Kari Nuutinen has been involved in organizing the Rally Finland for about 30 years. During this time, service stops have moved from the roadside to centralized service parks, routes have been shortened from 500 special stage kilometers to 300, and the composition of the rally has gradually shifted from entirely single-run special stages to those run twice.
However, Nuutinen believes the actual route creation has remained the same.
“Previously, there were more kilometers, but also more regional route masters, so the amount of work has remained constant,” Nuutinen recalls.
Nuutinen also mentions that nowadays, the reconnaissance phase more heavily regulates the route, as the stages need to be driven twice in two days. Such constraints were unheard of back in 1993 when Nuutinen started his career.
The first piece of the puzzle
Designing the route of the WRC is quite a puzzle, but Nuutinen cannot give a definitive answer as to where the first piece is placed.
“The overall setup begins with ‘certain’ special stages, and the rules define the frame of the puzzle,” Nuutinen explains.
Nuutinen reveals that the rally is not planned in the order it is driven. One of the most crucial decisions, for example, is the rally’s final special stage or Power Stage, which offers additional points and is broadcast live.
“Often, we think of the prize-giving first and work our way backward from there,” Nuutinen says.
According to Nuutinen, compatibility of the puzzle pieces is influenced by scheduling requirements and permit acquisitions.
“The special stages must also be at an appropriate distance from each other. Not too close and not too far,” Nuutinen explains.
Nuutinen also reveals that there are always more special stages planned than can fit into the route, in case one does not work out. For instance, this year about 60 kilometers of ‘reserve special stages’ were cut before the first version was finalized.
The unreasonable expectations of ‘professional spectators’
While many World Rally Championship rounds may run the same special stages year after year with only minor changes, in Finland, it is customary for the route to undergo significant annual changes and even surprises.
“Sometimes I wonder myself if there’s any sense in it. It would be easier for the organizers to just change the dates on the papers,” Nuutinen states bluntly.
Nuutinen also considers that there would be benefits to running the same route, as more permanent structures for spectators could be built on the special stages. He mentions that a very small group complains about route immutability.
“Hardly anyone has even visited all the special stages in all the viewer zones. The demand level of ‘professional spectators’ seems somewhat unreasonable when some think a special stage is considered ‘seen’ after being run two years in a row. The drivers rarely criticize that the same stage has been run for several years,” Nuutinen retorts.
While many other WRC events now almost hide their routes until the last minute, Rally Finland is accustomed to a major media event during the route announcement in early spring. Nuutinen says this has also become a very significant marketing event, drawing a connection to the continuous renewal of the route.
“The route announcement event would be quite lackluster if the same route were repeated year after year,” Nuutinen notes.
