WRC heads to Finland for brand-new event
Our team is banking on a strong performance in the second round of the WRC season, Arctic Rally Finland, after a tricky opening outing at Rallye Monte-Carlo.
“It’s no secret that our season didn’t begin in the way we had planned in Monte-Carlo,” admitted our Team Principal Andrea. “Arctic Rally Finland gives us the opportunity to rectify this. We will have to be at the top of our game on all three days – nothing less than victory will be a good result.”
Three of our crews will tackle the elements in the inaugural Arctic Rally Finland: Thierry/Martijn, Ott/Martin, and Craig/Paul.
Dashing through the snow
The all-new event sees our team head into the unknown at the only full-snow event of the season. Held in the Rovaniemi region, temperatures can dip below -30°C, while reduced daylight hours mean some stages will take place in darkness.
Our crews will face a true challenge on the frozen Arctic Circle roads. Not only will they have to create pace notes from scratch, but they will also have to master snowbanks and studded tyres for a successful run. Ten stages cover 251.08km of competitive distance in what is likely to be one of the fastest events of the year.
“It’s proper winter conditions, lots of snow on the stages, huge snowbanks and quite narrow in places,” said Thierry. “It’s a challenging profile but one we are really looking forward to.”
All set for the Arctic
Our Estonians are hoping for better fortunes at the full-snow event. “Arctic Rally Finland will be a very interesting event,” said Ott. “We will be aiming to get our championship off to a proper start after the disappointment and challenges of Monte, targeting a more representative result for ourselves and the team.”
Arctic Rally Finland will mark the first WRC outing of the new season for Irish crew, Craig/Paul. “I am thrilled that Paul and I get to start our 2021 championship at a brand-new event for the WRC, a rally that is going to be an amazing adventure for us all,” said Craig. “It’s important for Paul and me to start our season in the right way.”
“All three drivers have finished on the podium in previous full-snow events, so we know they are capable of great speed in tricky conditions,’” concluded Andrea.
