RALLY FINLAND, ALL EYES ON SS OUNINPOHJA
No surprises, as yet again, for the 2024 edition of Rally Finland, which gets underway with the first special stage tonight, the crews have opted exclusively for the soft tyres, the only choice made in recent years to tackle the roads around Jyvaskyla. All drivers have actually gone with the maximum permitted number, 28, of the prime tyres. It was the obvious choice, backed up by the findings of the Pirelli engineers after the recce, that for this year’s Rally Finland, the soft compound Scorpion SBs will best allow the drivers to make the most of the grip levels provided by the typical Finnish gravel roads. The road surface will often be damp, especially in the mornings, also due to occasional rain, which is expected to fall frequently, but not heavily, especially on Saturday, the longest, toughest day of the rally.
In fact, the single longest special stage of the rally takes place on Saturday. The 32.98 kilometre-long SS13-16 Ouninpohja returns TO the Rally Finland route for this year and, apart from its length, it also presents other challenges that explain why this event is sometimes referred to as the Finnish Grand Prix: many crests and long jumps throughout the entire route, stones especially in the final two sections and several sections with loose gravel. On the same day, it will also be worth keeping an eye on SS11-14 Västilä (18.94 kilometres) which has similar characteristics to Ouninpohja, although it is less severe.
PIRELLI TYRES IN FINLAND
In Finland, the prime is the new-generation soft compound Scorpion KX WRC SB, featuring a revised construction that ensures greater durability and resistance compared to its predecessor, while delivering the same level of performance. The option tyre is the hard compound Scorpion KX WRC HB, suitable for more abrasive surfaces and longer stages.
As for the other categories, in Finland, the Rally2 cars will have available the Scorpion K6B (soft) and the new K4C (hard), while the Rally3 cars will run the K6A (soft) and the K4A (hard). For these categories, the allocation is 26 and 8 for the prime and option respectively.