日: 2024年7月26日

The FIA World Rally Championship’s summer of speed concludes with the fastest event of them all from August 1-4 when Secto Rally Finland hosts round nine of the 2024 season.

A mainstay of the WRC since its formation in 1973, Rally Finland stands as one of the championship’s most iconic events, its fast-paced gravel stages generously coated with jumps and crests that create an exciting challenge for the drivers and a stunning spectacle for the fans. 

Rally Finland’s 73rd edition features two notable firsts, namely the introduction of the Virtual Chicane regulation and a Rally1 debut for Sami Pajari.

The 22-year-old from Finland follows Mārtiṇš Sesks as the latest young talent to be handed the opportunity to showcase his skills at the WRC’s top level following the Latvian’s stunning performance at Tet Rally Latvia last week. Co-driven by Enni Mälkönen, Pajari will compete in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 for his step up from the Rally2-based FIA WRC2 category.

Along with FIA world champions past (Sébastien Ogier and Ott Tänak) and present (Kalle Rovanperä), Pajari is one of 10 drivers out of the 80-strong entry to be equipped with a headlining Rally1 Hybrid car.

Virtual chicane set for FIA WRC debut in Finland

Rally Finland will also be notable as the first WRC event to include a Virtual Chicane on its competitive route. Successfully trialled on the FIA European Rally Championship-counting Rally di Roma Capitale last season and tested by some of the crews at the Rally Latvia Shakedown, the Virtual Chicane regulation has been developed by the FIA Safety Department in full consultation with organisers and event officials. 

To avoid the additional accident risk and potential damage that comes from the construction of a temporary chicane, including the potential risk to marshals in maintenance, organisers are still able to reduce speeds in a certain section of a stage by creating a 200-metre zone where crews must lower their speed to 60kph before accelerating away. 

The point at which crews must reduce their speed is highlighted in the event road book, while their speed is monitored by the GPS tracking system managed by official timing and tracking provider SAS. 

A green light on the in-car display panel indicates when a crew can accelerate to normal speed. The double-use Ouninpohja stage on Saturday’s second leg will feature the FIA WRC’s first Virtual Chicane.

Secto Rally Finland takes place with the top three in the provisional standings, Thierry Neuville, Ott Tänak and Elfyn Evans, covered by a mere 13 points. Hyundai, meanwhile, is one point ahead of Toyota in the current Manufacturers’ championship table. While it has yet to claim a victory so far in 2024, M-Sport Ford has celebrated three podium finishes. 

The FIA WRC’s official tyre supplier Pirelli will equip all Rally1 cars competing on Rally Finland with its hard or soft compound Scorpion KX tyres. Warm and dry weather will require the use of the option hard compound tyre with the soft version designated the first-choice tyre and designed for use in cool and damp conditions. Teams running Rally1 cars can use a maximum of 28 tyres for the event including four for the Ruuhimäki Shakedown stage on the morning of Thursday 1 August.

SECTO RALLY FINLAND ROUTE IN SHORT

Described by Clerk of the Course Kai Tarkiainen as “one of the best ever”, the Secto Rally Finland route for 2024 consists of 20 special stages covering a competitive distance of 305.69 kilometres. Sixty-one per cent of the route has been altered in comparison to the 2023 edition, while 12 per cent of the timed distance has not been used since 1997.

Starting and finishing in Jyväskylä Harbour, situated within easy reach of the Paviljonki service park and the host city’s central area, the competitive action begins with the mixed-surface Harju stage on Thursday evening. 

Leg one features nine stages covering 116.33 competitive kilometres, including the Saarikas run, which has never been used in the WRC before, and a return to Harju to round out a tough first day. 

Two loops of three stages in the Jämsä region make up Saturday’s route with the legendary Ouninpoha stage, covering 32.98 fast-paced kilometres, one of the expected highlights. 

Twin visits to Sahloinen-Moksi and Laajavuori form the Super Sunday route with the repeat of Laajavuori forming the event-deciding Wolf Power Stage from 13:15.

