Unveiled on Tuesday in Helsinki, the route for Rally Finland, scheduled for early August, includes iconic stages like Ouninpohja and Myhinpää, but it also introduces fresh stages.
The Saarikas stage, situated between Äänekoski and Konnevesi, will run twice on Friday, stretching over 15.5 kilometres.
“This stage was a public tip. In fact, one of our stage organizers suggested we check it out,”Clerk of the Course of Rally Finland Kai Tarkiainen told RallyJournal.com.
“Kari (Nuutinen, Deputy Clerk of the Course, Route) scouted it in autumn and then called me to have a look, saying it looked promising. And indeed, it did look very good,” Tarkiainen praised.
According to Tarkiainen, Saarikas will provide a stern test for the WRC stars.
“It’s very technical and challenging in many parts. It will definitely be one of Friday morning’s decisive stages,” he evaluated.
After several years, Ouninpohja is back, run as a full 33-kilometre version. The legendary stage requires a significant effort from the organisers.
Tarkiainen noted that running Ouninpohja wouldn’t be possible without community support.
“We found a model of enthusiasm to move this forward together. The involvement of the village association and locals is absolutely crucial for us. To run this system requires at least 700 people,” Tarkiainen stated.
A notable change is the Power Stage’s new location in Laajavuori, near Jyväskylä’s city centre. Run twice on Sunday, the stage goes through the ski resort’s vicinity, first as a four-kilometre stretch and then in a double-loop format, making it twice as long.
RallyJournal.com’s route expert, Antti Loponen, pointed out that the stage might get badly rutted, especially on the second run. He suggested that Laajavuori would suit better as a spectator stage than a Power Stage, which awards extra points to the fastest drivers.
Read more: Rally Finland route critiqued by expert: ”Does not represent the character of the rally”
Tarkiainen defended the decision to move the final stage to Laajavuori.
“This was part of our route plan already for the year 2020, but the event had to be cancelled due to the coronavirus. The idea remained simmering, and now we’ve started to push it forward again, especially as construction works are beginning in Himos. We’ve found good people to work on this stage and have discussed the matter with the city, finding a shared enthusiasm to proceed with this together.”
“It’s wonderful, given that Jyväskylä is the hub of rallying, so why wouldn’t we want to bring the final stage and the finish as close to the city as possible. This way, we can make it a big event for the people of Jyväskylä too,” Tarkiainen explained.
