Amidst a high attrition rate, dashed hopes and disappointments, Northern Ireland’s Kris Meeke won the Neste Rally Finland last Sunday afternoon with a record-breaking drive that set a new record for the fastest FIA World Rally Championship round in history.
Rally Finland, to rally enthusiasts is perhaps better known as the 1000 Lakes Rally, and traditionally has been on the map as a round of the World Rally Championship (WRC). Starting and ending from Jyvaskyla in the Finnish Lakeland in Central Finland, the rally run on smooth and wide gravel. It features many blind crests and long jumps, and it is the dream of many rally drivers, having been dubbed as the “Grand Prix of Rallying”. The event attracts hundreds of thousands of spectators each year. Rally Finland has proven to be difficult for non-Nordic drivers, and since it began in 1951, only five drivers from countries other than Finland or Sweden have ever won it.
Rally Finland is now among the most popular and prestigious rallies in the championship and this year it is the eighth round of the WRC.
Kris Meeke, in a Citroen DS3 won Rally Finland with a 29.1sec victory over Jari-Matti Latvala in a Volkswagen Polo, shattering the Finn’s hopes of a third consecutive success on home ground and established a new speed record while doing so. Meeke’s 126.60kph average speed was 1.2 kph faster than Latvala’s record performance on the same rally 12 months ago.
Thirty-seven-year-old Meeke is the first British driver to win the Finnish classic and only the sixth non-Nordic victor in its 65-year history. He led for almost every kilometre of the four-day gravel encounter in his Team Abu Dhabi Citroën DS 3.
After establishing a solid lead on Friday, Meeke stamped his authority with a stunning display in the legendary Ouninpohja stage on Saturday morning. He distanced Latvala by more than 13sec in the rollercoaster 33km special stage and thereafter could afford to just pace his rival until the finish.
“It’s a little bit crazy!” said Meeke. “Finland is the home of rallying and Ouninpohja is the Holy Grail of stages and to win both the rally and that stage in the way we did is incredible. I enjoyed it like a little kid, just playing and having fun. It has been exceptional.”
Latvala was demoralised by Meeke’s Ouninpohja performance and settled for second to climb to third in the championship. His only error came on the first day when he punctured a tyre after swiping a bank with his Volkswagen Polo R.
Breen, a former WRC junior champion, netted a podium in only his fourth event in a headline World Rally Car. The 26-year-old could not hold back the tears as he crossed the finish of the final stage. “It’s the best day of my life,” he said.
Thierry Neuville held off Hyundai i20 team-mate Hayden Paddon to take fourth by 2.3sec, both drivers unhappy with their car’s handling throughout the rally. Mads Ostberg completed the top six in a Ford Fiesta RS.
Andreas Mikkelsen finished seventh in a Polo R, the Norwegian haemorrhaging time yesterday as he opened the roads in slippery conditions and conceding more seconds after going off the road. WRC 2 winner Esapekka Lappi was eighth with Kevin Abbring and Teemu Suninen completing the top 10.
Ott Tanak’s hopes of grabbing third from Breen ended when he crashed into a ditch on Sunday morning. Sebastien Ogier retained the championship lead despite failing to score after sliding into a ditch.
The championship switches to asphalt next month when ADAC Rallye Deutschland is based in Trier on18 – 21 August.
Keyword: Briton Wins Rally Finland