Last year, the HYAcenter Rally attracted top names from the WRC to the area around Tampere, Finland. Toyota’s Kalle Rovanperä and Elfyn Evans participated in the event as a test rally. Pierre-Louis Loubet, who was with M-Sport Ford at the time, also took part.
This year, organized by PR-Racing, the rally will run from July 26 to 27. The rally headquarters will be located at Ideapark in Lempäälä.
The event organizers anticipate that the “WRC test rally” will again attract top drivers from both Finland and abroad.
“The chosen weekend falls between the Latvia and Finland WRC rallies, so we are very likely to attract top drivers and international appeal,” says Jarno Saari, a spokesperson for PR-Racing.
“Our rally routes have always received praise, and the special stages of this summer’s rally will not disappoint. The route, covering about 90 SS kilometers, runs around Tampere. It includes many sections that have been used in the Rally Finland before.”
Last year’s gravel event was held in heavy rain. Rovanperä won the rally by a margin of 11.6 seconds over Evans.
“It was even too wet for testing. Most of the stages were really muddy, especially on the second loop. It was more about surviving to get through without problems. But still, it left a good feeling, as it allowed us to drive kilometers from the notes before the race,” Rovanperä told RallyJournal.com after the event.
The competition could fit into Rovanperä’s schedule again this year. The Finnish star is likely to participate in both Rally Latvia and Rally Finland. In between, he could run a test event before the start of his home competition.
