The rally’s longest and most iconic stage is on the schedule today, Saturday, twice. The return of Ouninpohja has received praise from drivers and spectators, but one artificial solution has caused a stir.
After the famous yellow house jump in Ouninpohja, a so-called virtual chicane has been put in place to slow down the speed. Among others, Hyundai’s Esapekka Lappi has already criticised the solution harshly, and also his teammate Thierry Neuville shares the same opinion as the Finn.
“I’m not a big fan of it”, Neuville admitted directly.
“We already saw big speed differences in the shakedown, and it was difficult to get it right. But it works the same way in all cars, so the situation is the same for everyone. If there are any differences, someone else might gain an advantage from it”, Neuville reflected.
The information about reducing speed comes to the car’s centre console, but it’s difficult for the driver to monitor it. The co-driver can see it better, but of course, his concentration is momentarily disrupted while staring at the screen. At Ouninpohja’s speeds, even a momentary lapse in concentration can be fatal.
However, the return of the so-called long Ouninpohja is otherwise welcome. The drivers love this very high-speed section.
“It’s one of the best stages in the WRC. If you get it right, it’s superb. If you have problems there, it’s a complete disaster. Hopefully, we can drive fast and have fun there,” Neuville hoped.
Ouninpohja 1 will be driven on Saturday starting at 10:05 (CET), and the second run of the stage will begin at 16:35 (CET).
