The gravel rally, which will host the ninth round of the championship from 1-4 August, has unveiled a heavily revised itinerary. In total, 61% of the route has been changed compared to last year, while 12% of the route is entirely new to Rally Finland since the start of the modern WRC era in 1997.The most notable change is the inclusion of the famous Ouninpohja test, which rejoins the rally for the first time since 2016. This is being run in the legendary 33-kilometre ‘long’ format but in the opposite direction this year.
The stage is among the most famous in WRC history, known for its high-speed jumps and its challenging sweeping corners. Its highly-anticipated return will include two passes of the test on Saturday’s leg.
The rally will feature 305 kilometres of timed stages and will remain based in city of Jyvaskyla.
“I do honestly believe that this is an exceptional ‘all-in’ route: one of the best ever,” said clerk of the course Kai Tarkiainen.
“Here in Finland, we’re very lucky to benefit from excellent feedback from all our stakeholders, and we have taken onboard everything they said to come up with a route that successfully blends tradition with innovation.
Source: Autosport