Few events can match the heritage, gravitas or sheer bravery required to succeed than Rally Finland.
A true jewel in the World Rally Championship’s crown, no event has featured on the calendar more than this one, and despite the hoard of new fast, gravel rallies in recent years none can match the unique challenge the roads around Jyväskylä throw up.
It’s an evocative place to visit, so for the home heroes it’s simply the biggest weekend of the entire calendar year.
Finnish drivers have always traditionally done well on their home ground – Sébastien Loeb, Ott Tänak and Elfyn Evans are the only non-Finns to ever win the event more than once – and within that there have been some truly special performances.
But it doesn’t always work out that way. Sometimes, whether it be the local pressure or things just going awry, big chances for Finnish drivers don’t always go to plan.
On the eve of the 2024 edition of Rally Finland, this feature is about celebrating some of the best and revisiting the worst top-class Rally Finland performances from the Finns over the years.
Best: Marcus Grönholm, 1997
Marcus Grönholm's performance in 1997 eventually led to a contract with Peugeot that launched him to stardom
By the late ’90s, Marcus Grönholm had been on the fringes of the world scene for several years, impressing at the wheel of privately-run Toyotas. He briefly led his home round of the WRC as early as 1992, before crashing out later on the first day while running seventh.
In truth, we could pick any number of eye-catching performances from the driver who would go on to match Hannu Mikkola’s record of seven wins on the event. He finished in the top six each year between 1994-96 but perhaps 1997 was most impressive; the 29-year-old really took it to the big boys when he was handed an outing by the returning works team on the Corolla WRC’s debut.
Grönholm’s stunning performance left him leading the rally after the opening afternoon’s stages. That meant he would sweep the roads on Saturday and he slipped to fourth. But trouble for Carlos Sainz on the final day put Grönholm back into third, where he looked set to finish – with three fastest stage times – until a faulty gauge meant his car ran dry on the penultimate test.
Back with the team a year later, Grönholm was running third until a broken wheel sent him off the road. His superb fightback left him seventh overall, with eight fastest stage times – and a tug-of-war for his services in 1999.
Best: Esapekka Lappi, 2017
In just his fourth top-line start, Esapekka Lappi won in Finland
Then the reigning WRC2 champion, Esapekka Lappi was handed his big break at the top table by securing a ride with returning giant Toyota for the 2017 season.
With the team not running a third car until the second half of the season, Lappi’s home round of the championship was just his fourth start in the Yaris WRC, and one of those had been cut short by a fourth-stage retirement in Poland.
But he was immediately on the pace, setting eight fastest times on the opening day to lead team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala by 4.4 seconds overnight. Latvala neatened his driving style and moved ahead on Saturday morning, but Lappi was keeping him under pressure.
Sadly, the contest ended when Latvala parked up with ECU failure, but Lappi more than deserved victory with a stunning display that belied his lack of experience. Elfyn Evans’ Ford Fiesta pipped the third Toyota of Juho Hanninen to second, more than half a minute back.
It appeared that Finland had found the new superstar it had been craving ever since Marcus Grönholm had hung up his helmet.
Worst: Markku Alén, 1993
Team-mate Ari Vatanen (pictured) starred while Alén barely featured
The great Markku Alén punched in many brilliant Rally Finland performances over the years, particularly in the mid 1980s when he hustled his Lancia 037 in pursuit of his four-wheel-drive Group B rivals.
But 1993 wasn’t one of his finest.
Drafted in alongside Ari Vatanen to give Subaru’s all-new Impreza 555 its debut, there was a degree of pressure upon the two Finns’ shoulders, but as previous winners of the rally it all should have been fine, right?
It was for Vatanen – second place to Juha Kankkunen’s Toyota was a great return, but Alén’s rally was a disaster as he crashed on the very first stage of the event. In the days of no super-rally, that was all she wrote for the Finn – both in Finland and with Subaru.
Team manager David Richards was so frustrated by Alén’s error that he wasn’t ever given the keys to a works Subaru again.
Best: Jari-Matti Latvala, 2014
Defeating Ogier in a straight fight on home soil meant a great deal to Latvala
Jari-Matti Latvala enjoyed some real magic moments at Rally Finland – think that first win in 2010, or that magic drive to fifth where the smile could not be wiped from his face last year.
