Rally Finland is unique among the current WRC events in being the only rally that has never ventured away from the same start/finish. Jyvaskyla in Central Finland has been its home throughout the event’s history and for this year’s 55th anniversary the format remains the same.

Action begins on Thursday night with a superspecial at the Killeri trotting track just outside the town. Friday’s stages are located mainly to the north of Jyvaskyla although the route does head south for the 33.93kms Mokkipera stage, used twice during the day, before a return to Killeri to end the 144.27kms opening leg. Saturday’s leg is run to the south and west of Rally HQ and will probably be the toughest and most spectacular day of the event. The awesome Ouninpohja stage features in this second leg although because of high average speeds the stage has had to be cut into two sections. The leg also features the longest stage of the rally, the 40.96kms Moksi-Leustu stage in a total stage distance of 144.76kms. Sunday’s final leg features two stages, each run twice and totalling 66.56kms, to the west of Jyvaskyla before the finish ramp ceremony at 1450.

Rally Finland Preview

Often referred to as the 'Finnish Grand Prix', Rally Finland is unquestionably the fastest of the season. Smooth, wide, undulating gravel stages enable drivers to reach speeds of more than 200kph, while the numerous 'yumps', the famous jumps that punctuate the route, demand the ultimate in confidence and pace-note accuracy. Technically, the event is a difficult one. Jumps can launch a rally car 50 metres through the air and lead directly into blind crests and sixth gear corners.

Formerly known as 'The Rally of the Thousand Lakes' the event runs through stunning Finnish scenery and around the numerous lakes that gave the rally its original name. Finland is regarded as the spiritual home of rallying and it is estimated that a fifth of the entire population turn out to watch their nation's round of the World Rally Championship. Since it was first run in 1951, local knowledge has proved a major key to success. Locals grow up building a detailed knowledge of the specialist conditions and, as a result, only three drivers from outside the Nordic region have ever claimed victory (Spaniard Carlos Sainz in 1990; Frenchman Didier Auriol in 1992 and Estonian Markko Martin in 2003).

Once again, the base for this year's rally is the university town of Jyväskylä: home to many of Finland's greatest champions. The rally starts on Thursday 4 August with a sprint around a Superspecial stage at the Killeri horse-trotting track. The rally comprises three legs, 355 competitive kilometres and 21 timed stages. The winning car is expected to cross the finish ramp at 1450hrs on Sunday 7 August.

Citroen

Can Sébastien Loeb yump on to the top step of the podium for the seventh time in a row and for the eighth time this season? Or, will he back off and rest on his laurels and his 25 point lead in the driver's championship? Ever since the Xsara WRC's maiden flight here in 2002, Citroen has patiently fine-tuned its understanding of this unique terrain to make its car increasingly competitive, a claim borne out by the progress of its stage times and results in recent years. To prepare for this year's rally, Citroën Sport's test team made full use of the four days of on-site testing permitted by the regulations.

Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena: "I really want to win this rally," says a confident Loeb. "It's a legendary event that very few non-Finns have won and I'm on a good run at the moment. However, I have no intention of driving absolutely flat out. That's not my style. I'm not the sort of driver who goes crazy. It's not in my nature to take what I have noted as a 5th-gear corner in 6th in the belief that it'll be OK. In the last stage in Mexico, as well as in Argentina after my spin, I was close to the limit but I still kept it tidy. Scrambling round a corner doesn't suit me and it doesn't pay. So I will drive in my usual way, pushing as hard as I feel I can to begin with, then seeing where we stand and after that adapting ours tactics as necessary. In Finland, we will see early on whether we have a real chance of winning."

Francois Duval/Sven Smeets: "To finish, but in a better position if possible. In Argentina, we allowed our rivals to pull clear on Day 1. After that, we played a waiting game which ended up not paying because nobody ahead of us retired. In Finland, there will be a lot of quick locals in WRC cars. Don't expect us to be that well placed on Day 1. We will endeavour to be as consistent as possible"

Subaru

Subaru will enter a two-car ream on Rally Finland. The two Impreza WRC2005's will be driven by Petter Solberg (co-driven by Phil Mills) and Chris Atkinson (co-driven by Glenn Macneall). Both Petter and Chris will be eligible to score points in the 2005 FIA Manufacturers' Championship. Petter has competed in Finland six times before. His best result came in 2003 when he finished second. Currently second in the battle for the 2005 World Championship for Drivers', Petter is aiming for a strong points finish next week. The Subaru team's latest signing, Chris Atkinson, tackled Rally Finland for the first time last year. He finished the rally in 33rd place at the wheel of a Group N specification Subaru Impreza. Next week will mark Chris's Finland debut at the wheel of the more powerful WRC specification Impreza.

