Famed for its flat-out speed tests, the Finnish fixture is one the most eagerly anticipated events of the year and the return of one of rallying’s most legendary stages – Ouninpohja – is sure to make this year’s offering all the more exciting.
After the high-speeds of Poland, there will be no let-up in pace. Nine of the fastest ten WRC rallies on record have been recorded in Finland and the crews will need to muster all of their ‘sisu’ – a Finnish phrase which loosely translate to ‘having courage’ – if they are to master the fast straights, jumps and concealed corners that make this one of the most thrilling events of the year.
Split second decisions and minute set-up changes can make all the difference. Bravery and precision are a must. And an extensive pre-event test is of vital importance to best prepare the cars – and the crews – for this high-speed challenge.
In light of this, the team completed an extensive pre-event test with Reiger to unlock further performance from the suspension of the new Ford Fiesta RS WRC. With so many ‘yumps’ – that’s Finnish for ‘jumps’ – various damper configurations can provide a big advantage and the team focused on enhancing stability and traction which could prove crucial next week.
Having lost mileage with a water pump failure in Poland, Evans was particularly encouraged by the test as he and co-driver Daniel Barritt became accustomed to the nature of the Finnish roads.
Following a string of bad luck on the previous three events, the Welshman is keen to prove what he could have achieved in Poland and to showcase the progress he has made in the past 12 months.
Evans certainly knows what it takes to tame the Finnish stages having won the event as part of the FIA WRC Academy in 2012. As an event the Welshman enjoys, he’ll be keen to showcase his development and should have his eyes firmly fixed on the top-five.
In the sister M-Sport Fiesta RS WRC, Tänak is relishing the opportunity to continue his recent good form. The Estonian was the only man to challenge the dominant Volkswagens on the Polish speed tests and he’ll be looking to do the same again next week.
A lot will depend on what the Finnish summer has to offer in terms of weather and road condition, but a huge number of Estonians are expected to cross the Gulf of Finland in support of their latest hero and Tänak won’t want to let them down.
If the speed he and co-driver Raigo Mõlder displayed last year is anything to go by, their loyal band of supporters won’t be disappointed – the pairing regularly out-performing their world rally car rivals when they completed the event behind the wheel of a Ford Fiesta R5 in the WRC’s premier support series.