The Finnish Rally Championship series continued this weekend in Rovaniemi with the second event of the season, the Arctic Lapland Rally. Celebrating its 60th anniversary next year, this classic event provided exciting moments and varied conditions for both drivers and rally fans.
Over the weekend, rally enthusiasts had the opportunity to witness the performance of Rally1 hybrid rally cars in Rovaniemi, as Toyota’s world rally team drivers Kalle Rovanperä and Elfyn Evans competed in a testing fashion for the upcoming Swedish WRC event. The Toyota drivers gathered valuable data as the conditions ranged from Friday’s sunshine to Saturday’s intense snowstorm.
Rovanperä took control of the rally right from the opening stage on Friday and maintained his position all the way to the overnight break. Saturday began similarly, and by the midday service, the gap to Evans had grown to over half a minute.
“Getting data from all kinds of conditions is good because we don’t know what the conditions will be like in Sweden two weeks from now. We’ve adjusted the suspension geometry and differentials to improve the car’s balance,” explained Rovanperä in an interview with Yle Sport Studio.
As they approached the final special stage, SS12 Sarriojärvi, the lead had extended to nearly a minute. However, just towards the end of the stage, Rovanperä encountered a technical issue that forced them to pull over to the side. With the help of spectators, Rovanperä managed to finish the stage.
“A few kilometers before the finish, we had a technical issue. We got close to the end, but we had good help on the stage who pushed us to the finish. We even stopped there to eat rally sausages,” Rovanperä joked at the finish.
Evans struggled with car setup on the opening day but expressed satisfaction with the car and conditions on Saturday. Due to Rovanperä’s retirement, Evans claimed the overall victory in the 59th Arctic Lapland Rally.
“I think it was good that we came here. However, I’m not sure if it gave any confidence for Sweden; there’s still a lot of work to be done,” Evans commented.
Toyota team manager Jari-Matti Latvala, driving a historic-class Toyota Celica, enjoyed the Lapland stages despite facing technical issues. Latvala received a seven-minute penalty for being late at the time control after the day service.
“It was a really nice rally, and it was great to finally finish. Unfortunately, there were technical problems, but there’s no need to be too upset about it,” said Latvala.
A surprising stat from Latvala’s long career revealed that this year’s Arctic Rally was his third and the first where he managed to reach the finish line. In 2006, he retired due to going off road, and in 2022, it was due to technical issues. Latvala also revealed that he would participate in the next round of the Finnish Rally Championship, which takes place in his hometown, Tuuri.
In the SM1 class of Rally2 cars, Teemu Asunmaa, the defending champion, started the season in Rovaniemi strongly. Leading for most of the event, he eventually succumbed to Mikko Heikkilä on the ninth special stage. Heikkilä, driving a new Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, secured the victory, claiming his first reindeer antlers, the traditional trophy of the Arctic Lapland Rally.
“It’s a miracle that we won; we had about 40 snowbank touches on this last stage alone. Probably Teemu also had some less intended action. We went above the safe limit, but it’s good like this. It’s my first reindeer antlers, so let’s celebrate a bit,” Heikkilä joyfully remarked.
Roope Korhonen secured the third position in SM1, consolidating his lead in the championship standings.
In the SM2 class of Rally3 cars, Henri Hokkala secured his first class victory in the Arctic Lapland Rally. Jooa Iivari made a fierce late charge, reducing the gap to 0.8 seconds by the end but fell just short of victory. Paraguayan guest Diego Dominguez Berajano claimed the third position.
In the SM3 class of rally 4 cars, Tuukka Kauppinen dominated the competition, extending the lead over Leevi Lassila to over two minutes.
The Flying Finn Future Star competition, held in conjunction with SM2 and SM3 classes, saw five participants battling for a chance to win a complete rally package for the Finnish WRC event.
Ville Vatanen continued his strong performance in the SM4 class, winning the Arctic Lapland Rally comfortably. Tomi Tikkinen claimed the second position.
In the SM5 class, Arttu Lähdeniemi overcame various challenges to secure victory. Miikka Vuokila finished second despite going off the road, and Pekka Keski-Korsu completed his comeback from an earlier retirement to take the third position.