Petter Solberg/Phil Mills: "Finland is a great event and one of my favourites of the year. There's a good atmosphere, it's well organised and the stages are incredible. After Argentina the feeling in the car is pretty good now, and I'm hoping that the final preparations at the test this weekend will mean we're very competitive on the rally. I've got my fingers crossed that everything will be perfect for a good rally, but for this one it's a little bit cautious too. For sure you have to attack, but it's not a good idea to start Finland feeling over confident. I'm ready to give it my best shot, and I hope it will be a good show for the spectators. A lot of my supporters come across from Norway and hopefully we can give them something to cheer about."

Chris Atkinson/Glen MacNeall: "I'm really looking forward to it. I completed the route last year in a Group N Impreza so I've already got some experience of the stages, which I think will be of some benefit. But in Finland you really can't underestimate the value of experience. It's one of those events that you need to do time and time again before you get close to the experts. The roads are pretty challenging, very fast, with lots of blind crests and jumps, but they're a type of road that I like. The speed doesn't faze me; I guess it's something I've become comfortable with after so many events in Australia where the roads are often just as fast. I'm hoping to get a good set-up at the pre-event test on Friday, one that will enable me to push a little harder on the rally and show some good speed."

Ford

BP-Ford World Rally Team plans to maximise local experience when it lines up for arguably the most specialised event in the FIA World Rally Championship in Finland next week.  The team has recruited Finns Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen to join fellow countrymen Toni Gardemeister and Jakke Honkanen behind the wheel of Focus RS World Rally Cars as Ford's nominated drivers for the Rally Finland (4 - 7 August). Hirvonen drove a Focus RS with the official Ford team in the 2003 championship. He has returned to the driving seat of the car again this season, piloting a privately-entered Focus RS to fifth on the Acropolis Rally of Greece last month after leading during the opening leg.  Hirvonen, who celebrates his 25th birthday on Sunday, lives in the rally base of Jyväskylä and is keen to make the most of his Ford nomination.

Toni Gardemeister/Jakke Honkanen: This will be the 10th Rally Finland for 30-year-old Gardemeister, for whom a top three result in his Castrol-branded Focus RS would mean much.  "Monte Carlo and Finland are the two rallies where a top result is special," he said.  "And, being a Finn, it would mean a lot to me to finish on the podium.  It will be a difficult event because there are so many fast drivers.  But it will be exciting to drive on my own roads, in front of my own fans, with the prospect of obtaining a good finish. "I know most of the stages quite well and there are only a few roads that I'm not so familiar with.  I'm used to the Finnish roads so they don't seem so difficult to me.  The most important aspect is not to lose momentum.  They are so fast that lifting off the throttle, even briefly, can cost a lot of time.  The Focus finished second here last year.  It has not changed so much since then so it should still be well-suited to this event," he added

Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen: It means a great deal to me that I have factory support again for my home rally," he said.  "I know everyone in the team, I work well with them all and I'm so happy to be back.  I've never driven the current specification Focus RS and there are many things that will be different compared to the 2003 car that I've been driving.  But I have a day's testing on Sunday and I think that will be enough to learn.  I know already that the Focus suits my driving style and my target is to score points for Ford and to be as close as I can to Toni at the top of the leaderboard.  If I'm close to him, then I can be in the top five. "There are two things that have to be absolutely right for this rally.  It's important to be 100 per cent sure of how the car handles and a driver has to get the correct driving line over the crests.  The stages are so fast that good confidence is vital and that comes with a car that handles well.  And before taking off over a jump, a driver needs to know where he is going to land.  Once you're in the air, it's too late to change your mind!  There is no room for mistakes," he added.

Roman Kresta/Jan Mozny: Kresta's only experience of the Finnish roads came in 2002 when he tackled the recce.  "It's a very, very special event," he said.  "It's impossible to develop a full idea of the nature of the roads until you drive them at a competitive speed.  But from that recce, I could see just how hard they are to master.  They're incredibly fast and flowing and they look fantastic to drive.  But driving quickly and driving competitively are different, and I understand why people say that it takes several visits to this rally before a driver can become competitive.  It's important for me to drive quickly, but cautiously, so that I can finish and gain as much experience as possible.

