Riku, the 29 year old from Espoo, has contested Rally Finland on a number of occasions and is returning with his ST Motors Oy John Cooper Works WRC that he campaigned on the event last year alongside regular team-mate and co-driver, Markus Soininen. However, the pair will be keen to improve on their outing last year that saw them survive the high-speed rigours of one of the most challenging WRC rounds on the calendar until the penultimate stage, when they left the road and retired, almost in sight of the finish line.
In his preparation for the Jyväskylä-based event, Riku has completed a test earlier this week and reported, ”We ran the car for 80km at a private test on Monday and settled on a set-up that was the same as Marcus (Grönholm) used when he tested the car earlier in the year. I am happy to start with that and of course I would have liked more mileage in the car, but I’ll fine-tune it as the rally progresses.”
Having competed over 30 rallies together in Finland, Estonia, Austria & the Czech Republic, the pair acknowledge that Rally Finland holds a special allure with its combination of world-class competition and its legendary high-speed stages. ”Every year it is the rally we really want to contest,” says Riku. ”It is fortunate that there is a lot of interest around the sport at the moment and this has enabled us to bring a great group of sponsors together in order to enter the event. Now it is over to us to repay their faith and achieve a good result on the rally,” he concluded. The pair’s stated ambition is to achieve a top ten finish in the event, a significant ambition given an entry list that includes a full contingent of works drivers from Citroën, VW and Ford.
The event marks the start of a concerted campaign for Riku; last year’s event was a learning experience, adapting to the demands of the WRC, but with the benefit of last year’s rally, the crew are confident and well-prepared. As such, Rally Finland represents a springboard for their international aspirations and it is anticipated will be the starting point for a bigger programme of overseas rallies for the man from Espoo.
The Event
Traditionally a Scandinavian stronghold that has kept all but three Non-Nordic drivers from the podium in 40 years, this year’s event features two and a half days of competitive action commencing this Thursday afternoon with the opening six stages. Friday and Saturday are both long days but include some of the most legendary stages in the Championship.
There are three completely new stages – Torritu (SS2/4), Lankamaa (SS10/14) and Paina (SS19/23) which also closes the event as the Power Stage. Four stages are the same as last year while all others have amendments or new sections of road.
Following Wednesday evening’s Qualifying Stage – used to determine the running order among the WRC’s elite on day one – Thursday’s action kicks off at 1115hrs, when crews leave Jyvaskyla for six stages run without a service halt. The day’s competitive action draws to a close at the Killeri trotting track for the traditional superspecial stage at 2030hrs local time.
Friday and Saturday are both long days and include some of the most legendary Finish stages. Friday’s action begins at 0948hrs local time with the Jukojarvi stage, followed in quick succession by Palsankyla, Mokkipera and Lankamaa which, at 23.66km is the longest stage of the day. After service in Jyvaskyla, drivers repeat all four, and then round off the day with a second trip to Killeri.
Saturday’s route is based around the Jamsa region and consists of two passes of a loop of four stages: Surkee, Leustu, Painaa and the fearsome Ouninpohja, a 33km monster that remains the stuff of Rally Finland legend. Marko Märtin set the world record of 57 metres for the longest jump in the history of the WRC on the Ouninpohja special stage. The final test, the repeated Painaa, gets underway at 1740hrs.
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