Secto Rally Finland Celebrates 50th WRC Appearance

The most exciting rally week of the year starts now, as the World Rally Championship hits Jyväskylä for Secto Rally Finland, August 1-4.

‍No other event anywhere in the world has appeared more times on the FIA World Rally Championship calendar than Rally Finland (total of 50 FIA WRC-events), which hosts round nine of the 2024 schedule.

Attracting its biggest entry in almost a decade, 80 drivers from 28 different countries will take the start in Jyväskylä this Wednesday evening [July 31], with 10 top-line Rally1 cars prepared for battle. A mammoth 31 cars will compete for WRC2 glory with another 22 in WRC3 (17 of those registered for Junior WRC).

Lying ahead of the competing crews is one of the best Secto Rally Finland routes in years, headlined by the return of the legendary Ouninpohja stage which will run in its full 33km format thanks to the advent of virtual chicanes.

The competitive action kicks off as always with the Harju stage in Jyväskylä on Thursday evening before eight forest stages on Friday – including Rally Finland classics Laukaa, Myhinpää, Ruuhimäki and Saarikas – before a return to Harju that evening.

Saturday is Ouninpohja day, which runs as the last of a three-stage loop including Västilä and Päijälä. Sunday packs in four further stages, with the second pass of Laajavuori running as the power stage and bringing the curtain down on the 73rd Secto Rally Finland.

Jyväskylä is already bustling with Secto Rally Finland fever as the manufacturer teams have already begun setting up their service structures, but rally week officially begins today [Monday] with the full opening of the service park to all competitors at 12pm. That’s before the rally office opens its doors at 4pm while reconnaissance of the special stages begins bright and early on Tuesday morning.

Months of planning and preparation have led to this point, but there is plenty of hard work to do to ensure the success of 2024’s Secto Rally Finland.

Clerk of the course, Kai Tarkiainen, said: “It is always a unique feeling at the beginning of rally week. Seeing all of our meticulous planning come to fruition is satisfying, but only a small part of the job is done – we still have a rally to run!“

There simply would be no Secto Rally Finland without our huge team who have been working day and night to get us to this point. From the service park managers and security, stage set-up crews, on-event marshals and of course those of us in rally office, none of this would happen without everyone’s passion and dedication to this event.

“While my job doesn’t allow me much time to actually take in the spectacle, I am fully confident 2024 will be one of the best Secto Rally Finlands ever. We have an incredible entry with three Finns capable of winning the event outright and three world champions – including our very own Kalle Rovanperä – as well as the exciting debut of rising Finnish star Sami Pajari.“

Over 30 cars will fight in WRC2 and a similarly epic WRC3 and Junior WRC entry list ensures one of the best spectacles for spectators in recent years. And then there’s the route – I cannot wait to see these Rally1 cars take on the full-length Ouninpohja.

“We are ready, Jyväskylä is ready, Secto Rally Finland week is go!”