end when the FIA World Rally Champion returns to next week’s Rally Finland

Having shown good speed through the Finnish forests, the Welshman will be hoping for a clean and quick run to deliver a strong result at one of the championship’s most famous events.

Previous starts: 6
Best result: 7th (2014)

Elfyn Evans said:
“Rally Finland is one of the most enjoyable events of the year and I think everyone is looking forward to this year’s encounter. With these new cars, the spectacle will be something very special and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do.

“We’re keen to get back to the sharp end and at the moment the weather looks as though it could be a little unsettled so we’ll have to wait and see how that works for us – hopefully the conditions won’t be as challenging as they were in Poland.

“The stages are so fast and you need to have precise Pacenotes and the confidence to drive to the maximum. The high speed combined with the technical nature of the stages is incredible and when you get into a good rhythm it’s a phenomenal feeling.

“It’s not all fun and games though as the margins for error are so fine. That said, we’ve shown some pretty good speed here in the past and, if everything works in our favour, anything is possible.”

ELSEWHERE IN THE TEAM SUNINEN AND MARKKULA

Following a sensational world rally car debut at Rally Poland, Teemu Suninen and Mikko Markkula will be back behind the wheel of the Ecoboost-powered Ford Fiesta WRC at next week’s Rally Finland.

It took the determined and talented young Finn just six competitive stages to secure his first stage victory – putting him in the company of greats such as Carlos Sainz and Sébastien Ogier.

Despite only contesting the Finnish fixture on three previous occasions, Suninen has always performed well on home soil.

Making his WRC debut at the event in 2014, he won the WRC 3 category and will be looking to make further progress as he moves his career forward another step next week.

Previous starts: 3
Best result: 10th (2016)

Teemu Suninen said:
"It’s always nice to start to my home rally, and it will be especially nice this year as we’re behind the wheel of a world rally car.

“We were brought up on these roads, which are incredibly fast, but many people forget that I actually don’t have a lot of experience at Rally Finland. I’ve driven the stages of Rally Poland quite a few times with a four-wheel drive car, but the Finnish stages not so much – and I’ve never driven Ouninpohja in this direction!

“Of course I’m excited to be competing on home soil, but the goals remain the same as they would on any other rally and we will need to drive well to secure the result we want.

“In Poland we aimed to be in the top six and finished sixth. Losing a position on the final stage felt like a small disappointment, but that does not change my approach for Rally Finland. We’ll need to be on the top of our game from the start if we want to achieve our goals, and that is certainly the aim.”

MEET THE TEAM PAUL GORMAN

Paul Gorman heads up M-Sport's Hydraulics Department and has been a familiar face in Malcolm Wilson’s company since 1996. Before heading to the team’s pre-event test, we caught up with him to get the low-down on Rally Finland and his role within the team.

How long have you been with M-Sport and what made you join the company?

I’ve been back at M-Sport five and a half years now, but I have also worked here in the past. I first started working for Malcolm back in 1996 and, to be honest, coming back was easy. I know the place, I like the work, I like the people, I like rallying and I like Fords.

What does your role in the Hydraulics Department involve?

Working in the Hydraulics Department at Dovenby Hall, I start every morning by checking the workload for the day and ensuring that everyone is doing the right job and that they have the correct parts and specification for their relevant tasks.

We work on all of the cars’ hydraulics systems which can be anything from the dampers to the gear change and brake components. We do all of this for the M-Sport cars as well as all of the customer cars that we have competing around the world. From day to day we can be working on anything from the 2017 Fiesta WRC to the old Focus’.

I also travel to all of the FIA World Rally Championship tests and events. On events I work on one of the car corners, but I also have a supporting role for all cars in the M-Sport service area. I set-up all of the dampers and ensure that they are all up to standard with the correct clicks and the correct springs.

What are clicks?

On the damper itself there are a number of adjusters that can be used to change the handling of the car – high speed and low speed bump (or the compression cycle on the damper) in the bottom adjuster, and rebound (or extension cycle) in the top adjuster.

When we talk about clicks, we’re talking about the units that these adjustments are measured in. A typical damper will have 30 positions of adjustment and we call the units ‘clicks’ because of the feel of the adjuster as it scrolls through the range of adjustments. It’s as simple as that.

How are our dampers designed to withstand the punishing jumps of Rally Finland?

The gravel damper has a lot more travel when compared to a standard road car and the valve inside is also stiffer over compressions. When you land a big jump, like the ones we’ll see in Finland, our dampers are designed to soak up the energy efficiently and effectively.

