Rallying UK

08/08/2024

❝ To love beauty is to see light ❞

— Victor Hugo

08/08/2024

🏎️ Looking for a career in motorsport?
🎓 Want to learn more about community initiatives?
🌿 Perhaps you'd like to know more about sustainability and low carbon transport?

Well, Rali Engage is for you!

Located at the heart of the rally at the International Service Park in Aberystwyth, the initiative aims to get as many people as possible excited about rallying as a sport, career prospects in motorsport and of course our magnificent region and the opportunities it offers.

Find out more:
https://www.raliceredigion.co.uk/engage/

08/08/2024

07/08/2024

❝ It is not sufficient to see and to know the beauty of a work. We must feel and be affected by it ❞

— Voltaire

06/08/2024

• Khalid Al-Qassimi and Chris Patterson
• Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT, Citroën C3 WRC
• Rally Finland 2017

06/08/2024

On 30 August, the European Rally Championship returns to Wales for the first time in decades, with RALI CEREDIGION...

Be there!

Get your tickets here 🔗 https://rbcrally.ticketsrv.co.uk/tickets/

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🇪🇺 Rali Ceredigion | FIA ERC - European Rally Championship | FIA | Motorsport UK

06/08/2024

SALON PRIVÉ CONCOURS: Famous rally and race machines in graphic display at Salon Privé Concours

It was all about the branding. For motorsport enthusiasts the world over, the images of our favourite cars remain all the more vivid thanks to the sponsorship deals struck by their makers – and, of course, the artistic flair with which a backer’s brand identity was applied to their body panels.

Salon Privé (28-31 August 2024) has run with this theme and gathered some of the world’s most important competition cars, each of which is identifiable alone by its title-sponsor’s graphics. The Legendary Liveries Class includes epic racers from the Group C era, like the Silk Cut Jaguar XJR-8/9 and Rothmans Porsche 962. But Salon Privé’s two works rally giants – one from the 1970s, the other from the ‘90s – are equally famous for the company names that adorned their flanks.

Lancia Stratos HF works rally car, chassis # 829ARO*001637* - ‘Alitalia’ livery

Needing to replace the long-lived Fulvia 1.6 HF works rally car, Lancia commissioned Bertone to design a successor. The new car was to be first and foremost for competition, with (at the time) a mandatory 400 ‘Stradale’ road cars produced to satisfy Group 4 homologation requirements. Bertone’s Marcello Gandini penned the Stratos’s radical wedge-shaped, two-seat body, basing it on his 1970 Stratos Zero concept. The car was then officially launched at the Turin Motor Show in 1971, powered by Ferrari’s 2418cc Dino V6 engine, mid-mounted transversely behind the cabin.

Salon Privé’s car – better known by the last part of its chassis number, ‘1637’ – was assembled in 1974, the year that Stratos WRC victories were coming in thick and fast for Lancia. It was sent to Lancia Squadra Corse where it was equipped to Group 4 specification, including a rise in power from the Stradale’s 190bhp to a more competition-friendly 275bhp.

But while most Stratos were prepared for gravel or tarmac events, 1637 was to be the first test car for the 1975 Safari Rally. As such, it received large metal guards front and rear to protect it from errant wildlife, a redesigned air-filtration system for Africa’s dusty tracks, and longer-travel Bilstein dampers to cater for the rocky roads the teams would encounter.

Rally drivers Sandro Munari and Vic Preston Jnr (son of ex-rally man Vic Preston, who had won the Safari three times before) were enlisted for the tests, with Preston’s father looking after logistics and maintenance of the car. Preston Snr also struck a deal with Lancia for his son to drive 1637 in the rally under the ‘Team Vic Preston’ banner, but supported by Lancia’s Works operation, along with its two official white, red and green ‘Alitalia’-sponsored cars (Alitalia being Italy’s national airline carrier).

Surprising everyone, Preston Jnr, with co-driver John Lyall, drove 1637 to an 11th overall finish in the 6,500km event, with Sandro Munari and Björn Waldegard coming in second and third in their Alitalia cars. Frustratingly, Preston and Lyall had missed 10th spot by a mere three minutes.