Peugeot

Currently second in the Manufacturers' championship standings, Peugeot Sport is looking to return to its winning ways in order to keep its chances alive of conquering another world title. The tenth round of the 2005 calendar, Rally Finland, stands out as a first class opportunity to achieve that objective. The Peugeot 307 WRC will be driven by Marcus Grönholm, winner of this event four times in the past five years. The only year the Finn failed to win, it was his new Estonian team-mate Markko Märtin who took the honours. The 307 WRC, which won last year in Finland, will clearly be in good hands, especially since a third car has been entered for local star Sebastian Lindholm.

Marcus Gronhölm/Timo Rautiainen: "Our main rival has been so strong this season so far that he even seems capable of beating us on our home event. Even so, it won't be easy for him and it will be up to us to make the most of that. Every year, I feel unbeatable going into 'my' rally, but this time I get the feeling we will need to be particularly strong and focused if we want to win."

Markko Martin/Michael Park: "This rally is unique," says the Estonian. "I like it a lot. Given that my country is so close and that it doesn't organise a round of the World Championship, it's almost as though this was my home round. I really hope to score a top result. I have always been quick in Finland, and I know the 307 WRC - which won here last year
- will be very competitive."

Skoda

The Škoda Motorsport World Rally Team will enter three cars for Rally Finland (August 4-7) with Armin Schwarz/Klaus Wicha and Jani Paasonen/Jani Vainikka nominated for points on the tenth round of the 2005 World Rally Championship. A third Škoda Fabia WRC 05 will be entered on the event for Janne Tuohino/Mikko Markkula.

Armin Schwarz/Klaus Wicha: This is a real drivers' rally and it takes place in forests full of enthusiastic spectators. It is very difficult for visiting drivers because only after three days do you start to understand the challenges. You have to be full of confidence to do really well.

Jani Paasonen/Jani Vainikka: Last year was my first drive for Škoda Motorsport but I enjoyed it very much and finished sixth. I hope that I can do at least as well as that this year. It's my home event so I always look forward to it and want to get the best result possible

Janne Touhino/Mikko Markkula: We had a really good test in Finland a few weeks ago that was probably the best test I have ever had with the Fabia WRC. I am fully confident and really want to get started!

Mitsubishi

After the South American winter, the FIA World Rally Championship contenders return to the European summer for the tenth round of the series. Rally Finland (August 4-7) is one of the most spectacular events on the 16-round calendar and the Mitsubishi Motors WRC Team will be fielding the all-Finnish crew of Harri Rovanperä/Risto Pietiläinen and Italians "Gigi" Galli/Guido D'Amore in the Mitsubishi Lancer WRC05s. While the event is also a qualifying round of the FIA Junior World Rally Championship, but no fewer than 15 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution drivers will be fighting for Group N honors.

Harri Rovanpera/Risto Pietilainen: "This is a special event for me with good feelings because of the amount of friends and fans", said Rovanperä. "For me it is one of the best rallies with the best stages; sure it is not the easiest to drive though. Lots of drivers know it well now, I think everyone likes it and all the drivers - not just the Finns
- are fighting for the top positions. I am really hoping for a podium position, but we have to make it through all three days; last year I was leading before an accident, but now the Lancer WRC05 gets better and better and hopefully we can show our pace again and get a good result. Our test in Finland was good, although the weather was wet and difficult, but I think we have made good progress with the suspension and I'm quite confident. The engine development is also a good point; our car speed should be good on these fast stages".

Gigi Galli/Guido D'Amore: "Testing in Finland was good; my first time on these stages in a world rally car", said Gigi. "Wow, it was an amazing experience! The jumps, crests, big sideways, very nice.! For me, it was like a great present to drive the car on these stages. We had some good results from the test but obviously we don't know how the other teams are progressing. What I can say is that I feel very confident at the moment and the car is just going to improve more and more".

