The Loudon-clear guide to… Neste Rally Finland
The Loudon-clear guide to… Neste Rally Finland
Six rallies, six different winners. Will we have a seventh this week? Can Jari-Matti Latvala score his first Rally Finland hat-trick? Can World Rally Champion Sébastien Ogier win for the first time since February? What will Ouninpohja be like in that direction? Jost Capito’s rarely wrong – he says Kris Meeke’s going to win. What do you think?
Tell you what… tell you Sunday.
I love Finland. Everybody loves Finland at this time of the year. For us, this time of the year is Finland; the time of the year when everybody talks about a rally and 1000 lakes.
There really are so many questions to be answered this week. There’s all of the above for starters and that’s before we even get to an intriguing WRC2 battle, where the stars of tomorrow lock horns or the Drive DMACK Fiesta Trophy, where the stars of the day after tomorrow do just the same.
I’ve done this great event twice, the first time with John MacCrone in a Ford Fiesta R2 in 2012 and the year after in a Fiesta R5 with Robert Barrable. I had a good run and made the finish both times, but one thing you don’t forget from Finland is the sheer speed of the place. Honestly, even in the R2 car, you still have to push the reset button in your brain a little bit; you have to remind yourself that cars can fly.
While I won’t be in Finland calling notes to anybody – seats in the world championship are few and far between at the moment – I will be doing the second best job. Actually, make that the third, driving’s probably the second best job, but the third is joining WRC Live as a stage-end reporter.
Don’t forget to tune in for some Scottish chatter and the odd bit of Teacake talk.
The rally ahead…
FIA World Rally Championship round 8/14
WRC – WRC2 – WRC3 – Junior WRC - DDFT
Date: Thursday July 28 – Sunday July 31
Based: Jyväskylä
Service: Jyväskylä Paviljonki
Stages: 24
Competitive distance: 333.99km (207.54 miles)
Liaison distance: 1036.67km (644.18 miles)
Total distance: 1370.66km (851.72 miles)
Longest stage: Ouninpohja SS13/17 33.0km (20.50 miles)
Shortest stage: Harju (SS1/12) 2.27km (1.41 miles)
Currency: Euro
Time difference: GMT +3
Language: Finnish
Finnish population: 5.48m
Capital: Helsinki
Sunrise: 0430
Sunset: 2210
Shakedown:
The 4.30km (2.67 miles) shakedown stage is located at Ruuhimäki, 30.30km (18.82 miles) from the service park. The stage runs from 0800-1330.
Itinerary
Thursday July 28
Start Jyväskylä Paviljonki 1842
SS1 Harju 1 2.27km (1.41 miles) 1900
Friday July 29
SS2 Mökkiperä 1 13.84km (8.60 miles) 0713
SS3 Halinen 6.75km (4.19 miles) 0746
SS4 Jukojärvi 1 21.25km (13.20 miles) 0902
SS5 Surkee 1 14.95km (9.28 miles) 1039
SS6 Horkka 1 15.10km (9.38 miles) 1132
Service Jyväskylä Paviljonki 1234
SS7 Äänekoski-Valtra 7.40km (4.59 miles) 1410
SS8 Mökkiperä 2 13.84km (8.60 miles) 1508
SS9 Jukojärvi 2 21.25km (13.20 miles) 1638
SS10 Surkee 2 14.95km (9.28 miles) 1815
SS11 Horkka 2 15.10km (9.38 miles) 1908
SS12 Harju 2 2.27km (1.41 miles) 2030
Service Jyväskylä Paviljonki 2050
Saturday July 30
SS13 Ouninpohja 1 33.0km (20.50 miles) 0808
SS14 Päijälä 1 23.50km (14.60 miles) 0911
SS15 Pihlajakoski 1 14.51km (9.01 miles) 1034
SS16 Saalahti 1 4.40km (2.73 miles) 1152
Service Jyväskylä Paviljonki 1242
SS17 Ouninpohja 2 33.0km (20.50 miles) 1448
SS18 Päijälä 2 23.50km (14.60 miles) 1551
SS19 Pihlajakoski 2 14.51km (9.01 miles) 1714
SS20 Saalahti 2 4.40km (2.73 miles) 1832
Service Jyväskylä Paviljonki 1922
Sunday July 31
SS21 Lempää 1 6.90km (4.28 miles) 0828
SS22 Oittila 1 10.20km (6.33 miles) 0921
SS23 Lempää 2 6.90km (4.28 miles) 1115
SS24 Oittila 2 10.20km (6.33 miles) 1308
Finish Jyväskylä Paviljonki 1413
Last year…
Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila clinched their first Rally Finland double (third win including their 2010 success) to set up a potential hat-trick this week. Latvala’s victory 12 months ago was one of his best drives ever – when the rain came on the second day, it was him not team-mate Sebastien Ogier who took the time. On this occasion, the Frenchman had no answer to Latvala’s speed through his home forests. After a miserable start to the season, Jari-Matti’s win even tempted him into a Sunday night pint. Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle were the non-VW heroes of the event, running third in their DS 3 until they were caught out by a horribly wet corner in Jukojarvi. The gentlest of nudges damaged their suspension and allowed team-mate Mads Østberg through to the final podium step.
