Rally Finland
Round nine of the World Rally Championship takes crews to the Rally Finland. Although no longer known as the 1000 Lakes Rally the event retains the characteristic high-speed performance over the undulating roads of Central Finland. Variable grip from the smooth gravel surface adds a sting to the challenge, as does the possibly variable weather at this time of year. From August 24-26 Pirelli's PZero range of tyres will be called upon to renew the flow of results that were interrupted by the Safari Rally last month. The technically difficult Finnish stages, where local knowledge is vital, demands versatility to cope with the changing surface conditions and weather to secure victory.
The recent Safari Rally, where a tremendous selection of technical problems sidelined most of the Ford and Subaru drivers, did not allow Pirelli to show the true value of its PZero range after its dominant performances in Argentina, Cyprus and Greece. On these three similar, yet also very different, events Pirelli was able to take three successive wins through Colin McRae and the Ford Focus.
The PZero range will again be put to the test in Finland where the Nordic gravel can be as smooth as asphalt yet also feature loose gravel and even sand. There is also the real threat of rain which can lead to large areas of mud that will test the versatility of drivers, cars and tyres. Three levels of compound feature in each of the K and KM tyres chosen by Ford and Subaru to guarantee the maximum performance whatever the weather.
The big news for Pirelli in Finland, however, is the return of rally legend Markku Alen to drive alongside McRae, Sainz and Delecour in the Ford team. Winner of 19 WRC events, nearly all with Pirelli, the 50 year old Finn has taken victory on this rally six times. With his legendary capacity for 'maximum attack ', Pirelli is proud to be with him on this exceptional adventure.
Two patterns - All with EMI
To take on the challenge of the often variable weather conditions in Finland, the PZero range of gravel tyres for this event will number around 2500 covers in two tread patterns: K and KM with evolutions in two steps from hard to soft. All are equipped with Pirelli's EMI anti-deflation system and able to be hand cut.
FOR HARD SURFACES | |
K | (Size 205/65-15) |
Type | A tyre for essentially hard surfaces |
Compound options | 2, 4 and 6 (the last two with evolutions) |
Description | Level 2 is for a dry surface and temperatures above 15 degrees, level 4 is for damp roads or dry surfaces with low temperatures and level 6 for damp or wet conditions with the temperature below 10 degrees. All are able to be additionally hand cut. |
FOR SOFT OR SANDY SURFACES | |
KM | (Size 205/65-15) |
Type | Tyre for use where the surface is soft or on sand |
Compound options | 2, 4 and 6 (the last two with evolutions) |
Description | The three different levels of tyre will be used in a similar way to those of the K-pattern tyre but the KM option will be used where the overall road surface is softer or sandier. |
The higher the compound number the softer the tyre.
The PIRELLI TEAM for Finland | |
4 Ford Focus RS | McRae-Grist*, Sainz-Moya*, Delecour-Grataloup & Alen-Riipinen |
3 Subaru Impreza WRC | Burns-Reid *, Solberg-Mills* & Martin-Park |
2 Mitsubishi Lancer Group N | Pozzo & Galli |
* Registered for World Rally Championship manufacturer points.