SECTO RALLY FINLAND DATA

Stage distance: 305.69 km

Total distance: 1372.56 km

Number of stages: 20

RALLY1 CONTENDERS

Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team

Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak, currently first and second respectively in the provisional standings, head the Hyundai challenge. Finnish driver Esapekka Lappi pilots a third Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid for the Germany-based squad.

M-Sport Ford World Rally Team

The British outfit counts on emerging talents Adrien Fourmaux and Grégoire Munster to drive its pair of Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrids.

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

No fewer than five Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrids are entered for Rally Finland. Defending world champion Kalle Rovanperä, the winner of the last two events in Poland and Latvia, is joined by eight-time WRC title winner Sébastien Ogier, Elfyn Evans, the winner in Finland last season, Jyväskylä-based Takamoto Katsuta and Finn Sami Pajari. The 22-year-old is making his Rally1 debut on his home event following his graduation from FIA WRC2.

SUPPORTING CATEGORIES

A bulging line-up of 31 crews are set to start Secto Rally Finland in contention for FIA WRC2 points. Toksport WRT’s Oliver Solberg (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2), the category winner in Latvia, heads the list with several Finnish and Baltic-based drivers set to provide the Swede’s main opposition. 

They include Finns Teemu Asunmaa (Škoda Fabia RS), Mikko Heikkilä (Toyota GR Yaris), Lauri Joona (Škoda Fabia RS), Roope Korhonen (Toyota GR Yaris), Emil Lindholm (Hyundai i20 N), Teemu Suninen (Hyundai i20 N) and Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT team principal Jari-Matti Latvala, who is competing in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2. 

Estonians Georg Linnamäe (Toyota GR Yaris) and Robert Virves (Škoda Fabia RS) finished first and second on their home round of the FIA ERC earlier this month and will also be in contention for FIA WRC2 success in Finland.

William Creighton (Ford Fiesta Mk II), the 2023 FIA Junior WRC champion, and his Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy team-mate, Josh McErlean (Toksport WRT 2 Škoda Fabia RS), are also among the leading seeds along with Gus Greensmith (Toksport WRT Škoda Fabia RS), the FIA WRC2 winner on Safari Rally Kenya.

Rally Finland marks the resumption of the FIA Junior WRC Championship season with organisers attracting a 17-car entry of Pirelli-equipped Ford Fiesta Rally3s run by M-Sport Poland. It includes RACB National Team’s Tom Rensonnet, Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy-supported Eamonn Kelly, Leevi Lassilla, the winner of the AKK Flying Finn Future Rally Star prize drive, plus last season’s FIA Junior ERC champion Norbert Maior.

The four FIA Rally Star drivers, Jose ‘Abito’ Caparó, Taylor Gill, Romet Jürgenson and Max Smart, are also in action. Jürgenson, from Estonia, tops the provisional standings after three rounds.

Mattéo Chatillon (Renault Clio Rally3) and Tristan Charpentier (Ford Fiesta Rally3) head the FIA WRC3 entry, while Mauro Miele is the leading WRC Masters’ Cup seed.

MEDIA INFORMATION

Media accreditation

Media accreditation for Secto Rally Finland must be collected in person by accredited pass holders from the Accreditation Desk located as follows: Sokos Hotel Alexandra, Hannikaisenkatu 35, 40100 Jyväskylä, Finland

Media accreditation opening hours

Tuesday 30 July: 14:00 – 20:00

Wednesday 31 July: 09:00 – 22:00

Thursday 1 August: 08:00 – 20:00

Friday 2 August: 07:00 – 13:00

Media Centre location and opening hours

The Media Centre is located as follows: Jyväskylä Paviljonki, Messukatu 10, 40100 Jyväskylä, Finland and open as follows:

Tuesday 30 July: 14:00 – 18:00

Wednesday 31 July: 09:00 – 22:00

Thursday 1 August: 08:00 – 24:00

Friday 2 August: 07:00 – 24:00

Saturday 3 August: 07:00 – 23:00

Sunday 4 August: 07:00 – 22:00

Media activities and opportunities

(All times local, approximate and subject to change)

Media zones

Media Zones attended by all drivers and selected team representatives will operate as follows: 

