After a two-month break the battle for the 2007 FIA World Rally Championship is about to resume and Finland, widely regarded as the sports spiritual home, is one of the most specialised events of the year.

It is based on blisteringly fast roller-coaster gravel speed tests and drivers who grew up on this type of road have an advantage over 'outsiders' who require several years' experience before they can hope to challenge for a win.

The wide, hard roads are as smooth as a billiard table and guarantee breathtaking speeds, with last year's rally won at an average of 122.06kph.

Technically it is an incredibly difficult event. Precision driving and bravery are more important here than anywhere else. The awesome stomach-churning jumps frequently hide bends just over the crest so accuracy and delivery of pace notes must be exact.


Special notes:

This weekend's Rally Finland is one of the classic events in the WRC schedule. It's a high-speed thrash along smooth, flowing gravel tracks through pine and spruce forests and past the thousands of lakes which are scattered through the area.

The rally is based in Jyvaskyla, a vibrant town which is the cultural and business hub of central Finland. During the 17th century, before the town was founded, the heavily-forested area was a hunting ground for people from southern Finland.

The only hunting going on next weekend will be for the optimum set-up to cope with the unique conditions thrown up by this highly specialised event. On some of the flat-out Finnish tracks, World Rally Cars hit 200kph, while the average speed for the event is about 120kph, making this the fastest event on the calendar. Although the special stages are wide by WRC standards, the presence of trees and large rocks means there is little room for error. It is essential to have a fast, consistent, stable car which can ride the flat-out crests and jumps at high speeds.

It is not all about which World Rally Car has the best top speed, however. The car needs to be agile, with precise handling, but also needs soft suspension and lots of wheel travel to get grip on the gravel roads. This equation is usually biased slightly towards accurate handling, because it is crucial that the driver has confidence in the behaviour of his machine. If he isn't sure how the car will land after a high-speed crest, he will not be able to push to the maximum.

This year's event will test the concentration of the crews, because a total of 46 per cent of the rally route is new. That will level the playing field, because the more seasoned drivers won't be able to rely purely on experience. Don't be surprised to see some of the younger drivers giving the established stars a fright with some competitive stage times. On the other hand, a home advantage always helps and this event has only been won by non-Nordic drivers on three occasions.