Our Drivers said |
Colin McRae I always try to drive to win but this is an event where I need to be sure of good points so the target is no more than a podium finish. It's a specialised event and experience counts for everything, which is why it's always tough to beat the Finns on their home rally. The roads are very fast and smooth but they can become quite tricky if it gets wet. It actually helps to have damp surfaces as it binds the gravel together and increases grip but I've never driven a really wet Rally Finland to see how bad it could get. |
Carlos Sainz I like this event very much, especially because I'm one of only two non-Scandinavian drivers to have won it. Even with that win behind me it's still a difficult rally for the visitors. We shouldn't have any tyre problems on the rally as the stages aren't hard like other events but the roads can become very slippery if it's dry and the loose gravel hasn't been bound together by some dampness. |
Richard Burns This is one of my three favourite events and although I've not won it yet, I've been close quite often. Perhaps this year will be the one! It's a difficult event for visitors but I usually seem to go well and last year I was the only driver to get close to Marcus Gronholm. However I also found out that there is a very fine line between success and disaster! Pirelli will again have some new tyre evolutions and there's no reason to think we can't be fully competitive again this year. |
Petter Solberg I'm really looking forward to this rally! It's good fun although I've only managed to complete one and a half rallies after I crashed out last year. I've got to put that behind me and go flat out again - there's only one way to drive this rally. |
Around the world in 14 events
Monte Carlo | 19-21 January | Asphalt/snow/ice |
A great start to the season for Pirelli in Monte Carlo with the Ford Focus RS of Colin McRae leading after the second leg before having to retire with a mechanical problem. The PZero range proved to be efficient, competitive and wear resistant on all surfaces including the traditional Monte Carlo asphalt/snow/ice mixture. | ||
Sweden | 9-11 February | Snow/ice/gravel |
The most stage wins but no victory - that was the result for Pirelli in Sweden. If it were not for the time spent off the road on the first day, either the Ford of Colin McRae or the Subaru of Richard Burns would most likely have emerged as the winner along with the other Ford of long-time leader Carlos Sainz. It was a superb performance by the new PZero tyres with their Italian-made studs. | ||
Portugal | 9-11 March | Gravel |
Carlos Sainz drives his Pirelli-equipped Ford very close to victory, leading with just one stage to go before being narrowly beaten by Makinen's Mitsubishi. 4th place (and first points of 2001) for Subaru's ace Burns. Positive performance for the PZero gravel range of tyres, always used in the KM6 option with varying level of hand cuts. | ||
Catalunya | 20-25 March | Asphalt |
Near summer temperatures drastically altered the technical challenge in Spain while the situation was also affected by technical problems for both Ford and Subaru on the opening day. As a result the Pirelli drivers were forced to run further down the order on the second day where dirty roads prevented an effective attack. The PZero tyre range performed well but these problems ensured the results were inconclusive. | ||
Argentina | 4-6 May | Gravel |
Victory was secured for Pirelli with a dominant performance by the PZero gravel range of tyres that won all but four of the 21 stages. Colin McRae brought the first win for the Pirelli-Ford partnership ahead of Subaru driver Richard Burns and an injured but still impressive Carlos Sainz (Ford-Pirelli). This was a major result for the K and KM pattern tyres on a difficult event. | ||
Cyprus | 1-3 June | Gravel |
Once more the PZero range of gravel tyres dominated the first four places on the rally with Colin McRae (Ford-Pirelli) taking his second win in a row from Richard Burns (Subaru-Pirelli). Carlos Sainz's Ford finished third ahead of Toshihiro Arai's Subaru. This was a major result for the XR2 tyres used on every stage of the event to secure this top performance. | ||
Acropolis | 15-17 June | Gravel |
Another gravel victory for Pirelli and the third win in succession for the Ford Focus WRC of Colin McRae and Nicky Grist. The Pirelli PZero range's domination was almost total, winning all but one of the stages, with Petter Solberg's Subaru taking second and the Ford of Francois Delecour fourth. Only late mechanical problems for Richard Burns and Carlos Sainz denied them podium places. | ||
Safari | 20-22 July | Gravel |
Retirement from the contest by the Subarus of Richard Burns (suspension), the Fords of Colin McRae and Carlos Sainz (transmission and engine respectively). On the final day the Subaru of Petter Solberg (wheel bearing) retired to leave Pirelli with only the 4th placed Ford of Francois Delecour despite winning 7 of 12 stages. Group N saw another dominant performance with Gabriel Pozzo taking 6th overall. | ||
Finland | 24-26 August | Gravel |
New Zealand | 21-23 September | Gravel |
San Remo | 5-7 October | Asphalt |
Corsica | 19-21 October | Asphalt |
Australia | 1-4 November | Gravel |
Great Britain | 22-25 November | Gravel |