RallyJournal.com lists the ten longest special stages in Rally Finland’s history. Each stage is included only once, even if there are multiple versions that would qualify for the list.
10. Parkkola
1996– 1997, length 33.43 km
Parkkola was run twice in 1996 during the final WRC-status Jyväskylän Suurajot – 1000 Lakes Rally . The first version was a familiar 22-kilometre stage from previous years, but the second run on Monday, the final day of the rally, continued for an additional 11 kilometres, merging with the Sahloinen special stage. This combination was used at the start of the rally in 1997, the last time Sahloinen was included in the WRC.
9. Riistakoski
1973, length 33.80 km
In 1973, the route of 1000 Lakes Rally was extensive, true to its name. The second loop began past Kuopio, arriving at the Riistakoski special stage, which was 33.8 kilometres long. The same stage was run again in 1978, in a shorter form and different direction, under the name Savulahti.
8. Ouninpohja
1998, lenght 34.55 km / 2015, length 34.39 km
Ouninpohja needs little introduction. It has often been the rally’s longest stage and, since 2007, the only one over 30 kilometres, including this year. Identifying the longest version is tricky.
Based on numbers, the 1998 version at 34.55 kilometres is the longest in history. However, route books show that the 1999–2002 Ouninpohja route is identical but listed at 34.13 kilometres. The discrepancy is likely due to measurement corrections, with the newer measurement being more reliable.
From 2003, the start of Ouninpohja was moved across the Hämepohja junction. Although the finish was also slightly extended, the overall length was reduced by a kilometre.
In 2015, Ouninpohja was run again with the Hämepohja junction but with a new finish location, resulting in a true longest route of 34.39 kilometres, but due to a measurement error, the 1998 Ouninpohja appears longer in records.
7. Vaheri – Himos
2002, length 35.83 km
This monster stage was run only once, with only 15 cars making it through before it was interrupted.
The route was based on the previous Vaheri, which featured both large and small roads. It was extended to the maintenance roads of the Himos ski slopes, partially using routes from the two-car track stages run between 1994 and 1998.
In later years, Vaheri and Himos were run separately, though the 2009 and 2010 Himos stages followed a similar idea, combining Vaheri’s large roads with the Himos ski slope roads.
6. Hassi
1993, length 36,27 km
Following the aftermath of Corsica 1986, FISA, the international motorsport governing body, banned stages over 30 kilometres. This rule was likely abandoned in 1993, as long stages became more common in other WRC events and were trialled in 1000 Lakes Rally.
This 36-kilometre stage was created by combining the previous year’s Paateri and Hassi with a short liaison in between. The combination featured fast private roads at the start, wide state roads in the middle, and a bumpy forest road section towards the end, which was still run as Arvaja in 2021.
5. Vellipohja
2006, length 36.39 km
Vellipohja debuted as a new stage in 2005, incorporating parts of the earlier Leustu, Korpiaho, Surkee, and Parkkola stages. It also featured several new sections that have since been used in the Painaa, Horka, Moksi, and Tuohikotanen stages.
The 2005 stage was nearly 34 kilometres long, but the following year, it was extended by approximately 2.5 kilometres along Parkkola’s large roads. In subsequent years, shorter versions of the stage were run.
4. Surkee
1994–1995, length 37.31 km
The trend of creating long stages in the early 1990s continued in 1994 with the combination of Sahloinen and Surkee, resulting in a 37-kilometre stage that concluded Saturday evening. The new section between the stages featured very small roads. The stage had numerous rhythm changes, consisting of eleven different road sections.
3. Moksi – Leustu
2001–2006, length 40.96 km
The trio of stages exceeding 40 kilometres begins with Moksi – Leustu. As the name suggests, the stage combined the 2000 Moksi and Leustu stages. It included previously unused large roads, as well as sections of small and large roads from earlier versions of Moksi and Leustu. Additionally, Leustu was run separately in these years, with parts of the stage being driven twice, and others only once.
The stage length was 120 metres shorter in the first two years, likely due to measurement corrections.
2. Risulahti
1976, length 41.30 km
Risulahti is a somewhat rare case in Rally Finland, as it was run only in 1976. The stage, located east of Mikkeli, included a section from the previous year run in the opposite direction as Korppisensalo. The stage’s length is particularly notable given that only three of the 45 stages that year exceeded 17 kilometres, and 33 were under 10 kilometres.
Risulahti has not been run since, even in local rallies, but part of its route was used in the 2022 Finnish Rally Championship’s round in Mikkeli on the Pistohiekka stage.
1. Kokkosenlahti
1973, length 42.80 km
The longest stage in Rally Finland’s history is Kokkosenlahti. The Mikkeli region takes the top two spots in this ranking.
The 1973 Kokkosenlahti stage can be literally called a marathon stage, with a length exceeding 42 kilometres. The stage was run in subsequent years from 1974 to 1977, but its length was reduced by a few kilometres.
Nowadays, it would be impossible to run Kokkosenlahti in its full length, as some roads have been paved. However, the central section of the stage has been run in the Mikkeli Rally under the name Siikakoski.