What are your hopes ahead of Rally Finland?

I hope to see our crews on the podium, and hopefully on the top-step!

MEET THE PARTNER LM GIANETTI

Founded in 1966, LM Gianetti has a long history with M-Sport and more than fifty years of motorsport expertise – supplying the best of the motorsport community with machined and fabricated components up to and including bodyshells and even replica historic cars.

Their skilled engineers follow projects from concept to prototype and base their company philosophy on reliability, accuracy and punctuality.

Having first joined the M-Sport team in 1998, LM Gianetti were a valued partner throughout the Focus era and came back onboard for the newest generation of World Rally Cars in 2017.

A moment to remember from LM Gianetti’s General Manager, Luisa Gianetti

Our best memory with M-Sport came in 2006 when they won the Manufacturers’ Championship for the first time. Our partnership with M-Sport is so strong and we feel like a part of the team. M-Sport’s victories are ours as well and we hope for more successes as the season continues.

THE CITROEN C3 WRCs TACKLE THE FINNISH GRAND PRIX!

Posted: July 22, 2017 4:43 AM

The WRC bandwagon heads north for a midsummer's adventure over the famous jumps of Rally Finland. Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT has entered three C3 WRCs in the land of a thousand lakes for Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle, Craig Breen/Scott Martin and Khalid Al Qassimi/Chris Patterson.

FROM THE JYVÄSKYLÄ GRAND PRIX TO RALLY FINLAND

Created in 1951, the ‘Jyväskylä Grand Prix’ quickly changed its name to the ‘1,000 Lakes Rally’ and acquired its international reputation. Part of the World Championship calendar since the WRC was first held in 1973, the rally has gained popular appeal thanks to its famous jumps, which provide some of the season's most spectacular images.

Rally Finland is held on gravel roads normally used by the inhabitants of the Jyväskylä region. Winding through the forests, the fast, wide tracks flow over the surrounding hills, making for what initially appear to be gently rising and falling roads. But when the World Rally Cars come racing past at full speed, they fly through the air over tens of metres! Hundreds of thousands of fans flock to the event, delighted to witness this fascinating sight.

In order to go fast in Finland, you have to know how to ‘read’ the jumps, judge the distance covered, the landing position and the approach to the next jump. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that this race was long the preserve of Finnish and Swedish drivers. Since Didier Auriol won in1992, only five other non-Nordic drivers have finished first in Jyväskylä: Sébastien Loeb, Carlos Sainz, Markko Martin, Sébastien Ogier and Kris Meeke.

The itinerary of the 2017 rally will be relatively similar the one used in previous years. Following a short stage on Thursday evening, the competitors will tackle a monster of a leg on Friday, contesting twelve stages in fifteen hours! Saturday's schedule is almost as packed, with eight stages including runs on the brand new Pihlajakoski stage and the iconic Ouninpohja. The race concludes on Sunday with a sprint-like final leg featuring four short speed tests, including the Power Stage.

THE CHALLENGES: MIX IT WITH LEADERS

For the ninth of the thirteen rounds in the World Championship, Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT has entered three cars for crews that also raced in Finland last season. Obviously, all eyes will be on Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle, who won here in 2016 in what was the fastest ever rally in the history of the WRC. Fast on all surfaces – with overall victory in Mexico and stage wins at several rallies – the no.7 C3 WRC crew will need to find the balance between speed and control if they are to mix it with the leaders. This will be Kris' tenth appearance in Finland, one of the rallies where he has the most experience.

The 2016 Rally Finland also saw Craig Breen and Scott Martin score their first WRC podium. The driver of the no.9 C3 WRC is therefore eager to compete at this event, which is one of his favourites. Fifth in Monte-Carlo, Sweden, Corsica and Portugal, Craig has established some solid foundations this season, which will help him to keep making progress among the elite of world rallying. Like Kris, Craig has plenty of experience at this rally, since this will be his eighth outing here.

The line-up of C3 WRCs nominated to score points will be completed by Khalid Al Qassimi and Chris Patterson. The Abu Dhabi will be taking part in his second rally this season. On one of his favourite surfaces, he will be looking to add to his experience as he attempts to match his best performance in Finland, obtained in 2009 when he finished in ninth place.

