SOME-FINN SPECIAL

Rally Finland is the gateway to the second part of the World Rally Championship season, and a must-win event for any right-thinking WRC competitor

One-time Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher pithily summed up the outlook of a whole generation when he uttered a phrase that’s since become hedonistic canon: “i was walking along and this chair came flying past me. And another, and another, and I thought, ‘man, is this gonna be a good night…!’”

I’ll have that same feeling when I stand at the side of a road near Vesanka, north-west of Jyvaskyla, today (Thursday). The only difference? It’ll be cars, not chairs, flying past me. Welcome to Finland, the World Rally Championship’s very own speedweek. Since records began in 1973, the event formerly known as the 1000 Lakes Rally has clocked up 11 of the 12 fastest WRC rounds ever.

Monte Carlo is important, a win in Wales is great, and a Safari success once sold almost as much metal as a championship title itself. But nothing’s as great as victory in the WRC’S most northerly woods. This week is the one they all want. And, if service park chatter’s to be believed, they’re all going to have to stand in line behind the three Toyotas crafted just around the corner from rally headquarters. Tommi Makinen’s Yaris WRCS are racers born and bred on these roads. What’s more, he’s got two Finns – Jari-matti Latvala and last year’s winner Esapekka Lappi – and the fastest thing to come across the Baltic Sea: Ott Tanak.

The factory trio from Puuppola line up with tweaks to the centre differential and more torque than ever from an updated engine. And those failures from the slower, rougher rallies earlier this season? Forget them: Finland’s route is billiard-table smooth and as fast as you like.

Question is, which of the three will win? Tanak is best-placed in terms of the championship, but in reality they’re all out of the chase for this year’s crown and should be left to run their own rally.

It’s Latvala and Lappi who need the result the most. Latvala has struggled through the first half of the season and Makinen is concerned about Lappi’s tendency to “sleep on Fridays”. Their prospects of employment beyond the end of this season with Toyota Gazoo Racing would be very well served with a win. Incredibly, there seems a genuine chance that the Finns could be given the flick from this most Finnish of teams. But J-ML and Lappi aren’t the only ones chasing a big second half of the season. Far from it: Elfyn Evans and Andreas Mikkelsen need to find more consistent speed; Mads Ostberg must make use of redemption at Citroen; and Pontus Tidemand needs to boss the WRC2 all the way home for the next six rallies to become more than a blip on the WRC teams ’radars.

All the above will help shape the most open driver market in recent seasons. Only Tanak and Mikkelsen are tied down to their respective Toyota and Hyundai teams for next season.

Everybody else could be on the move. But… as has been the case for years, who goes where depends very much on the decision and direction of a Frenchman called Sebastien.

Ogier has the pick of his teams. All four are open to him, but the most likely options would appear to be staying where he is – where he’s comfortable and well-loved at M-sport – or going to Citroen. Citroen would be logical, given that they’re both French, but the five-time champ won’t have forgotten the words of PSA Group CEO Carlos Tavares at the top of the season. Paraphrasing the Portuguese:“we like Sebastien. But we don’t need him.”

Since binning Kris Meeke, it’s possible that Tavares may have changed his mind. When I asked Ogier about the chances of going back to Citroen, his reply sent a strong message to Versailles:

“It would have to be a very good offer…”

In the meantime, Ogier has got a championship fight to focus on. He starts this week 27 points behind Thierry Neuville. That’s the first time since 2012 that Ogier made the halfway point of a season anywhere but out front. Worse still for him, Neuville is riding the crest of a wave, having edged him in a final-stage thriller last time out in Sardinia.

Psychologically, however, the pair are paddling out to what’s likely to be the biggest breaker of the season – and it’s the one they both fell off last year. Twelve months ago Ogier crashed in testing and in the rally proper. He headed south with no reward from his trip to Finland. Neuville left tied on points with his rival having missed an absolute sitter. With the #1 Fiesta in the trees, Neuville simply couldn’t dial himself or his i20 Coupe WRC in, and his sixth place was the very definition of a missed opportunity. He then crashed in Germany a fortnight later and, two rallies further down the road, Ogier was champion again.

That won’t be happening this time. Neuville holds the aces, but now we’ll find out if he’s holding his nerve.

Crucially for Ogier, he doesn’t need to panic. If he comes away with maximum scores (30 points: 25 for the event win and five for the powerstage) on the next four rallies, he’ll be back out front regardless of what Neuville does.

It’s a big ask. And one that starts in Jyvaskyla today. Man, is this gonna be a good week…

“NEUVILLE HOLDS THE ACES, BUT NOW WE’LL FIND OUT IF HE’S HOLDING HIS NERVE”