REVAMP FOR RALLY FINLAND AIMS TO SECURE SLOT ON 2021 WRC CALENDAR
Compact event set to run in October as restrictions in the country caused concerns
Rally Finland’s move to a three-day, sprint-style format gives organisers the best possible chance for the rescheduled WRC counter to take place as planned this autumn.
Moved from August to October in response to ongoing government restrictions in the country, the event is reliant on ticket sales to go ahead.
By containing the competitive action over two-and-a-half days, the operating costs are cut and the reduced attendance likely to result from running outside Finland’s traditional holiday period can therefore be swallowed.
Clerk of the course Kai Tarkiainen said: “The route has been completed in line with national and regional restrictions introduced in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and can be modified at short notice, should any changes be necessary.
“Running without fans isn’t something we can do so we are all hopeful the continued rollout of the vaccination programme and all the other steps being taken will ensure the rally goes ahead as planned and we remain confident this will be the case.”
Despite the condensed format, Tarkiainen is adamant that the world’s fastest rally won’t lose any of its spectacle with night stages part of the new itinerary.
“It has been designed to fit completely the new autumn date and the team behind it has worked very hard to meet all the needs [of] the stakeholders and the expectations of the fans. Although we’re running over three days rather than four, there will be as many stages and competitive kilometres as possible. Like every year, we have made several changes to the itinerary to keep things fresh.”
While the iconic Ouninpohja stage isn’t included, parts of the stage feature on the Karkaristo-Hassi test, which is due to run twice on October 2. And of the stages returning from 2019, only Harju Laukaa and Ruuhimaki are unchanged.