In order to prepare for this event and experience conditions close to those the crews will face on the stages, Citroën Racing is currently conducting five days of testing in the Jyväskylä region. Kris Meeke, Craig Breen and Khalid Al Qassimi are taking it in turns behind the wheel of the C3 WRC. After a short break, they will begin recce for the rally next Tuesday.

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s trio of Finns ready to fly at home

Posted: July 21, 2017 5:44 AM

The TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team is ready to take on the fastest event of the season, Rally Finland (July 27-30), with its trio of home-grown drivers: Jari-Matti Latvala, Juho Hänninen and Esapekka Lappi.

Rally Finland is famous for its fast gravel stages through forests, featuring large jumps and numerous crests. Many of these are located on corners, making the positioning of the car for the perfect take-off crucial to carrying speed through the bend. The stages are mostly wide with a smooth and compact gravel surface that contributes to the rapid pace.

Jyväskylä hosts the service park and the opening Thursday-night Harju street stage, which is run again at the end of a very long day on Friday that consists of 12 stages. There are another eight stages on Saturday, including two runs over the most famous test of all, Ouninpohja. Four more stages round out the action on Sunday, with the Oittila Power Stage set to begin at 13:18 local time.

As well as the drivers, Rally Finland is a home event for team principal Tommi Mäkinen, and one that he won four times during his career behind the wheel. Latvala has the opportunity to match that achievement, having already claimed victory in 2010, 2014 and 2015. Hänninen finished in the top six on his last two attempts in 2014 and 2015, while Esapekka Lappi has come eighth overall in the past two years while also dominating the WRC2 category. With the team based very close to Jyväskylä, the Yaris WRC has completed plenty of development running on local roads as well as specific pre-event testing.

Quotes:

Tommi Mäkinen (Team Principal)
“Finland is a very special home rally for us, and as long as the drivers are feeling confident, then I am feeling confident too. I think we are well prepared as we have quite a lot of experience of Finnish stages. On the other hand, our car has been constantly evolving so we are always discovering new things. What’s certain is that this rally is going to be an incredible experience for all of us and we’ll see lots of fans on the stages. We have a great line-up of drivers: Jari-Matti knows how to win here, Juho is very experienced and fast, while Esapekka is young and hungry. I think they will all be very strong.”

Jari-Matti Latvala (Driver car 10)
“Along with Monte-Carlo, Finland is the rally that everyone wants to win; especially if you are Finnish. There’s pressure to do well, but it’s a positive pressure. No doubt about my target: victory. I’m feeling confident, but I don't think there’s such a thing as a big home advantage for Finnish drivers anymore. Now that so many of the stages are used every year, the other drivers have got a lot of experience as well. I’m expecting a big fight.”

Juho Hänninen (Driver car 11)
“Finland is the rally I have done more than any other, so I’m feeling quite confident. I don't want to set any specific targets but I’m definitely going to push hard from the start and see how high we can finish. There’s no choice in Finland: the speeds are so fast that you don’t have time to build up to speed; you have to be awake from the first corner. The work we did on the test was mainly on the suspension and now it feels really good. I also had some rain at the start of my test but this is positive as it means that the roads should be really compact and in the right condition for the rally.”

Esapekka Lappi (Driver car 12)
“It’s going to be really exciting to take part in my home event for the first time with a World Rally Car. I think there’s a chance that if we have a perfect rally we could be on the podium, but everything would have to go without a hitch because the gaps in Finland are normally so small. Our car should be very well suited to the roads in Finland: I think the aerodynamics and engine are really our strong points. This rally is a big job for my co-driver Janne too as he’ll be calling out the pace notes at speeds that are much faster than we have ever experienced in Finland before.”

TOYOTA GAZOO RACING and Microsoft launch “EchoCam” for unprecedented WRC viewing experience

Posted: July 21, 2017 4:29 AM

Exploring new ways to bring rally fans closer to the World Rally Championship action, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing and its technology partner, Microsoft, are launching the “EchoCam” service at the 2017 Neste Rally Finland.

EchoCam is an entirely new service that connects fans’ photos of the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Yaris WRC and a video shot from the car’s point of view by using the cloud service: Microsoft Azure.

Each Yaris WRC will be equipped with a dedicated car’s point-of-view on-board camera to capture video footage of the fans alongside selected special stages as the rally cars pass by.

Furthermore along several rally stages, fans will have the opportunity to enter a dedicated “EchoCam Photo Booth”. *As the Yaris WRC cars pass by, they can take photographs with their smartphones and upload their favourite image to the EchoCam website.