Re-registered from its Italian number to ‘KLW 106’, and repainted yellow/black, 1637 was sold after the Safari and remained in Kenya. New owners Sergio Lolli and Frank Tundo campaigned the car in local events, including the 1975 Coca-Cola Bottlers Rally and 1100km Minaldi Rally, where it came 4th overall.

Meanwhile in the UK, Lancia dealer Graham Warner from The Chequered Flag was hatching a plan to take a Stratos rallying, branded with his garage’s name. His first car – ‘Stratos 1’ – was crashed early on, so when Warner heard of 1637 being for sale, he flew to Kenya to secure a deal, and brought it back to the UK in 1976, re-registering it OYU 353R.

The now well-used Stratos was campaigned in The Chequered Flag colours in WRC events through the rest of 1976, ’77 and ’78, mainly with Billy Coleman at the wheel. But for the 1979 Donegal International Rally, Cathal Curley was driving and crashed the car, which ended up on its roof. Even though no serious damage had been done, Warner switched to a reserve Stratos, and 1637 was sold. It remained in the UK for a few more years, before then being sold to Japanese collector Masanori Yokoyama. Its new owner commissioned a full restoration of the car by ex-Works Stratos engineer Claudio Maglioli, who upgraded the engine to 24-valve-specification, for an output of 320bhp. The rebuild was topped with a complete repaint in Lancia Works’ Alitalia colours, matching those of the two cars it had supported ahead of the 1975 Safari Rally.

Since 2017, 1637 has been part of a private collection in Europe.

1996 Subaru Impreza WRC97, chassis # PRO/WRC/97001 – ‘555’ livery

Even though the sponsorship deal which Subaru forged with British American To***co brand ‘State Express 555’ in 1993 eventually petered out, the Japanese car maker continued to use the ‘555’ design on its cars, recognising the strong association it had created with its former sponsor’s blue and yellow logo.

Salon Privé’s car – chassis #97001 - not only still carries its distinctive ‘555’ graphic, but is notable in being the first of type, used by Colin McRae for testing, and effectively laying the foundations for Subaru’s 1997 WRC team victory.

Subaru’s UK-based partner, Prodrive, had developed the Impreza WRC97 in response to a major change in regulations for the 1997 season, which saw Group A being dropped completely. The new car was based around a two-door GC8 shell, re-styled by designer Peter Stevens, with a CAD-penned integrated roll-cage to increase structural rigidity, and fixing points for the car’s MacPherson struts changed to allow for greater damper movement. Subaru’s turbocharged 1994cc flat-four engine was tuned to deliver 310bhp and 367lb ft of torque, and, for the last time, it was mated to a manual H-pattern gearbox (paddles were used from the 1998 season).

Early testing in 97001 paved the way for a bumper 1997 season, with its sister cars winning eight out of 14 WRC rounds, including a total of 119 stage wins. As well as Subaru clinching the manufacturers’ championship, Colin McRae came tantalisingly close to taking top driver honours, too, narrowly pipped to the post by Mitsubishi’s Tommi Mäkinen.

Meanwhile, 97001 went into private hands and continued to be campaigned, winning 11 rallies outright, as well as providing nine-times motorcycle champion Valentino Rossi with his first rally success, when he finished seventh in the Rally di Monza. In 2009, the Impreza was returned to Prodrive and restored to its original specification. The car now resides in Suffolk, and is looked after by an engineer who maintained it when it was new.

Quote from Andrew Bagley, Concours Chairman of Salon Privé:

“We may sometimes despair at the level of commercialism in motorsport, but where would we be without it. Our Legendary Liveries Class proves that it has at least brought some very bold and unforgettable identities to competition cars over the years. So memorable are models like the 555 Subaru WRC and Silk Cut Jaguar XJR-8 that it’s now almost impossible to refer to them without mentioning their title sponsors’ names. Salon Privé’s collection includes some of the most famous examples of the ‘art’, and is sure to stir happy memories for our guests.”

Tickets for Salon Privé Concours at Blenheim Palace on 28-31 August 2024, are available here 🔗 https://salonpriveconcours.com

🇬🇧 Salon Privé | Lancia | Prodrive | WRC - FIA World Rally Championship

05/08/2024

Colin McRae would have been 56 today.