TC 1A, TC 5A, TC 10A, TC 13A, TC 16A and at the holding area after TC 20B

FIA WRC Meet the Crews live interviews, Paviljonki Service Park, Thursday 1 August

14:15 – FIA WRC Team Principals and Key Personnel

Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT, Cyril Abiteboul (FRA)

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT, Jari-Matti Latvala (FIN) and Kaj Lindström

M-Sport Ford WRT, Richard Millener (GBR)

FIA Junior WRC, Maciej Woda (POL)

14:25 – FIA WRC Championship

Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT, Esapekka Lappi (FIN), Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT, Kalle Rovanperä (FIN) and Sami Pajari (FIN), Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid

M-Sport Ford WRT, Grégoire Munster (LUX), Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid

Michèle Mouton (FRA), FIA Safety Delegate

14:35 – FIA WRC Support Championships

FIA WRC2 – Emil Lindholm (FIN), Hyundai i20 N Rally2

FIA WRC2/FIA WRC2 Challenger – Teemu Asunmaa (FIN), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2

FIA WRC3/Junior WRC – FIA Rally Star – Taylor Gill (AUS) and Leevi Lassila (FIN), Ford Fiesta Rally3

FIA Post-event Press Conference, Final podium in Jyväskylä Harbour, Sunday 4 August, 15:00

Top 3 drivers in overall classification, winning co-driver & rep. of the winning manufacturer

Winning FIA WRC2, WRC2 Challenger, WRC Masters Cup, WRC3 and Junior WRC drivers

FIA WRC Meet the Crews live interviews and FIA Post-event Press Conference broadcast on FIA and WRC social media channels.

SECTO RALLY FINLAND MANUFACTURER ENTRIES

FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP 2024 CLASSIFICATION

The provisional classifications following round eight of the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship are available here: https://www.fia.com/events/world-rally-championship/season-2024/standings

SECTO RALLY FINLAND 2023 RESULTS

RALLY FINAND RECENT WINNERS*

*Rally Finland 2020 was cancelled due to Covid-19

World Rally Championship

WRCWRCSEASON 2024SportRallies1SportWorld Rally ChampionshipRalliesWRCSEASON 2024WRC00Friday, July 26, 2024 – 11:22amFriday, July 26, 2024 – 11:22am

Saudi Arabia’s Yazeed Al-Rajhi and his German co-driver Timo Gottschalk and the Portuguese pairing of João Ferreira and Filipe Palmeiro lead a quality-packed 110-vehicle entry into this weekend’s Baja Spain Aragón, round three of the 2024 FIA World Baja Cup. 

The entry list includes 27 cars in the Ultimate category, a staggering 57 running in the Challenger section for lightweight prototype cross-country machines and a further 26 entered in the SSV section. 

Al-Rajhi (Toyota Hilux Overdrive) is currently enjoying a 32-point cushion over Ferreira (X-Raid Mini) in the Ultimate category after the opening two rounds in Saudi Arabia and Greece but both drivers are more focused on the battle for the overall FIA World Baja Cup’s Drivers’ Championship that also features competitors from the other categories. 

Because of the way that the points system has been devised this season, each of the three section have excellent opportunities to challenge for the overall title. The South Racing Can-Am duo of Fernando Alvarez and Xavier Panseri currently have a 15-point lead over Al-Rajhi and Gottschalk in the Drivers’ and Co-Drivers’ Championships in addition to a big lead in the battle for SSV honours.  

In the Ultimate class, Al-Rajhi faces competition from a fleet of additional Overdrive Racing-prepared Toyota Hiluxes in the hands of Lithuania’s Rokas Baciuška, Argentina’s Juan Cruz Yacopini, Belgian Guillaume de Mévius and the returning Pole Martin Kaczmarski. De Mévius will be partnered in Spain by Mathieu Baumel for the first time. 

Ferreira, meanwhile, currently holds fourth in the Drivers’ Championship and third in the Ultimate section and wheels out the official X-Raid Mini JCW Rally Plus, although the Trebur-based operation also has privateer Minis in the hands of Portugal’s Alejandro Martins and Maria Gameiro and Spaniard José-Luis Garcia. 