In return the Yaris WRC will provide feedback as EchoCam generates a video clip –based on time codes– of the fan captured from the car’s point-of-view at the exact same moment of when the photograph was taken.

EchoCam is part of the collaboration between TOYOTA GAZOO Racing and Microsoft Co. Ltd. to innovate new rally watching experience by connecting audience and rally cars.

Going forward, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing will continue to use Microsoft’s technologies to develop Yaris WRC data analysis platforms and make use of systems to share information about the team’s activities.

*Location of EchoCam Photo Booth will be later posted on the EchoCam web site and TOYOTA GAZOO Racing SNS account.

High-speed thrills continue as Hyundai Motorsport targets first Finnish podium

Posted: July 21, 2017 4:12 AM

Hyundai Motorsport will aim to extend its run of podium results to seven consecutive events as the team searches for its first-ever top-three finish at Rally Finland, the ninth round of the 2017 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC).

In its four years of competition within the WRC, Hyundai Motorsport has claimed a podium at every other event on the calendar except for Rally Finland; a statistic the team is determined to change this weekend.

The team is certainly in good form, having secured its best ever team performance at the last round in Poland with a 1-2-4 for its drivers Thierry Neuville, Hayden Paddon and Dani Sordo. The result, the team’s third victory of the season, enabled Hyundai Motorsport to close the gap to M-Sport in the Manufacturers’ Championship to 22 points.

Sprint finish

Based out of the university town of Jyväskylä, Rally Finland’s blisteringly quick gravel roads will push the Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team crews to the limit as they attempt to negotiate the Finnish forestry in pursuit of victory.

Famed for its exciting action, big jumps and even bigger speeds, Finland has always served as one of the most spectacular events on the WRC calendar. Nine of the ten fastest WRC rallies have taken place here, with last year’s edition being the fastest rally in WRC history.

Despite the itinerary being almost identical to that of last year’s, the compilation and delivery of pace notes remains of paramount importance given the consistently high speeds achieved by the challengers, which makes Finland one of the most testing venues for co-drivers.

The team undertook four days of testing at the end of May plus one day in mid-July in preparation for Rally Finland, with all the crews all getting time behind the wheel. Neuville and co-driver Nicolas Gilsoul also participated in the Autoglym Rally, which took place last weekend.

Team Principal Michel Nandan commented: “Poland was a fantastic result for everybody within the team. However, we know that the hard work does not stop there. We must maintain our levels of effort and concentration if we want to stay in the Championship fight. Finland is always one of the most exciting rallies of the season and this year will be no different. With another win on the gravel in Poland, we know that our Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC is capable of competing at the very front no matter what the terrain. Finland is far from an easy rally; it’s high-speed nature means that even the smallest of mistakes is punished harshly. We have never taken a podium there, so that’s our first priority. At the same time, if we want to continued closing the gap to M-Sport in the Championship, we need to set ourselves higher targets across all three of our crews. A similar result to what we enjoyed in Poland would be perfect but we know well that there will be serious competition this weekend.”

Crew Notes: Paddon/Marshall (#4 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)

Paddon and his British co-driver Seb Marshall secured their first podium as a crew in Poland following an impressive performance. Second place was Paddon’s first podium since Poland 2016, so he will be hoping to build some momentum on the fast Finnish stages.

Paddon said: “Finland is definitely a rally that I enjoy, it’s very fast and it has got a lot of history. We know how tricky an event it can be, given the speeds that we reach and some of the difficult jumps and corners that come up during the event, but I’ve done it eight times now, so it’s good to have that experience. It’s a rally where I feel at home, so we want to put on a really good show for everyone watching. That Polish podium has given us a big confidence boost, and we can’t wait to get back out on the stages and look for a similar result.”

Crew Notes: Neuville/Gilsoul (#5 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)

With their victory in Poland last month, Belgians Neuville and Gilsoul became the first crew to claim three WRC wins in 2017. Having closed the gap on Drivers’ Championship leader Sébastien Ogier to just eleven points with five rounds left, they will hope to keep the pressure on at Rally Finland.

Neuville said: “We were delighted with both our own and the team’s performance in Poland. We hope that it can be a real catalyst for further success moving towards the end of the season. The car is looking very strong and with two wins on gravel already this season it has shown how competitive we can be. We are confident that we can continue to challenge for the Championship. We know that Finland can be a tricky event and that the margin of error is minimal due to the high speeds and complexities of the track, but we are confident of putting on a good show.”