On Lombard RAC Rally 1991 on 25th November, he was just 23 years old when he took the lead of a World Rally Championship round, for the very first time in his career.

On that Monday morning, he set fastest times on both Aberhirnant and Dyfnant (where I was spectating) - and left the likes of Sainz, Kankkunen, Auriol, Eriksson, Vatanen, Biasion, Blomqvist, Llewellin and Alén trailing in his wake.

He had arrived.

🇬🇧 Prodrive | WRC - FIA World Rally Championship | Motorsport UK

03/08/2024

CAMBRIAN RALLY: Former world rally champion Stig Blomqvist to enter Cambrian Rally

Rallying legend Stig Blomqvist will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of his 1984 World Rally Championship win by competing on October’s Visit Conwy Cambrian Rally.

The popular Swedish driver will be in a specially prepared 1964 Mini Cooper S sponsored by Mini Spares Centre, in association with BMW/ Mini, for his only competitive rally outing in the UK this year. His co-driver will be Paul Morris, whose knowledge of the North Wales Forests will doubtless enable Stig to demonstrate his prowess to the full.

The Mini Cooper has been built by Soderquist Engineering in Sweden working in collaboration with A Series expert Phil Anning of Anning’s Race and Restoration and is based on the 2020 Monte Carlo Rally Mini driven by Rauno Aaltonen, and after recently testing the same specification engine, Stig was said to be very impressed by its’ power and tractability.

Cambrian Rally spokesman Alyn Edwards commented: “We are excited that Stig has chosen the Cambrian to celebrate the 40th anniversary of his WRC title. I’m sure spectators will enjoy seeing him display his skills on some of the most challenging stages in world rallying.”

This year’s Cambrian will consist of more stage miles, and fewer road miles than in recent years, and route consultant Edwards said: “It will be tougher and more compact with a ratio of two stage miles to every road mile. Stage miles have been increased to just under 60 miles for both Interclub and National competitors, with 35 miles for the Mini Challenge, and there will be a super long stage at Clocaenog of 16 miles.”

The first stage will be a single use of Elsi, the route then encompasses challenging double use stages at Clocaenog, Brenig, and Alwen. Service will be in Ruthin, and Edwards thanked Denbighshire County Council for their support for allowing some road closures to enable the creation of the long Clocaenog stage.

As in previous years there will be a high profile start and finish on the promenade of the resort town of Llandudno.

The event is pleased to be a round of the Probite British Rally Championship, the Protyre BTRDA Rally Series, the Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Championship, the TCS Paint Rally Challenge, the Mini Challenge, and the Association of North Western Car Clubs Championship. For the first time, it’s also a round of the Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup which is played out over events in Ireland and the UK.

Conwy County Borough Council continues to give much valued support, as does Llandudno Town Council, with both authorities recognising the important contribution the event makes to the local economy.

Further information and news updates can be found at http://cambrianrally.co.uk also via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Visit Conwy Cambrian Rally | British Rally Championship |
Motorsport UK

📷 Image by Rallying UK

02/08/2024

GRAMPIAN FOREST RALLY: The BRC battle resumes at the Grampian

The Voyonic Grampian Forest Rally marks the switch back to gravel for the Probite British Rally Championship and a welcome return to the super-fast and flowing stages in Kincardineshire next weekend [9/10 August].

Last included on the BRC roster in 2022, the popular Scottish event’s addition to the calendar is the fourth round of the season, and the last gravel event for contenders until the season finale’ in Wales in October.

New for 2024, is a shift to a two-day format with stages on Friday evening before the remaining mileage on Saturday. Based just 15 miles west of Aberdeen near the town of Banchory, the Grampian will provide crews with blisteringly fast and flowing loose surface tests in the Durris, Drumtochty and Fetteresso forests in an action-packed blast through the breath-taking landscape.

With only a handful of the BRC front-runners sampling the Kincardineshire forests previously, the event is likely to throw even more unpredictability into the mix, as the BRC1 top-flight, Junior BRC, National Rally Title and Open Rally Title protagonists battle for top honours and maximum championship points to boot.

BRC1:

With three rounds complete, it’s 2021 Junior BRC champion and 2023 Junior World Rally champion William Creighton who is in the pound seat.