Event Timetable

Thursday 4 August: Leg 1 Jyväskylä - Jyväskylä

Start   Paviljonki                      18.15
SS1     SSS Killeri 1           2.06km  19.00
Finish  Paviljonki                      19.27

Friday 5 August: Leg 1 (cont) Jyväskylä - Jyväskylä

Serv A  Paviljonki (10 mins)            07.30
SS2     Lankamaa                24.98km 08.51
SS3     Laukaa                  11.82km 09.39
SS4     Ruuhimäki                7.57km 10.34
Serv B  Paviljonki (30 mins)            11.28
SS5     Vellipohja 1            33.93km 12.38
SS6     Mökkiperä 1             13.96km 13.46
Serv C  Paviljonki (30 mins)            14.56
SS7     Vellipohja 2            33.93km 16.06
SS8     Mökkiperä 2             13.96km 17.14
SS9     SSS Killeri 2            2.06km 18.37
Serv D  Paviljonki (45 mins)            19.04
Finish  Paviljonki                      19.49

Saturday 6 August: Leg 2 Jyväskylä - Jyväskylä

Serv E  Paviljonki (10 mins)            06.00
SS10    Vaheri                  19.84km 07.06
SS11    Ouninpohja Länsi 1      13.98km 08.20
SS12    Ouninpohja Itä 1        16.55km 08.43
Serv F  Paviljonki (30 mins)            10.28
SS13    Urria                   10.00km 11.44
SS14    Ouninpohja Länsi 2      13.98km 13.07
SS15    Ouninpohja Itä 2        16.55km 13.30
Serv G  Paviljonki (30 mins)            15.15
SS16    Moksi-Leustu            40.96km 16.48
SS17    Himos                   12.90km 18.04
Serv H  Paviljonki (45 mins)            19.49
Finish  Paviljonki                      20.34

Sunday 7 August: Leg 3 Jyväskylä - Jyväskylä

Serv I  Paviljonki (10 mins)            09.00
SS18    Kuohu 1                  7.80km 09.44
SS19    Kruununperä 1           25.48km 10.42
SS20    Kuohu 2                  7.80km 11.55
SS21    Kruununperä 2           25.48km 12.53
Serv J  Paviljonki (20 mins)            14.06
Finish  Paviljonki                      14.34

Event Statistics

- Known as the 'Jyväskylän Suurajot' (Great Race of Jyväskylä) when first organised in 1951, then as the '1000 Lakes Rally' between 1954 and 1996 and, more recently, as the Neste Rally Finland since 1997, Finland's WRC round continues to be based in Jyväskylä, a university town on the northern shores of Lake Päijänne, 270 km north of Helsinki.

- As in recent years, the start and finish of each leg, as well as the single service park, will be based at the Paviljonki (International Congress Centre).

- The total length of the 55th event is 1,506.78 km, including 355.59 km divided into 21 stages (14 different). Nine of these are identical to 2004, while five have been modified, including the legendary 'Ouninpohja' test which has been split into two parts. Some 24 km of 'Vellipohja' are new, as are 5 km of 'Vaheri'.

- The time difference between Finland (GMT+3) and Continental Europe (GMT +2) is one hour, to be subtracted from the times listed below to obtain Continental European time.

- Recce (two runs authorised) is scheduled for Tuesday August 2nd and Wednesday August 3rd, from 07:00 until 19:00.

- Shakedown (Thursday August 4th, from 08:00 until 11:00) returns to the same 3.76 km test used in previous years near the ski jump on the outskirts of Jyväskylä

- The engines for this rally, which is paired with Rallye Deutschland, are new.

- Tyres: as in Sweden, Sardinia and Argentina, a single tread pattern is authorised. The teams registered the barcode references of the drivers' individual quotas of 60 tyres (40 of which may actually be used) on July 27th.

- Leg 1 (547.04 km, including 144.27 km divided into 9 stages). Thursday August 4th: start from Jyväskylä (Paviljonki) at 18:15. SS1 (Killeri super-special 1, 2.06 km). Return to parc ferme at 19:27. Friday August
5th: Stars from de Jyväskylä (Paviljonki Service Park) at 07:30. Service A (07:30, 10 minutes). SS2 (Lankamaa, 24.98 km), SS3 (Laukaa, 11.82 km), SS4 (Ruuhimäki, 7.57 km). Regroup (Paviljonki, 11:15, 13 minutes). Service B (11:28, 30 minutes). SS5 (Vellipohja 1, 33.93 km), SS6 (Mökkiperä 1, 13.96 km). Regroup (Paviljonki, 14:43, 13 minutes). Service C (14:56, 30 minutes). SS7 (Vellipohja 2), SS8 (Mökkiperä 2), SS9 (Killeri super-special 2). Service D (19:04, flexi-service, 45 minutes). Cars enter parc ferme (Paviljonki) before 23:00.