But few can match 2014 which, given the circumstances, has to be seen as one of Latvala’s greatest WRC victories ever, not just on home soil.
In a fight with Volkswagen team-mate Sébastien Ogier for the world title and the win on Rally Finland, Latvala had the edge on his local turf – leading Ogier by half a minute after 19 of 20 stages.
But just when it was looking as if Latvala was going to be untouchable, things started to go awry for the Finn when he ran over a rock in the line and lost his front-right brake caliper. Ogier was chipping, chipping, chipping away and closed to within 3.4s of Latvala’s lead with Sunday’s three stages remaining.
“I have got the Finnish sisu, and I have decided I will not give up,” Latvala declared.
And give up he didn’t. The two Polos could barely be split, but Latvala did enough to hold on and claim a hugely sentimental victory (Finland’s first on Rally Finland since Latvala himself won in 2010) by just 3.6s.
More than that, he’d proved to Ogier he wouldn’t relent under extreme mental pressure, although unfortunately undid that good work on the very next event in Germany.
Worst: Toni Gardemeister, 2001
Handed a chance by Mitsubishi in 2001, Toni Gardemeister failed to capitalize on it
Seat’s withdrawal from the World Rally Championship at the end of 2000 left Toni Gardemeister without a drive. But after a couple strong outings in a private Peugeot 206 WRC yielded top-five finishes on the Monte Carlo Rally and Rally Sweden the following year, Gardemeister was offered a lifeline by Mitsubishi.
He was signed up to run alongside Tommi Mäkinen and Freddy Loix in a third Lancer Evo VI for his home round of the WRC and Rally New Zealand, where he had a strong record. The team clearly had belief in Gardemeister, as it nominated him for manufacturers’ points.
But his home event didn’t go to plan. While Mäkinen hit a tree stump and retired on the opening stage, Gardemeister made a steady start, hampered by brake and setup troubles. He then earned a 90-second penalty for being late into a control, plummeting to 32nd overall.
After a decent fightback to 11th, Gardemeister threw it away by rolling on the final stage. Not the best way to impress while seeking a drive for 2002.
Worst: Sebastian Lindholm, 2004
Crashing from second place on Ouninpohja was not what Sebastian Lindholm had in mind
Father of 2022 WRC2 champion Emil Lindholm, cousin of double World Rally champion and record Rally Finland winner Marcus Grönholm and himself a multiple Finnish Rally champion, Sebastian Lindholm’s rallying pedigree is beyond doubt.
But unfortunately, when given his biggest WRC chance at Rally Finland 2004, it somewhat went begging.
Lindholm had impressed in the WRC before when driving for Finnish dealer teams, not least in 1997 when he placed a Ford Escort WRC fourth overall. But 2004 was the first time he was entered as a fully-fledged manufacturer driver, competing for Peugeot alongside Grönholm and Harri Rovanperä as part of a Finnish super team.
Given his prowess for Finnish stages, this opportunity was unlikely to lead to anything meatier in terms of a WRC commitment, but Lindholm still had a shot to impress and did well initially – a stunning second overall behind team-mate Grönholm at the end of day one.
But dreams of a podium were shot down in flames on the first run of Ouninpohja when Lindholm spectacularly crashed his 307 WRC out of the contest. A bitter end to what was shaping up to be something so beautiful.
Lindholm did get another chance in 2005, but a one-minute penalty for a late arrival to a time control and then co-driver Tomi Tuominen falling ill made it a miserable weekend.
Worst: Mikko Hirvonen, 2010 & 2011
Mikko Hirvonen won Rally Finland in 2009, but let it slip for each of the next two years
In a sense this is a harsh billing for Mikko Hirvonen, who expertly won his home event in 2009 after losing out the previous year to Sébastien Loeb. But his next two Finland appearances were disappointing enough to warrant his place here.
Picking up where he left off the previous year, Hirvonen – who wasn’t enjoying the best season in 2010 – led the rally by a shave under five seconds after three stages in his Ford Focus RS WRC. But SS4 Urria would spell the end of the Finn’s charge as he landed awkwardly over a crest and was pitched into a terrifying series of rolls.
Team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala was able to pick up the mantle dropped by Hirvonen and defend home rule with victory, but there would be no such joy in 2011 as Frenchman Sébastien Loeb pipped Latvala to the post.