Creighton and co-driver Liam Regan have enjoyed an impressive BRC form in their debut season in Rally2 machinery, taking three second-place results so far. The M-Sport Ford Rally Team crew are dovetailing a WRC2 campaign and head to Scotland in their Pirelli shod example fresh from a string of super-fast WRC gravel events.

A fifth place in Latvia was Creighton’s best WRC2 result and with Rally Finland a few days before the Grampian, the Irishman will have enjoyed bolstered seat time of late and may well be looking at a maiden BRC win.

A further sign of the BRC’s competitive nature this year is that 2019 European champion Chris Ingram lies second, starting his season off in fine style with a North West Stages win. A shift to a Michelin rubbered Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 at the Grampian may need some getting used to but don’t underestimate the pace of Ingram and Alex Kihurani in the forests. A recent non-championship win on the Nicky Grist Stages is a sign of their intent.

A dismal start to the year for four-time BRC champion Keith Cronin was put well and truly behind him at the Jim Clark Rally with a win in his Fiesta Rally2 and Mikie Galvin alongside. Lying third, the Irishman has a busy year behind the wheel and seat time can only be a good thing heading to Banchory. He is also a former winner of the Grampian, beating Osian Pryce in a ding-dong battle in 2022.

Speaking of Pryce; Osian made a surprise return to the BRC after securing the title in 2022. A win at the Severn Valley Stages shows he’s lost none of his prowess, and the Welshman has been on the pace of the front-runners all season so far, just missing a little luck. This year, he has long-time friend Rhodri Evans in the co-driver’s seat but previous experience here could well come in handy.

Scotsman Garry Pearson is one of the most experienced on the event in the BRC1 top flight having contested the event four times previously. Last year’s series runner-up to Adrien Fourmaux, Pearson and co-driver Daniel Barritt lie fourth in the standings in their M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally2 and are hoping for a repeat of the Jim Clark podium they secured in May.

Continuing to thump in impressive stage times is Hyundai i20 N Rally2 driver James Williams and despite a non-finish last time out, has been super consistent this season. He and Ross Whittock are surely not far away from a top result. As is Meirion Evans and Jonathan Jackson who take their GR Yaris Rally2 to the Grampian for the first time, another crew to enjoy a strong result on the non-championship Nicky Grist last month.

Max McRae [Fiesta Rally2] returns to the championship in the M-Sport squad, whilst Kyle White [Hyundai i20] hopes to continue his progression in four-wheel drive machinery. JKS Rally Team Northern Ireland teammate Alan Carmichael brings the second i20 in the squad, whilst Neil Roskell [Fiesta Rally2] aims for further gravel development as he heads to the event for the first time.

Jonny Greer will make his first appearance in the championship since 2019 as the five-time Northern Ireland Rally champion takes his Citroen C3 Rally2 onto his third gravel event in the car. The asphalt ace has spent much of the past five years concentrating on sealed surface events at home, with campaigns in Northern Ireland and the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship.

Junior British Rally Championship, BRC3 and BRC4:

The Junior BRC crews will also have their sights set high in Banchory. Many of the rapid youngsters are also chasing the Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup honours, and home-grown hero Robert Proudlock enjoyed victory on gravel in April so is likely to feel well at home this time around.

Proudlock [Peugeot 208 Rally4] also heads the Junior BRC standings but it was Kyle McBride [Peugeot 208 Rally4] who took the top spot last time out after a spectacular battle in the Scottish Borders lanes with newcomer Ryan McHugh [Fiesta Rally4]. McHugh’s BRC pace was instant, and whilst gravel may not be his preferred surface, the Irishman will certainly be a threat to the field on only his second outing away from home.

Welshman Ioan Lloyd [Peugeot 208 Rally4] has been a frontrunner all season but hasn’t quite had the results to match an unlucky BRC campaign so far. If all goes his way, he’ll be right in the mix come Saturday evening. Keelan Grogan [Peugeot 208 Rally4] makes his second appearance of the season and Kalum Graffin [Peugeot 208 Rally4] could make his way up the leaderboard with another strong result after taking the opening round win at the North West Stages.

In BRC4, Michael Fitzgibbon [Peugeot 208 Rally4] aims to pick up where he left off at the Severn Valley Stages and take the glory but will have one eye on the Stellantis Cup crews as they are also contesting the series.

