Neste Rally Finland: Rally Overview
Getting high for the day
Flat-out thrills
Finland’s official tourism website lists the country's main attractions as birdwatching, fishing, cycling and golf. Seems they’re missing the point somehow, as the World Rally Championship’s list of winners and champions reads like a Finnish telephone directory. Rally Finland itself is one of the most popular events on the calendar. It’s a fast gravel affair, with high-speed runs along tree-lined tracks, peppered with fast, flying yumps that demand absolute, balls-out commitment. No wonder it’s a firm favourite for teams, drivers, media and fans alike.
Up at the lakes
Formerly known as the 1000 Lakes, Rally Finland is one of the longest-standing rallies in the world. Its winners’ list reads like a Who’s Who of rallying’s greatest (and bravest) Scandinavian legends – Timo Makinen, Hannu Mikola, Stig Blomqvist, Markku Alen, Ari Vatenen, Juha Kankunnen, Carlos Sainz, Tommi Makinen and Marcus Gronholm have all celebrated multiple wins. The event is also home to one of the world’s most challenging and scariest stages – the 33.64km Ouninpohja – which the drivers both love and fear in equal measure.
24-hour party people
As ever, Rally Finland is based in the bustling student town of Jyvaskyla, located in the lake district area of central Finland. The town, which isn’t the most cultured in the world at the best of times, turns into a real party mecca for the weekend. It all makes for an incredibly friendly atmosphere that really hots up when the rally is over on the Sunday. If you’re not so nightlife-inclined, however, the area and villages around the city are picturesque and calm, with plenty of stunning scenery and woodland areas for you to explore.
Jump around
Rally Finland is all things to all drivers. To win, you need a savvy combination of tactical nous, smooth and efficient technique and flat-out commitment to cope with the high speeds, fast kinks and mammoth jumps that litter the smooth, loose-surface stages. Over the years, the event has been dominated by the Scandinavians, used to driving on roads like these since they were knee-high to a grasshopper. That local experience counts. As previous winner Carlos Sainz and last year’s victor Markko Martin have proved, however, it's anyones rally.
The info of Rally Finland is from WRC.com
News from Petter Solberg:
Rally Finland summary
09-08-2004 - 10:22
Subaru's Petter Solberg and Phil Mills re-started on Rally Finland’s third and final day after their retirements earlier in the event. Although ineligible to score Championship points, they used the opportunity to demonstrate the winning pace of the Impreza WRC2004, increase their experience of the specialist gravel stages and carry out some useful test work. Petter was fastest through three of the day's four stages while Mikko Hirvonen was quickest on one.
-There's not really much more to say about this event. I've enjoyed my driving today. Physically, I feel so much better, it's just too bad it didn't happen a little earlier, says Petter Solberg.
David Lapworth, Subaru World Rally Team Principal:
I think what we've proved over the last two days is that our optimism before the rally was well-founded. Petter paid a heavy price for his small mistake on Friday and I can't help but feel that, if he hadn't been ill, it would have been a completely different story. Similarly Mikko has shown the pace that we were hoping for, although his weekend was ruined too by one small mistake. It's always disappointing for the team not to achieve the result we were looking for, but at least we go to the following events full of confidence and even more motivated to win.
41 of the original 68 competitors left Jyvaskyla parc ferme at 0700hrs this morning. Five of those were restarting under the FIA re-entry system
The third and final Leg comprised 95.26 competitive kilometres and four stages (a loop of two repeated). Stages were run to the west of the host town of Jyvaskyla
Following overnight rain, conditions were dry and warm with temperatures peaking at 29°C. Stages were smooth gravel
Next Event
Round ten of the sixteen-round 2004 FIA World Rally Championship starts in two weeks time, when teams travel to Germany for the WRC Rally Deutschland. An all-asphalt event, the Rally includes a variety of stages including narrow, twisty vineyard roads in the Mosel Valley, rough, bumpy tarmac roads in the Baumholder military training area and smooth, fast roads in Saarland. Starting from the city of Trier on Friday 20 August, the event includes 24 stages. The winning car is expected to cross the finish ramp at 1530hrs on Sunday 22 August.
Final positions Rally Finland
1. M Grönholm/T Rautiainen, FIN Peugeot 307, 3hr 07min 16.1sec
2. M Märtin/M Park, EE , Ford Focus RS, 3hr 07min 50.8sec
3. C Sainz/M Marti, E, Citroen Xsara, 3hr 09min 00.6sec
4. S Loeb/D Elena, F, Citroen Xsara, 3hr 09min 39.4sec
5. J Tuohino/J Aho, FIN, Ford Focus RS, 3hr 09min 52.8sec
6. J Paasonen/J Vainikka, FIN, Skoda Fabia, 3hr 11min 52.3sec
7. F Duval/S Prévot, B, Ford Focus RS, 3hr 13min 07.1sec
8. T Gardemeister/P Lukander, FIN, Skoda Fabia,3hr 13min 19.3sec
9. D Carlsson/M Andersson, S, Peugeot 206, 3hr 15min 57.2sec
10 H Solberg/C Menkerud, N, Peugeot 206, 3hr 14min 20.7sec
FIA World Rally Championship (after round 9 of 16)
Drivers
1. S Loeb 66pts
2. P Solberg 44pts
3. M Märtin 42pts
4. M Grönholm 42pts
5. C Sainz 40pts
6. F Duval 31pts
Manufacturers
1. Citroen 109pts
2. Ford 83pts
3. Subaru 64pts
4. Peugeot 61pts
5. Mitsubishi 17pts