Ouninpohja to return to Rally Finland in 2012 - and could provide a sting in the tail
Organisers of Rally Finland have confirmed that the Ouninpohja stage will make a return to the WRC on this seasons event.
The legendary stage will run to its full 33km length for the first time since 2004, with the stage having been split in recent times.
Crews will tackle Ouninpohja twice on the final day, with the second run doubling as the Power Stage.
“We wanted to run the long version of Ouninpohja, because that stage lost a lot of its character, when split in two.,” clerk of the course Kai Tarkiainen said. “Ouninpohja always gets big crowds of spectators and there´s a lot going on.
“Through the years it has almost become the epitome of Finland´s WRC round. To many people Ouninpohja equals to Neste Oil Rally Finland.
“I believe the result will only be settled in Ouninpohja, which will be tackled twice in succession at the end. The second running, after refueling, will also be a Power Stage with live TV-coverage. It awards bonus points for the three fastest drivers on a scale of 3-2-1.”
Rally Finland, the eighth round of the season, will run from 2-4 August – meaning a Thursday start and Saturday finish. In total, 18 stages will see cars tackle just over 300km of competitive action with the event once again being based in Jyväskylä.
