Rally Finland - Neste Oil Rally Finland
Rally Finland, also called the Thousand Lakes Rally, is included in this year’s World Rally Championship schedule as its ninth round. Today its official name is Neste Oil Rally Finland. It is organized among picturesque, dense forests in central Finland. Its route is about 1700km long and is divided into 22 special stages. Its first edition was held in 1951, and since 1990 it has been a elimination round of World Rally Championship. It is also one of the most popular rally in world championship racing series.
The rally is located in the town of Jyvaskyla, situated on Lake Päijänne. Characteristic gravel path stretching in the woods, with plenty of hop makes it a fantastic and spectacular rally for the fans.
Over the years, rally was dominated by Nordic drivers. Only in the last season Sebastien Loeb won. Prior to him, winners were: Marcus Gronholm - who won the rally seven times, Markko Martin, Juha Kankkunen, Markku Alen, Hannu Mikola, Ari Vatanen, Timo Salonen, Timo Mäkinen, Simo Lampinen and Osmo Kalpala, among others.