The opening round in the second half of the 2013 takes competitors to the fastest event in the series, a very popular event which has attracted the largest WRC entry for two years. This rally is popular for competitors and fans alike. For drivers it is the delight of driving fast over gravel stages without fear of damage to their cars, for motorsport enthusiasts it is the uniquely spectacular three-dimensional roads, which force the cars constantly off the ground, landing with a shuddering bang that can be felt all around. And for young people in and around the up-country city of Jyvaskyla the rally finishes on the Saturday evening with popular music entertainment which stretches far into the night.
The headquarters of the rally is the downtown Paviljonki conference centre with the service park close by. This year the event has been extended in the time frame so there are extra stages on the Thursday giving a total increase of competitive distance of about 10%. The event however still has one of the smallest percentages of competitive distance in the championship, not popular among competitors in a country where speed limits are diligently enforced. Although the event travels southwards towards Helsinki on Day 1, offering the spectacle of the rally within easy reach of fans based in the country’s capital city, there is no presentation in the lake side city of Lahti this year.
Special feature of this year’s route is the activity at the Himos ski centre close to Jamsa on Day 1, where the first stage is held in the morning and then a double run round the same route in the evening. Close to Jyvaskyla is the superspecial at Killeri on the evening of Day 1 which is the climax to a wide variety of family entertainment on Days 1and Day 2. The NORF, formerly known as the “1000 Lakes” Rally, is the senior event in the world championship, the only event to be run as a round of the world championship since the series began in 1973, and the only event in the world championship to have started and finished in the same town every year.
Special feature of this year’s event is the introduction into the world championship of the new R5 class cars which comply with the Class 2 rules and WRC2 championship. Although fitted with production-based engines these turbo cars have a bigger restrictor than allowed in the rival RRC cars with their special engines, and unofficial tests show these cars will be more performant than current WRC2 cars. After appearance in various national and regional rallies round the world following homologation on 1st July, five of these cars are entered in Finland. The R5 cars strengthen the already strong WRC2 category. Three of the five Fiesta R5 cars making the debut for this new category of rally car will be fitted with DMack tyres. Two of them (for Brynildsen and Ketomaa) are run by Autotek, Barrable’s by CA1 Sport team based in Carlisle.
Qatar driver Abdulaziz Al Kuwari leads WRC2 in his Fiesta RRC while Nicolas Fuchs (absent from this round) leads the Production Cup sub-division in his Mitsubishi. After four month’s absence after suffering a back injury, Yazeed is back again in the championship also in a Fiesta RRC but Rashid Al Ketbi has withdrawn. He injured an arm during Rally Italia in Sardinia which has recently demanded a medical operation. The event coincides with the calendar for Citroen’s Top Driver serirs with one-make R3T cars, which means there are again competitors in the WRC3 category, and the usual ten competitors in the one-make Fiesta R2Junior series are present as well.
Statistics from the first half of the 2013 WRC season emphasize the domination of the Volkswagen team. Of the 120 special stages run in the course of the first seven rounds of the series, VW drivers Ogier, Latvala and Mikkelsen between them have won 70 stages compared with 29 for Citroen drivers and 24 for Ford drivers (equal times counted individually) and as for rally leaders VW drivers led after 89 stages, Citroen (always Loeb) after 24 and Ford after seven. Sebastien Ogier leads the world drivers championship with 154 points, the only driver to score on every event and a scorer on all six times the Power Stage has been run, against 90 for teammate Jari-Matti Latvala, while third is Ford drivers Thierry Neuville at 70. VW lead the makes series with 220 points ahead of Citroen Total with 74 and lying equal third both Qatar teams with 89.
The opening round in the second half of the 2013 takes competitors to the fastest event in the series, a very popular event which has attracted the largest WRC entry for two years. This rally is popular for competitors and fans alike. For drivers it is the delight of driving fast over gravel stages without fear of damage to their cars, for motorsport enthusiasts it is the uniquely spectacular three-dimensional roads, which force the cars constantly off the ground, landing with a shuddering bang that can be felt all around. And for young people in and around the up-country city of Jyvaskyla the rally finishes on the Saturday evening with popular music entertainment which stretches far into the night.
The headquarters of the rally is the downtown Paviljonki conference centre with the service park close by. This year the event has been extended in the time frame so there are extra stages on the Thursday giving a total increase of competitive distance of about 10%. The event however still has one of the smallest percentages of competitive distance in the championship, not popular among competitors in a country where speed limits are diligently enforced. Although the event travels southwards towards Helsinki on Day 1, offering the spectacle of the rally within easy reach of fans based in the country’s capital city, there is no presentation in the lake side city of Lahti this year.
Special feature of this year’s route is the activity at the Himos ski centre close to Jamsa on Day 1, where the first stage is held in the morning and then a double run round the same route in the evening. Close to Jyvaskyla is the superspecial at Killeri on the evening of Day 1 which is the climax to a wide variety of family entertainment on Days 1and Day 2. The NORF, formerly known as the “1000 Lakes” Rally, is the senior event in the world championship, the only event to be run as a round of the world championship since the series began in 1973, and the only event in the world championship to have started and finished in the same town every year.
Special feature of this year’s event is the introduction into the world championship of the new R5 class cars which comply with the Class 2 rules and WRC2 championship. Although fitted with production-based engines these turbo cars have a bigger restrictor than allowed in the rival RRC cars with their special engines, and unofficial tests show these cars will be more performant than current WRC2 cars. After appearance in various national and regional rallies round the world following homologation on 1st July, five of these cars are entered in Finland. The R5 cars strengthen the already strong WRC2 category. Three of the five Fiesta R5 cars making the debut for this new category of rally car will be fitted with DMack tyres. Two of them (for Brynildsen and Ketomaa) are run by Autotek, Barrable’s by CA1 Sport team based in Carlisle.
Qatar driver Abdulaziz Al Kuwari leads WRC2 in his Fiesta RRC while Nicolas Fuchs (absent from this round) leads the Production Cup sub-division in his Mitsubishi. After four month’s absence after suffering a back injury, Yazeed is back again in the championship also in a Fiesta RRC but Rashid Al Ketbi has withdrawn. He injured an arm during Rally Italia in Sardinia which has recently demanded a medical operation. The event coincides with the calendar for Citroen’s Top Driver serirs with one-make R3T cars, which means there are again competitors in the WRC3 category, and the usual ten competitors in the one-make Fiesta R2Junior series are present as well. Statistics from the first half of the 2013 WRC season emphasize the domination of the Volkswagen team. Of the 120 special stages run in the course of the first seven rounds of the series, VW drivers Ogier, Latvala and Mikkelsen between them have won 70 stages compared with 29 for Citroen drivers and 24 for Ford drivers (equal times counted individually) and as for rally leaders VW drivers led after 89 stages, Citroen (always Loeb) after 24 and Ford after seven. Sebastien Ogier leads the world drivers championship with 154 points, the only driver to score on every event and a scorer on all six times the Power Stage has been run, against 90 for teammate Jari-Matti Latvala, while third is Ford drivers Thierry Neuville at 70. VW lead the makes series with 220 points ahead of Citroen Total with 74 and lying equal third both Qatar teams with 89.