The battle for BRC3 honours will once again come down to a duo of Fiesta Rally3 crews. This time, series leader Steve Waugh goes up against BRC returnee Brendan Cumiskey who has enjoyed an impressive gravel pace in the car of late.

Open Rally Title & National Rally Title:

Heading the Open charge is John Rintoul who also leads the championship standings and after an outing in the Citroen C3, reverts to the Fiesta R5 he used on the Severn Valley Stages. Another Fiesta contender, John Morrison could well put himself into contention with a solid score in Banchory.

The National Rally Title welcomes back Ernie Graham in his Mitsubishi Evo X and there is likely to be a showdown between William Mains in his Opel Corsa and Nick Heard in the unique Ginetta G40. As previously announced, five-time British Rally champion Jimmy McRae celebrates his 50th anniversary in the sport, with a BRC entry in a Ford Es**rt MK1 and will run with the number 50 on the doors.

The Grampian Forest Rally gets underway on Friday [9 August] with a ceremonial start and Rally Zone in Banchory town centre before two stages during the early evening. The remainder of the event is packed into Saturday, with a seven-stage blast deciding the rally before a champagne spray finish back in Banchory.

You can catch up with all the BRC action, broadcast on ITV4, ITV4+1 and ITVX shortly after the event. Check out our social media feeds for exact timings.

Keep tabs on all the latest BRC developments by visiting www.britishrallychampionship.co.uk or by following us on social media: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Twitter using .

🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 British Rally Championship | Grampian Forest Rally | Motorsport UK

📷 Image by British Rally Championship / Motorsport UK

02/08/2024

CASTROL MEM RALLY TEAM: Castrol MEM Rally Team primed for Grampian Forest Rally debut in pair of Toyota GR Yaris Rally2s

The Castrol MEM Rally Team will resume their challenge for the 2024 Probite British Rally Championship drivers’ and teams’ titles when Chris Ingram and Meirion Evans contest the Voyonic Grampian Forest Rally (9/10 August) for the first time in a pair of Toyota GR Yaris Rally2s.

Chris was the early leader of the BRC and heads to Scotland lying second in the standings, 14 points behind William Creighton.

Co-driven by Alex Kihurani, the Suisscourtage/Michelin-backed driver arrives in Aberdeenshire on great form, having won first time out in the Yaris Rally2 on the Nicky Grist Stages, which he contested as a gravel test event. And whilst Chris has never rallied in the Kincardineshire forests before, the challenge of tackling new stages for the first time is something he always excels at.

Meirion has been to the Banchory-based rally three times before to run cars as part of his family-owned Melvyn Evans Motorsport team, and this will also be his first attempt at contesting the Grampian Forest Rally.

The Carmarthenshire driver arrives there lying seventh in the standings, only four points off fourth and 10 points away from third. Co-driven by Jonathan Jackson, Meirion had a good test on last month’s Builth Wells-based Nicky Grist Stages, finishing a trouble-free third as they continue to become more competitive on the relatively unfamiliar gravel surface.

Chris Ingram said: “As we head into the second half of the BRC season we are feeling very motivated to secure maximum points for our championship aspirations. I have never been up to the Grampian Forest Rally before, but it promises to be a great challenge. I love going to new events and tackling new stages for the first time as Alex and I make such great notes. I think the loose gravel should suit the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 very well. Now Meirion and I are in the same machinery it should give us an advantage as we can compare data in detail and fine tune our gravel set-up.”

Meirion Evans said: “The aim for us on the Grampian is to try and get a good rhythm and some pace early on and see where we end up. I just want to improve on gravel compared to where we were on our last BRC outing. We had a good test run on the Nicky Grist Stages and compared to Chris and Keith [Cronin] we’ve halved the gap per kilometre to where we’d been on the Rallynuts, and it felt so much more comfortable as well. If we keep on improving on gravel like that then the gap will continue to get smaller and the results will come. We also need a solid points score for the teams’ and drivers’ championship and then we can focus on Rali Ceredigion, where we’ll be back on asphalt and were I think we can be strong.”

🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Chris Ingram Rally | Meirion Evans | Castrol | Melvyn Evans Motorsport | British Rally Championship | Grampian Forest Rally | Motorsport UK

📷 Image by Rallying UK

01/08/2024

MOUTON: Michèle Mouton with her Audi Sport, Audi Quattro A1 from Rallye Monte-Carlo 1983, in the Rally Finland 2024 Service Park in Jyväskylä.

🇲🇨🇫🇮 Secto Rally Finland | Automobile Club de Monaco | WRC - FIA World Rally Championship | Audi Sport

📷 Image by Jaanus Ree / Red Bull Content Pool

01/08/2024

SOLBERG: Thursday quote from Oliver Solberg

Oliver Solberg leads Secto Rally Finland’s WRC2 category following the first stage of the event around the streets of Jyväskylä.

The Monster Energy driver – who was fastest in Rally2 and sixth overall on this event last year – arrived at the start of SS1 on the back of fastest time at the pre-event shakedown in the famous Ruuhimäki stage. He takes a 1.1-second advantage into Friday’s first full day of competition on the roads to the east of the host city.

Oliver said: “Shakedown went well this morning – it’s such a pleasure to be back on these roads. Elliott [Edmondson, co-driver] and I have a very good memory of this rally from last year and now we want to carry on where that event stopped.

“The stages here are just awesome, it’s so nice to be driving all of Ouninpohja. In previous years we have driven sections of this road, but not all of it. Of course, I talked to my father [Petter Solberg, Ouninpohja record-breaker in 2004] about it and I have watched his onboard so many times, but when you get in there on the recce and see it in real-time, it’s kind of crazy with the crests, the jumps, the corners and the crests on jumps.

“But that’s Saturday. Tomorrow we have some awesome stages as well. For tonight, Harju was OK – I think I was a little bit careful on the first lap, but the second one was good.”

Friday’s action delivers nine stages and 116 competitive kilometres.

🇫🇮 Oliver Solberg | Monster Energy | Secto Rally Finland | Škoda Motorsport | Toksport WRT | WRC - FIA World Rally Championship

📷 Image courtesy of Oliver Solberg's office

31/07/2024

👀 LORDY!

Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique have revealed their poster for next year's event.

🇲🇨 Automobile Club de Monaco

31/07/2024

🗣️ Some thoughts on the new WRC calendar...

Say what you like about the inclusions and/or omissions from the newly-published 2025 calendar, the fact is this - the championship is now more global than in previous years.

As the graph below shows, the split between European / Non-European rounds of the championship, has been progressively and demonstrably narrowing over recent years.

This can only be good news for a world rally championship, worthy of bearing the name.

Have your say below! 👇

🌐 WRC - FIA World Rally Championship | FIA

31/07/2024

WRC IN 2025...

Here's the much-awaited 14-round calendar for next year 👇

Rallye Monte-Carlo: 23–26 January
Rally Sweden: 13–16 February
Safari Rally Kenya: 20–23 March
Rally Islas Canarias: 24–27 April
Rally de Portugal: 15–18 May
Rally Italia Sardegna: 5–8 June
Acropolis Rally Greece: 26–29 June
Rally Estonia: 17–20 July
Rally Finland: 31 July – 3 August
Rally del Paraguay: 28–31 August
Rally Chile: 11–14 September
Central European Rally: 16–19 October
Rally Japan: 6–9 November
Rally Saudi Arabia: 27–30 November

WRC - FIA World Rally Championship
FIA

31/07/2024

M-SPORT FORD WRT: M-Sport crews suit up to fight in Finland

M-Sport Ford World Rally Team gears up for the ninth round of the FIA World Rally Championship this week on one of the season’s toughest events, Secto Rally Finland. Known fondly as the Gravel Grand Prix, Finland’s frighteningly fast stages lined with trees and punctuated by jumps sets the scene for one of the biggest challenges so far in 2024.

M-Sport will field two of its Ford Puma Rally1 cars in the hands of Adrien Fourmaux and Grégoire Munster, alongside a Ford Fiesta Rally2 driven by William Creighton in the WRC2 support category.

