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.