As Ford’s team leader, Hirvonen was expected to be the one harassing Loeb. But on the very first stage, he ran his Ford Fiesta RS WRC wide and hit a tree – feeling the “engine just died” – causing significant damage to his brakes and suspension.
Hirvonen struggled on to first service in 36th place, and eventually set a string of fast times to recover to fourth. But it could, and really should, have been so much more.
Best: Kyösti Hämäläinen, 1977
Kyösti Hämäläinen's 1977 win was without the need for pacenotes!
With three Finnish championship class titles to his name and having finished fifth on Rally Sweden earlier in the year, 31-year-old Kyösti Hämäläinen was by no means an unknown heading into his home round of the World Rally Championship. But, seeded 14th, he was certainly an outsider.
It was Hämäläinen’s first outing in a works Group 4 Ford Escort RS1800 Mk2, having been heading for a Group 1 class win the previous year before a misfire-induced crash. For the 1977 1000 Lakes, Ari Vatanen convinced Boreham to give him a chance in the test car alongside Björn Waldegård and Vatanen himself.
Having been relentlessly hunted down by Hämäläinen, Markku Alén’s Fiat 131 Abarth retired after landing on a rock after a jump, leaving Hämäläinen to lead home Timo Salonen’s Fiat by more than four minutes, with fellow future world champion Waldegård third.
Hämäläinen was fastest on 30 of the 46 stages and what was even more remarkable was his success came without any calls from co-driver Martti Tiukkanen! Having completed several thousand miles of recceing, Hämäläinen did not require pacenotes – he had memorized the stages instead.
Best: Ari Vatanen, 1987
Returning to action after his terrifying Argentina accident, Ari Vatanen was back to his best
Finishing five and a half minutes down on Markku Alén’s winning Lancia may not signify a special performance, but Ari Vatanen’s drive on the 1987 Rally Finland was about way more than just the numbers.
The 1981 world champion had been through a dark time after his horrifying Rally Argentina crash in 1985. Returning to the service park as an onlooker at Rally Finland 1986 brought him some joy, but to be on the start-line one year later meant the world to him.
Driving for Ford in a Sierra RS Cosworth in a one-off appearance, Vatanen was at a disadvantage with his rear-wheel-drive machine against the four-wheel-drive Lancias, Audis and Mazdas – particularly when it rained like it did on day one.
Alén soared off into the distance, leaving Vatanen to fight team-mate and fellow world champion Stig Blomqvist for second. Despite a spin on SS19 that dropped him back behind, Vatanen had the edge over Blomqvist (a full-time Ford driver) but undid his good work when he clouted a curb on the Valkeakoski city stage, and damaged his suspension as well as breaking a driveshaft.
Again this dropped Vatanen behind Blomqvist – who hit the same curb but avoided any damage. But exuding the same fighting warrior spirit that had allowed him to cheat death two years earlier, Vatanen vowed not to let a Swede finish ahead of a Finn in Finland – and stuck to his word; beating Blomqvist by almost a minute and thus claiming Ford’s best result of 1987.
He was well and truly back.
“I had to pinch myself and believe it was really me,” Vatanen said. “I was back in life.”
Worst: Kalle Rovanperä, 2021 & 2023
The reigning world champion is yet to win his home round of the world championship
For two years, Kalle Rovanperä blew everyone else into the weeds as he fulfilled his promise and scorched to two world titles, the youngest-ever champion – by five years! And there are surely plenty more to come.
But, among his 14 WRC wins since first topping the podium at Rally Estonia in 2021, there are so far no victories on his home event.
Three years ago, Rovanperä came into rally’s fall staging riding the crest of a wave. He had just claimed that first win, at the age of 20, then added another in Greece after an Ypres podium. But, amid setup struggles and carrying the weight of expectation on his shoulders, the anticipated pace just wasn’t there. Rovanperä was running fourth, nearly 20s behind leader Elfyn Evans, when he crashed out on SS10.
The following year was much better, as Rovanperä finished second to an inspired Ott Tänak. With Tänak then switching from Hyundai to M-Sport, Rovanperä was surely a shoo-in for victory in 2023?
Not so. Fastest on five of the first seven stages, Rovanperä charged into a 5.7s lead over Evans. Then, on the second run through Myhinpää, he rolled his GR Yaris. Another driver error, and another rally over. Rovanperä’s wait for a home win goes on.