- Leg 2 (Saturday August 6th), 702.61 km, including 144.76 divided into 8 stages. Start from Paviljonki at 06:00. Service E (06:00, 10 minutes). SS10 (Vaheri, 19.84 km), SS11 (Ouninpohja Länsi 1, 13.98 km), SS12 (Ouninpohja Itä 1, 16.55 km). Regroup (Paviljonki, 10:15, 13 minutes). Service F (10:28, 30 minutes). SS13 (Urria, 10.00 km), SS14 (Ouninpohja Länsi 2), SS15 (Ouninpohja Itä 2). Regroup (Paviljonki, 15:02, 13 minutes). Service G (15:15, 30 minutes). SS16 (Moksi/Leutsu, 40.96 km), SS17 (Himos, 12.90 km). Service H (19:49, flexi-service, 45 minutes). Cars enter parc ferme (Paviljonki) before 23:30.

- Leg 3 (Sunday August 7th), 257.13 km, including 66.56 km divided into 4 stages. Start from Paviljonki at 09:00. Service I (09:00, 10 minutes). SS18 (Kuohu 1, 7.80 km), SS19 (Kruununperä 1, 25.48 km), SS20 (Kuohu 2), SS21 (Kruununperä 2). Service J (14:06, 20 minutes). Rally finishes in Jyväskylä (Paviljonki) at 14:34.

Leaderboard after Leg One of Rally Finland

1 GRÖNHOLM/RAUTIAINEN    MARLBORO PEUGEOT TOTAL              1:12:01.8
2 LOEB/ELENA            CITROEN TOTAL                        +00:05.8
3 MARTIN/PARK            MARLBORO PEUGEOT TOTAL              +00:47.4
4 GARDEMEISTER/HONKANEN  BP FORD WORLD RALLY TEAM            +00:51.9
5 SOLBERG/MILLS          SUBARU WORLD RALLY TEAM              +00:52.0
6 HIRVONEN/LEHTINEN      BP FORD WORLD RALLY TEAM            +01:11.8
7 ROVANPERA/PIETILAINEN  MITSUBISHI MOTORS MOTOR SPORTS      +01:53.0
8 DUVAL/SMEETS          CITROEN TOTAL                        +02:09.8
9 SOLBERG/MENKERUD      BP FORD WORLD RALLY TEAM            +02:24.9
10 TUOHINO/MARKKULA      SKODA MOTORSPORT                    +02:55.2


Petter Solberg (Subaru) and Sebastien Loeb (Citroen) briefly led before Marcus Grönholm (Peugeot) established himself in top spot.  The Finn's only problem came when a heavy landing over a jump near the start of stage five injured co-driver Timo Rautiainen's back.  The pain was so intense that Grönholm tackled the rest of the stage and the next driving blind without pace notes.  His lead dropped to just 1.8sec, but Rautiainen recovered and Grönholm widened his lead again to 5.8sec.  Loeb stalled at the start of stage five and co-driver Daniel Elena also injured his back at the same point as Rautiainen.  Solberg rolled on the penultimate stage but lost only 20sec, dropping to fourth and allowing Markko Märtin (Peugeot) into third. Harri Rovanperä (Mitsubishi) struggled all day with gear ratios that were too long while team-mate Gigi Galli retired on the opening stage when he went off the road, ripping the front left wheel from his car.  Jani Paasonen (Skoda) lost two minutes in a ditch while trying to get passed Galli's car
and then retired after the car's right rear suspension broke when landing after a jump.  Chris Atkinson (Subaru) went out after hitting a rock on the inside of a corner and breaking his front left suspension and steering.

Citroen

After 144 km of competitive action in the Finish forests, Sébastien Loeb, Daniel Elena and their Citroën WRC have emerged in 2nd position, 5.8 seconds behind Marcus Grönholm. François Duval and Sven Smeets are 8th and in the provisional Drivers' and Manufacturers' points.

Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena: "It's been a superb day. There's nothing like a good fight. I have an excellent feeling with the car and I'm 100% confident. Marcus pushed very hard, but so did I. I am pleased to have succeeded in taking the fight to the fastest home grown star on this event.and I hope it will continue that way tomorrow!"