Crew Notes: Sordo/Martí (#6 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)

Fourth place at Rally Poland for Sordo and co-driver Marc Martí ensured that Hyundai Motorsport secured its best overall team performance. Moving forward to Finland, the Spanish crew will be hoping to make the step up to the podium when they take to the fast gravel stages.

Sordo said: “Having come close to a podium in Poland, we are hopeful that in Finland we can claim a top-three finish. It has been a mixed season for us so far with some positive results and a few challenging moments. We have had a few issues in some events that have hindered our progress but we are as determined as ever. We want to continue the second half of the season on a positive note. Finland is a tough event, but we will do all we can to get the most out of the car and ourselves to score more points for the Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ Championship.”

Rally Finland at a glance

The last in a run of five consecutive gravel events, Rally Finland will consist of 25 stages run across 314.20km. Jyväskylä is the central hub of activity for most of the weekend with the Service Park based out of Paviljonki, both areas will be attracting huge numbers of visitors.

The action kicks off on Thursday evening with the Harju Super Special Stage through the streets Jyväskylä. Friday will then see the crews subjected to a marathon 16 hours at the wheel as they head west for classic stages such as Jukojärvi and Urria, before returning east to well-known locations like Laukaa and Lankamaa.

Saturday will see much of the same action as it did in 2016, but the majority of the tests will be driven in the opposite direction, with crews travelling south to Jämsä and of course the legendary Ouninpohja, which is very much Finland’s signature stage. Sunday’s itinerary is identical to that of last year’s edition, including the event’s closing Power Stage at Oittila.

Entry List

Posted: July 3, 2017 10:29 AM

Finland - 28-30 Jul 17 - ENTRY LIST

Citroen line up for Finland

Posted: July 3, 2017 5:29 AM

Kris Meeke, Craig Breen and Khalid Al Qassimi

Cave heads to Finland following BRC Belgium outing in Hyundai

Posted: June 28, 2017 7:34 AM

Following his participation in this weekend’s Ypres Rally, the fourth round of the Prestone MSA British Rally Championship, British rally driver Tom Cave is pleased to announce that he is to enter this year’s Rally Finland driving a New Generation Hyundai i20 R5. For Aberdovey-based Tom and his co-driver James Morgan from Hirwaun, this classic event in the FIA World Rally Championship calendar will represent their first WRC outing in the Hyundai.

A great start to the Belgian event on Friday evening for the Welsh pair saw them rise from fifth to third of the British Championship crews during the eight-stage opening leg. They also held a position of 10th in the overall event, an impressive performance with this their first-all asphalt rally in the Hyundai after two previous gravel outings on the Pirelli and Scottish Rallies.

With a number of competitors caught out by the unforgiving West Flanders roads, in contrast Tom and James had dialed themselves in perfectly and consequently increased their position by one in both categories on Saturday morning. Whilst holding a position of 2nd of the BRC runners and 9th overall, what was later found to be a fuel related issue meant that stage 11 was to be their last of the weekend.

Once again, the timesheets had shown that the combination of Cave, Morgan and the Hyundai are a front-running package. Following the event, Tom said:

“Of course, after such a promising start it’s disappointing not to get to the end of the rally - especially as we had a great chance of a podium result - if not winning. The car performed really well and I was pleased that I felt as much at home in it on tarmac as I do on gravel.

“We completed the first half of the rally with no issues whatsoever and it provided us with excellent experience of the car on asphalt. I therefore take a lot of positives away from the event.”

Due to other Hyundai crews suffering accidents in Belgium, it has meant that a car cannot now be made available for Tom to participate in this week’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. He and James will now focus their attentions on Rally Finland, which takes place from 27th to 30th July, when they are determined to deliver the result they deserve:

“It’s great to have been able to put together a package for our first WRC outing in the i20 R5 . The last time I competed in Rally Finland was in 2015 and on that occasion I won the DMACK Drive Trophy. It’s an event that I enjoy and it suits my driving style, so it’s great to have the opportunity to now do it a competitive R5 car.”

Tom’s 2017 British Rally Championship campaign is supported by: the Trefeddian Hotel, DMACK Tyres, Walero UK and Atech Racing. Further news regarding his 2017 Rally Finland outing will be announced soon.

Entries Received / Rally Guide / Website / Details

Posted: May 23, 2017 6:31 AM

Entries Received available on the competitors page:

Rally Finland