The first World Rally Championship-scoring edition of the Arctic Rally concludes with two runs of a single stage that will be well known to fans of the event as it featured on the national version of the winter rally.
Powerstage points will be on offer for the drivers and manufacturers of the top class, as well as those fighting for support category honors, but the reduced mileage of the final day and overnight snow means tire management on the first run of Aittajärvi to prioritise the second won’t be as prevalent as there will be less frozen gravel to lose Pirelli studs to.
With tight gaps between Kalle Rovanperä and Thierry Neuville fighting for second and Craig Breen and Elfyn Evans who are squabbling over fourth, expect this test to count for more than just bonus championship points.
SS9/10 Aittajärvi (13.96 miles)
Grip on this stage should be quite high, with the road having been watered to provide a better ice base.
Sébastien Ogier wasn’t such a huge fan of this one, feeling it didn’t offer quite as much as the previous two days. Quite long for a powerstage at 13.96 miles it’s generally all quick, apart from a section near the finish which is twisty, tight and ready to catch out the unwary.
This is the only stage where drivers like Oliver Solberg and Ole Christian Veiby will have an advantage, having been through this one on the Arctic Lapland Rally last month.
One aspect of Finnish rallying we haven’t seen much of in the last couple of days is the road running through a farmyard. The one does. Seven miles in, the crews will dodge between the barns with barely diminished speed in pursuit of SS10 bonus points just south of Rovaniemi.