Francois Duval/Sven Smeets: "I used the same set-up as Sébastien and ran harder tyres for the second loop (SS5/6). I think the set-up was too soft and the tyres were too hard for a first run at a stage. I kept the same rubber for the final loop but reverted to my own set-up. I'm in the points. That's the objective and I'll keep to the same pace tomorrow."

Subaru

After an incident-filled first day of Rally Finland for the Subaru team, Petter Solberg holds fifth place overall, but remains less than five seconds behind the top-three with two days of competition still to go. Solberg recorded a string of top-three times during the Leg, and won two stages outright, before a dramatic landing after a jump on SS8 cost him 20 seconds and two positions on the leaderboard.  Chris Atkinson's encouraging WRC debut in Finland came to an end on SS4 after a collision with a rock. He will re-start tomorrow under the Superally regulations to get more experience of the specialist conditions.

Petter Solberg/Phil Mills: "The car and tyres were improving through the day and we were in a good position near the top of the times. At the end of the day we lost a lot of time when, after clipping the rear wing from the car, we had no downforce over a massive jump in SS8. We landed on the radiator then went off into a ditch and hit a lot of rocks and trees. It is a long time since I had something like that. It was amazing that the car popped back out again and onto the road and we were able to continue. I think almost the whole side was ripped off and we still continued. The guys have done a good job to get everything back together. I'm not giving up and tomorrow we'll be pushing really hard for third."

Chris Atkinson/Glen MacNeall: "It was all going really well and we were pleased to be running in the top eight when you are up against the top WRC guys and the locals that know these stages so well. We just clipped a rock with an open wheel on the inside of a slow corner near the end of stage four and it damaged the steering. We managed to get another couple of hundred metres down the road, but it could go no further. I really didn't expect to go out on a second gear corner in Finland! It's a frustrating mistake, but we've still got a job to do, and we'll get back on it over the next couple of days."

Ford

BP-Ford World Rally Team drivers Toni Gardemeister and Jakke Honkanen and fellow Finns Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen each hold top six positions after today's pulsating opening leg of the Rally Finland.  Gardemeister lies fourth in a Ford Focus RS World Rally Car, less than five seconds away from a podium place, while Hirvonen is sixth in a similar car after a day of remarkable action in which average speeds exceeded 125kph.

Toni Gardemeister/Jakke Honkanen: "It was an odd day.  My position is good but the gap between myself and the leader is more than I wanted or expected. The tyres were good but the car slid too much this morning and I don't know why.  There were a lot of loose stones on the surface and the roads were wet rather than damp.  I stopped sliding this afternoon on the drier stages. The car seems better in the dry than in the wet but I don't understand why. I think tomorrow will be a better day because I know the roads well and like them.  I will make the ride height lower and see what effect that has."

Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen: "The difference in stage times between the fastest cars and myself isn't large and I feel comfortable at this speed. Some stages were soft and others were slippery, and that's where I dropped time compared with those ahead of me.  I drove well in the fast parts but perhaps I wasn't as smooth as I needed to be in the slower sections.  We need to find more speed tomorrow to catch the people in front of me and I think I can do that.  It has been a good day, tomorrow I need to make it a perfect day."

Roman Kresta/Jan Mozny: "It's unbelievable! I spent so much time in sixth gear, it's incredible.  I overshot a junction this morning and I was too fast into some corners and as soon as you do that, it's easy to lose confidence.  But I enjoyed the morning stages and learned a lot."

Peugeot

Marcus Gronholm - who has won his native Rally Finland in 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2004 - is determined to remain the master of this particular event. At the end of leg one of round 10 of the World Rally Championship, Marcus leads Finland with a slender but determined advantage from.the Citroen of Sebastien Loeb. Nonetheless, the day has been far from easy. The Peugeot team had a real scare at the end of the 33-kilometre long SS5 when Marcus radioed in to say that his co-driver Timo Rautiainen had severe pain in his back, and that he was not sure if they would be able to continue the rally. At the time he started the stage - the longest of the rally - Marcus was in the lead and attacking hard, as he had been from the start of the day. After 10 kilometres, a big jump taken at around 200kph caused a severe compression as the car landed. Timo Rautiainen felt a sharp pain in his back and was unable to continue reading the notes. One short stage remained before a service halt in Jyvaskyla, where Timo was treated by the team doctor and osteopath for bruising on his back. After the 30 minute service, Timo felt well enough to continue. Proving that the medical team had done a good job, Marcus and Timo carried on where they had left off - setting their fourth fastest time of the day!

