Neste Oil Rally Finland, eighth round of the FIA World Rally Championship, takes place from July 31st to August 3rd. The rally lasts four days and after some years again finishes on a Sunday. A guiding line in the planning of this year´s route has been an increased focus on Central Finland and the roads of the event´s heartland - the traditional terrain of Finland´s WRC competition.
The route will still feature a superspecial spectator stage, but this should now return from Killeri trotting track to Jyvaskyla´s actual centre: the legendary Harju stage is scheduled be run twice, first on Thursday and again on Friday.
Harju´s location in the centre of the city means certain conditions need to be met, however, and with the decision making process still ongoing, confirmation of its inclusion in the route is pending.
Other legends will resurface, too: Myhinpaa, Paijala, Ruuhimäki. Returning after a long break will also be Jouhtikyla and Pihlajakoski. In fact, only four of the planned stages were used in last year´s rally.
The rally begins in earnest on the Thursday, looping via Laukaa and Konnevesi. On the Friday and Saturday it visits Keuruu, Kuhmoinen and Jamsa. The competition concludes on the Sunday with Ruuhimaki Power Stage. In traditional fashion, the action is based in Jyvaskyla, where the Jyvaskyla Paviljonki facility hosts both Rally HQ and Service Park.
Three tough ones on Thursday
The opening day´s route first heads north-east of Jyvaskyla and it features four special stages. 2014 Neste Oil Rally Finland kicks off with Lankamaa, practically in the backyard of Juha Kankkunen. From there the crews head towards Konnevesi and the Jouhtikyla stage, which in recent years has been widely used by the teams for testing. On their way back to Jyväskylä they revisit Lankamaa for a second run.
In the evening it´s time for a city stage and if all goes to plan, this is the moment when Harju special stage makes its return to Finland´s WRC event after an absence of 16 years.
-Through the years there have been more requests for Harju´s return than for all other special stages put together. This stage, which was last run in 1998, is a dream test in the heart of the city, says Assistant Clerk of the Course Kari Nuutinen.
From Korpilahti to Kuhmoinen on Friday
Friday offers a lot of mileage with nine special stages and over 130 competitive kilometers altogether. On Friday morning the competition heads south of Jämsä and towards Kuhmoinen, where Pihlajakoski special stage features in the route for the first time since 1987. The first part of this stage is on a blindingly fast, wide road, while the latter part uses a challenging narrower road. Next after Pihlajakoski comes the southernmost stage of them all, Paijala.Maisema (Red Bull Content Pool)
-The opening stretch of Päijälä has never been driven in Finland´s WRC round before, so it´s a rare treat. This stage on the whole has got a quite fantastic flow. Towards the finish it joins Päijälä´s more traditional format, explains Kari Nuutinen.
After Paijala comes Kakaristo, which really is Ouninpohja in shortened form. Organizing of the long Ouninpohja has been a huge challenge and this change eases that task somewhat while still keeping the favourite spots. Firm spectators´ favourite, Kakaristo junction with its wide open views, is still a feature of this stage.
From Kakaristo the route heads to Painaa, which last year counted as Power Stage. The road here is very fast and challenging with frequent undulations. Afternoon service break back in Jyväskylä is followed by a repetition of Pihlajakoski, Paijala, Kakaristo and Painaa. Friday night climaxes with another run of the city stage.
Decisive Saturday
The rally does not finish on the Saturday this year, but competitors have to be wide awake by eight in the morning, when Mokkipera opens the action, now tackled in the opposite direction to 2013.
-This reversed direction fits in better with the overall route on Saturday, and effectively introduces an entirely new stage to the rally, reasons Assistant Clerk of the Course Kari Nuutinen.
Next comes Jukojarvi and in exactly the same format as last year. Before the service break the route stretches towards Jamsa, taking in three special stages: Surkee, Himos and Leustu. These feature some wide roads as well as technically challenging narrow ones plus plenty of spectacular jumps. Precisely the elements for which Finland´s WRC even is so well known. After service the crews repeat that same loop with Mökkiperä, Jukojärvi, Surkee, Himos and Leustu run for a second time.
No Sunday drive
Sunday is short but sharp. Ruuhimaki is tackled twice with Myhinpaa in between, that test having often proved tricky in the past. These two stages hardly need introduction. Ruuhimaki with its big jumps is a favourite of all rally fans, which despite its shortness calls for a flat-out attack as well as great precision. One simply cannot afford the slightest of mistakes. Myhinpaa, another favourite of many, has been partially revised, taking in a narrower technical section.
Neste Oil Rally Finland will conclude with a rerun of Ruuhimaki, which doubles up as Power Stage. Bonus points are on offer here, which surely guarantees the spectators value for money: this is no time for cruising! The three fastest drivers are rewarded with points on a scale of 3-2-1, a big incentive to put in performances, which give an entertaining climax to the 2014 event. The Power Stage will be broadcast live and can be seen in Finland on Nelonen Pro -channel.
Neste Oil Rally Finland is four days of full-blooded competition, from Thursday to Sunday. Total length of the route will be just over 1600 km. It comprises 26 special stages, which add up to over 360 km.
Spectator information at http://www.nesteoilrallyfinland.fi/en/spectators/
