It’s just round two of the Finnish Rally Championship. Who are we kidding? It’s one of the most anticipated events of the season – and this weekend’s Arctic Lapland Rally is arguably more meaningful than ever.
Based out of Rovaniemi on the Arctic Circle, it’s just up the road (admittedly a long road…) from Jyväskylä, meaning factory Toyota entries are nothing new. Elfyn Evans won in Santa Claus’ backyard two years ago and will provide the star Rally1 attraction on the Friday-Saturday event this time around.
Evans and co-driver Scott Martin aren’t just in town to get their Christmas list in early, they’re aboard the Toyota with a specific job in mind.
“Sweden was a bit tricky last year with the new [Hankook] tire,” explained Toyota technical director Tom Fowler. “We didn’t have the tire very long before the event (Sweden) and the drivers were struggling a little bit with the car with that tire. It’s probably one of the few times this year when we’re going back to an event with the same Hankook tire, so this rally will be an opportunity to revisit the setup he had last year and then try to put onto the car a number of developments that we’ve made based on data since last year and see if that’s going to help.”
Lappi is expected to be at the very sharp end in his Fabia
Once the flying GR Yaris Rally1 has passed by, there will be plenty more entertainment from Rally2 cars in the snow. Esapekka Lappi’s in the slightly odd situation of competing in Finland in a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 car before he steps back aboard Hyundai’s i20 N Rally1 next week for pre-Sweden testing. The likeable Finn is likely to set the benchmark behind Evans in the Arctic – but there will be plenty of WRC-bound crews snapping at his heels.
Rautio Motorsport is running a brace of GR Yaris Rally2s for its rapid rising stars Roope Korhonen and Tuukka Kauppinen, while Printsport fields similar machinery for Toyota’s Challenge drivers. Lauri Joona and Mikko Heikkilä bring Škoda into the mix.
Estonian Jaspar Vaher, 18, endured a slightly innocuous debut with TGR at the Finnish season-opening event in Mikkeli: second after SS1, he went off on the second stage. He’ll be hoping for more this week and runs alongside Takumi Matsushita and Shotaro Goto.
Niclas Grönholm enjoyed a strong start to the year, running MRF tires on his Fabia for the first time.
“GRX Red Devil is the only team using the MRF tire in the FRC, but after a successful test, I’m happy with the levels of grip they provided along with what we learned,” said Grönholm. “I’m confident we will be able to challenge for more points on Arctic Rally Lapland.
“The event is the most difficult on the calendar; the stages are narrow, they’re full of ruts, and it’s dark most of the time. The key to a strong result will be finding a balanced setup for. If you set the car up too soft, you’ll lose time. If you set the car up too hard, then it’s like driving on an ice hockey rink. Arctic Lapland Rally, isn’t just a case of planting your right foot and seeing how fast you can go – you have to use your brain, too!”
Fortunately for Niclas, he doesn’t have to look too far for Arctic-winning advice. His father Marcus is a three-time winner.
“This rally isn’t easy at all,” the elder Grönholm said. “Like all rallies, preparation is key, and that’s what Niclas, Samu, and the rest of the team have been focusing on during the two-week break since Mikkeli.
“The stages are really challenging mentally and physically, so it’s a case of risk vs. reward – you have to weigh up when to push and when to back off
“But Niclas doesn’t have a habit of crashing, unlike me when I was younger! Knowing that helps me sleep easier at night,” he added with his characteristic good sense of humour. “Our MRF tyres are good, so it’s down to us to find the right setup for the car.
“If we manage that, then I’m confident we can finish Arctic Lapland Rally with some more points in the bag and smiles on our faces.”
The Arctic Lapland Rally comprises 12 stages across two days, fnishing with the 20-mile Sarriojärvi stage on Saturday afternoon (January 31).