Based in Jyväskylä, the regional capital of Central Finland within the Finnish Lakeland, the rally begins on Thursday evening with classic Super Special action on the local Harju stage (which will run again on Friday evening) and is once again set to attract thousands of fans. Two full days of rally action follow, both hosting a loop of stages run twice with a mid-point service. Sunday’s half-day will end on the classic Laajavuori Power Stage featuring the iconic jump, where Fourmaux famously launched his Fiesta WRC 68 metres through the air after the finish in 2021.

Adrien Fourmaux and Alex Coria return to Finland for the fifth time, after a strong performance on last year’s edition in a Fiesta Rally2. The pairing claimed an impressive second overall in the WRC2 support category after a strong showing throughout the weekend, claiming two WRC2 stage wins. One of Fourmaux’s favourite events for its fast-paced, loose surface, the Frenchman made his top-level debut here in 2021 with an impressive seventh overall finish.

After a strong first half of the season, recently claiming a surprise fourth overall in Latvia, Fourmaux will take his experiences in Poland and Latvia as solid preparation for Finland. Still very much in championship podium contention, sitting fifth in the standings and 31 points off third, the Frenchman will aim for a clean and fast drive to collect valuable points to set himself up for the rest of the season.

Their first appearance in Finland in Rally1 machinery, Grégoire Munster and Louis Louka will add more experience to their roster in Jyväskylä this week as they pass the mid-point of their first full season in WRC.

Building strong groundwork in both Poland and Latvia, finishing fifth and ninth respectively, Munster has seen improvements in pace across previous rallies which he will hope to utilise in Finland. A season of learning for the Luxembourger, Finland will mark another significant chapter in Munster’s growing experience and his induction into top-level machinery and he benefits from two previous appearances here to date in WRC2.

William Creighton and Liam Regan will make their first-ever appearance Finland in a Ford Fiesta Rally2. After a strong weekend in Latvia, placing fifth in WRC2 and fourth in the WRC2 Challenger category, Creighton will look to carry the same impressive pace into this weekend in Finland. Although a brand-new challenge to the Irish pairing, momentum from Latvia should well carry them through into some of the most iconic stages in rallying.

Richard Millener, Team Principal, said: “Although it hasn’t been long at all since our last rally, I am excited to be heading out to Finland. The rally heritage here always brings such an incredible atmosphere with fans in the service park and on the stages. High-speed rallies always bring that extra element of tension, and in Finland anything can happen with trees so close to the road and these twisty forest sections!

“Poland and Latvia have provided some good preparation for the ultimate fast-gravel rally here in Finland. Adrien has some good experience here, and he’s delivered some very strong results so far this season, so I think everyone is looking to see what he can do here. Grégoire will have some work to do to adapt to the increased speed from the Rally1 car here, and William has a whole new set of notes to work on! It should be an interesting event for all the teams and I’m excited to see what the podium looks like on Sunday.”

Adrien Fourmaux said: “This will be my third time in Finland in a Rally1 car, it’s a rally I really like and shows the legacy of the championship. We’ve got a really famous stages back in the rally, Ouninpohja [32,98 KM], it’s going to be a big stage for the championship and I’m pleased its back - it’ll be a new stage for me to do it at full-length! I’m just happy to be back in Finland and we’re hoping for another good result and to get back on the podium again.”

Grégoire Munster said: “In terms of preparation for Finland, we’ve done some onboard comparisons with Adrien and Mārtiņš from the previous events, and it’s been valuable to learn the differences in driving style and the inputs in terms of braking in order carry to speed through these fast corners. So, we’ll try to use all that knowledge in Finland and look to get a good result.

“The thing with Finland is that we have some experience here and knowledge of the stages, there are always some new ones here but we can prepare by watching the onboards, so we have some good insight heading into the recce and the rally itself.”

William Creighton said: “I’m looking forward to experiencing my first Finland – it’s going to be a challenge on this type of event for our first time, but we’ll use the opportunity to work on making good pacenotes and build on our last event in Latvia.

“This is one of the most special events in the WRC and I have no doubt there will be lots of Irish support on the side of the roads this weekend!”

🇫🇮 M-Sport | Adrien Fourmaux | Grégoire Munster | William Creighton | Secto Rally Finland | WRC - FIA World Rally Championship | Ford Performance

📷 Image by M-Sport Ford World Rally Team