Result: 1 Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Antilla (Volkswagen Polo R WRC) 2h33m03.8s; 2 Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (Volkswagen Polo R WRC) +13.7s; 3 Mads Østberg/Jonas Andersson (DS 3 WRC) +1:36.8s.
Top 10 running order
1 Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (Volkswagen Polo R WRC)
9 Andreas Mikkelsen/Anders Jaeger (Volkswagen Polo R WRC)
4 Hayden Paddon/John Kennard (Hyundai i20 WRC)
2 Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (Volkswagen Polo R WRC)
5 Mads Østberg/Ola Fløene (Ford Fiesta RS WRC)
3 Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul (Hyundai i20 WRC)
12 Ott Tanak/Raigo Molder (Ford Fiesta RS WRC)
7 Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle (DS 3 WRC)
6 Eric Camilli/Benjamin Veillas (Ford Fiesta RS WRC)
16 Henning Solberg/Ilka Minor (Ford Fiesta RS WRC)
Leading WRC2 runners:
31 Elfyn Evans/Craig Parry (Ford Fiesta R5)
32 Teemu Suninen/Mikko Markkula (Škoda Fabia R5)
33 Pontus Tidemand/Jonas Andersson (Škoda Fabia R5)
34 Marius Aasen/Veronica Engan (Ford Fiesta R5)
35 Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm (Škoda Fabia R5)
36 Quentin Gilbert/Renaud Jamoul (DS 3 R5)
38 Yoann Bonato/Denis Giraudet (DS 3 R5)
39 Karl Kruuda/Martin Jarveoja (Ford Fiesta R5)
40 Quentin Giordano/Thierry Salva (Peugeot 208T16)
41 Scott Pedder/Dale Moscatt (Škoda Fabia R5)
Leading WRC3 runners:
61 Fabio Andolfi/Manuel Fenoli (Peugeot 208R2)
62 Damiano de Tommaso/Paolo Rocca (Peugeot 208R2)
63 Ole Christian Veiby/Stig Rune Skjærmoen (DS 3 R3T)
64 Martin Koci/Lukas Kostka (DS 3 R3T)
65 Simone Tempestini/Giovanni Bernacchini (DS 3 R3T)
66 Vincent Dubert/Alexandre Coria (DS 3 R3T)
67 Terry Folb/Franck Lefloch (DS R3T)
68 Michael Burri/Anderson Levratti (Renault Clio RSR3T)
69 Juuso Nordgren/Mikael Korhonen (DS 3 R3T)
70 Romain Martel/Vanessa Lemoine (DS 3 R3T)
Leading Junior DDFT runners:
101 Bernardo Sousa/Hugo Magalhães (Ford Fiesta R2T)
102 Max Vatanen/Maxime Vilmot (Ford Fiesta R2T)
103 Osian Pryce/Dale Furniss (Ford Fiesta R2T)
104 Gus Greensmith/Alex Gelsomino (Ford Fiesta R2T)
106 Jon Armstrong/Noel O’Sullivan (Ford Fiesta R2T)
Stuart Loudon’s key stage:
SS14/18 Päijälä 1 23.50km (14.60 miles)
It goes without saying, we’ll all be watching Ouninpohja – especially running in the opposite direction – but there’s a feeling this new stage could be an interesting one as well. Päijälä has been used in competition and testing a long time ago, but it’s a new set of notes for everybody this week. From what I’ve seen, Päijälä is fairly standard Finnish fare: fast and in full-flight, but coming to the start of this one off the back of Ouninpohja (there’s just a handful of road miles between them) will be interesting. When you’ve emerged from a legend like Ouninpohja, it’s not unknown for a driver to drop tempo or concentration. Let’s see…
Stuart will be watching… Kevin Abbring (and Seb Marshall) Hyundai i20 WRC #20
A couple of weeks ago, these boys had a weekend off. Now they’re off the bench and in for Dani Sordo on the fastest and most exhilarating rally of them all. It’s been a while since Kevin was out in these woods (2009) and Hyundai’s i20 will be a wee bit quicker than the Renault Clio he used last time. As for Seb, this will be his fifth start in Finland and, no disrespect to Molly [Taylor] or Harry [Hunt], but this will be the fastest he’s ever been between the trees. Can’t wait to see the boys fly. #airmiles #milesintheair
Weather with you:
Starts warm, gets cooler. Starts dry, gets wetter. Temperatures between 17-24 degrees. Levels of rain between drizzle and flat-out pouring down.