Additional likely front-runners in the Ultimate category include Frenchman Mathieu Serradori (Century CR7-T), Daniel Alonso (Ford Ranger) and João Ramos (Toyota).

The South Racing Can-Am Team currently holds a 20-point cushion over Overdrive Racing in the Teams’ Championship with Escuderia JMP Racing, Santag Racing and the X-Raid JCW Team rounding off the top five. 

Five-time Dakar winner Al-Attiyah tops Challenger category 

Qatari legend Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah will use his new Dacia for the first time in Morocco in October but the five-time Dakar Rally winner has taken a break from his preparations for the shooting competition at the forthcoming Paris Olympics to drive a Taurus T3 Max at the head of a 58-strong list of Challenger crews.  

The defending W2RC champion is not registered for the FIA World Baja Cup but will be chasing honours in a quality field that includes the current leading South Racing Can-Am crew of Diego Martinez/Sergio Lafuente and their closest challengers, Khalid Al-Jafla/Andrei Rudnitski (Taurus) and João Dias/Pedro Ré (OT3). 

Spaniard Eduard Pons will also be chasing championship points in his Past Racing Taurus, in addition to the G Rally Team’s Ghislain de Mévius. 

There is massive talent down the entry with the talented Polish trio of Eryk, Michal and Marek Goczal wheeling out Taurus T3 Max machines and registering late for the FIA World Baja Cup. The list also includes young Spaniard Pau Navarro driving the X-Raid Yamaha YXZ 1000 R Turbo, veteran Dutchman Erik van Loon returning to drive a South Racing Can-Am and the likes of Ricardo Porém (Can-Am) and Tiago Reis (Taurus) flying the flag for Portugal. 

Belgian WRC and Dakar veteran Grégoire de Mévius (OT3), WRC2 star and former M-Sport factory rally driver Pierre-Louis Loubet (Apache) and Lukas Lauda (Can-Am) – the son of the late Formula One racer Niki – are also on the list. 

FIA World Baja Cup-leading Alvarez and Panseri head impressive SSV field

Alvarez and Panseri head a 26-strong field of SSV runners and will defend their commanding 47-point leads in the SSV Drivers’ and Co-Drivers’ Championships, in addition to trying to stay ahead in the overall FIA World Baja Cup. 

The Spanish duo of Alexander and Miguel Toril are Alvarez’s closest challengers after two rounds with French veteran Claude Fournier holding fourth. Can-Am Maverick XRX Turbo RRs fill the leading places in the points’ standings. Of the six drivers registered for the FIA World Baja Cup in Spain, only Italy’s Amerigo Ventura (Yamaha) is not driving a Can-Am. 

The list also includes the Brazilian former FIA champion Cristiano de Sousa Batista whose son Otavio is taking part in the Challenger category. Both drivers are with Santag Racing. 

The list of non-registered crews features an impressive number of privateers from across Europe. They include Spain’s Federico Mogni, the British duo of Sean Haren and Paul Severn and the experienced Swiss driver Jérôme de Sadeleer.

The event is based out of the town of Teruel in the Aragón region of eastern Spain where fierce summer temperatures, intense heat and dust are expected on the demanding rural off-road stages. Competitors will tackle 522.98km competitive kilometres in a revised route laid on by Motor Club Baja – Octagon.

Action gets underway with a short 7.57km Prologue to determine starting orders on Friday afternoon (July 26th). 

Competitors then tackle two stages of 173.25km and 181.08km on Saturday (July 27th) and the on-stage action concludes on Sunday (July 28th) with a single stage of 161.08km.

2024 Baja Spain Aragón – leading entries (top 10 in each category):

*denotes not registered for FIA World Baja Cup

FIA World Bajas Cup

Cross-CountryAll fia sportSEASON 2024SportCross-Country1SportFIA World Bajas CupCross-CountryAll fia sportSEASON 2024Cross-Country01Friday, July 26, 2024 – 9:13amFriday, July 26, 2024 – 9:13am

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