The media week:
Wednesday July 27
0700-2100 accreditation open (Rally HQ, Jyväskylä Paviljonki)
0900-2200 media centre open (Rally HQ, Jyväskylä Paviljonki)
Thursday July 28
0700-2230 accreditation open
0700-2430 media centre open
1130-1200 M-Sport meet the team, service park
1200 meet the crews (top three from shakedown), service park
1300 FIA pre-event press conference, media centre
1400-1445 Hyundai media lounge, service park
Friday July 29
0600-2400 media centre open
2115 (approx) meet the top-three crews, service park
Saturday July 30
0630-2400 media centre open
1930 (approx) meet the top-three crews, service park
Sunday July 31
0700-2200 media centre open
1500 podium finish, service park
1545 post-event FIA press conference, media centre
Stuart’s restaurant recommendation:
Two choices: Figaro (info@figaro-restaurant.com +358 20 766 9810) or Sokos Hotel Alexandra (over the railway line from service). Figaro is gorgeous Italian food, but it’s pretty pricey and you’ll need to book. The Sokos is a great fish, chips and pint of London Pride option which is slightly cheaper. Or should that be slightly less expensive…
Recent winners:
2006: Marcus Grönholm/Timo Rautiainen (Ford Focus RS WRC 06)
2007: Marcus Grönholm/Timo Rautiainen (Ford Focus RS WRC 07)
2008: Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena (Citröen C4 WRC)
2009: Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen (Ford Focus RS WRC 09)
2010: Jari-Matti Latvala/Miika Anttila (Ford Focus RS WRC 09)
2011: Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena (DS3 WRC)
2012: Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena (DS3 WRC)
2013: Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (Volkswagen Polo R WRC)
2014: Jari-Matti Latvala/Miika Anttila (Volkswagen Polo R WRC)
2015: Jari-Matti Latvala/Miika Anttila (Volkswagen Polo R WRC)
Most successful driver on Finland’s round of the WRC:
Marcus Grönholm (7 wins)
World Rally Championship stat centre:
Rounds run: 7
Rallye Monte-Carlo (January 21-24), winners: Ogier/ Ingrassia; Rally Sweden (February 4-7), winners: Ogier/Ingrassia; Rally Mexico (March 3-6), winners: Latvala/Anttila; Rally Argentina (April 21-24), winners: Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle (DS3 WRC); Rally of Portugal (May 19-22), winners: Paddon/Kennard; Rally Italy (June 9-12), winners: Neuville/Gilsoul; Rally Poland (June 30-July 03), Andreas Mikkelsen/Anders Jaeger.
Stages completed: 126
Cancelled stages: 9
Accumulated winning time: 24h08m31.6s
Accumulated competitive distance: 2364.58 (1471.82 miles)
Accumulated liaison distance: 6785.75 (4219.16 miles)
Accumulated total distance: 9514.33 (5912.19 miles)
Longest stage of the season so far: Guanajuato (Rally Mexico) 80.00km (49.71 miles)
Shortest stage of the season so far: Street Stage Guanajuato (Rally Mexico) 1.09km (0.67 miles)
Most WRC fastest stage times in 2016
1 Ogier 34
2 Latvala 26
3 Neuville 16
Most WRC stages led in 2016
1 Ogier 31
= Latvala 31
3 Meeke 22
Most WRC2 fastest stage times in 2016
1 Suninen 29
2 Evans 24
3 Tidemand 16
Most WRC2 stages led in 2016
1 Suninen 38
2 Tidemand 24
3 Evans 22
Most WRC3 fastest stage times in 2016
1 Fabre 41
2 Andolfi 23
3 Tempestini 22
Most WRC3 stages led in 2016
1 Fabre 41
2 Tempestini 27
3 Andolfi 20
Eight drivers have led WRC rounds; 12 have led WRC2 and seven have led WRC3.
WRC standings
1 Ogier 143pts
2 Mikkelsen 92pts
3 Paddon 72pts
WRC2 standings
1 Evans 80pts
2 Suninen 75pts
3 Fuchs 59pts
WRC3 standings
1 Fabre 79pts
2 Andolfi 52pts
3 Tempestini 50pts
Neste Rally Finland media contact:
Terhi Heloaho
terhi.heloaho@autourheilu.fi
+358 40 682 2662
Stuart Loudon media contact:
Sandra Evans
+ 44 7887 693993
Stuart Loudon is a semi-professional co-driver who has started 84 rallies, 18 of which are rounds of the World Rally Championship and one of which was with an Ashes-winning English cricketer. He makes biscuits in the family business when he’s not working towards his dream of becoming a factory co-driver in the WRC.
Pictures courtesy of Red Bull Media House/Volkswagen Motorsport
Stuart Loudon and Words PR work their socks off to make sure every last dot and detail of the document is 100 per cent accurate – but we can’t be responsible for any changes to the itinerary or stage distances.
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