Marcus Gronhölm/Timo Rautiainen: "It's been a very good day for us but the last few stages were difficult because I was thinking about Timo's back all the time, so I was definitely backing off over some of the more violent crests. The car and the tyres have been perfect all day and it's a nice feeling to fight for the lead again. I've always had a very good feeling for these stages and it's fun to drive them. But we are in the middle of a very tight battle and we have to keep pushing, so it's always more fun when you have done the stages and you can look back on them!"

Markko Martin/Michael Park: "I think I have felt more comfortable in the car today than I have since the start of the year. To do well in Finland mostly you need to have confidence, and I have good confidence in the car now. The new suspension set-up has helped me a lot. Tomorrow we will face a tight battle with Toni Gardemeister and Petter Solberg, and if it is as slippery as it was on many of the stages today, it could get very interesting. But I feel able to attack now, so I'm looking forward to them."

Skoda

The Skoda Motorsport World Rally Team completed the opening day of Rally Finland with Janne Tuohino in 10th place and Armin Schwarz in 14th. Jani Paasonen went off the road for two minutes on SS2 trying to avoid the stricken car of Gigi Galli that was blocking the road and then had to withdraw from the leg after a wheel collapsed under the car following a heavy landing on SS5.

Armin Schwarz/Klaus Wicha: "This is an event where local experience is very important. On stages that I know and feel confident on I can set quite good times but there are many that I don't know so well and there I have to be careful. We had a transmission problem on SS5 that caused the engine to stall three times in hairpins but otherwise the car has been fine."

Jani Paasonen/Jani Vainikka: "What happened on SS2 was just bad luck. Gigi's car was across the road with spectators trying to get him going again. When I tried to get past I got stuck on the rocks in the ditch. Everyone, including Gigi, tried to help but we lost two minutes and I lost concentration for a few stages. On SS5 we had a hard landing after the big jump that damaged the suspension. A rear wheel folded under the car and although we tried to reach the finish it was impossible for us to go any further."

Janne Touhino/Mikko Markkula: "This morning I tried to make a careful start because the roads were incredibly slippy. Perhaps I was too careful at times and I must push a bit harder. We were quite lucky on SS5, which was new for everyone, when we landed slightly off line after a big jump and drove for 100 metres in the ditch. Fortunately there wasn't a rock or we might not have come out again."

Mitsubishi

The Mitsubishi Motors Motor Sports WRC crew of Harri Rovanperä and Risto Pietiläinen hold seventh position at the end of the opening leg of Rally Finland, the tenth round of the FIA World Rally Championship. Mitsubishi Lancer WRC05 team-mates "Gigi" Galli and Guido d'Amore - in their debut outing in Finland in a World Rally Car - went off the road in the first stage today and were forced onto the sidelines.

Harri Rovanpera/Risto Pietilainen:"The problem we have is that the gear ratio is too long. It affected us quite badly today as you need more power in these softer conditions. At flat out speed it just doesn't feel like it. Tomorrow's stages are faster and more flowing on a harder surface, so this will help us more than it has today. Tires have been good and I have no problems here at all. The leaderboard seems to have been quite consistent today, but we have to keep pushing to protect our position."

Gigi Galli/Guido D'Amore: "It was my fault, a stupid mistake. On a long left corner, which was a bit more slippery than the previous corners, the car went too sideways and I couldn't get it back. A wheel went off the road and that was that. There were about 20 spectators that tried to get us back on the road, but with the front left wheel off it was difficult and we were forced to park up in a safe place. As we were doing this, Jani Paasonen (Skoda) was trying to pass us and he went a little off the road too and for that I am sorry."

Leaderboard after Leg Two of Rally Finland

1 GRÖNHOLM/RAUTIAINEN    MARLBORO PEUGEOT TOTAL              2:22:30.7
2 LOEB/ELENA            CITROEN TOTAL                        +01:07.0
3 MARTIN/PARK            MARLBORO PEUGEOT TOTAL              +01:42.4
4 SOLBERG/MILLS          SUBARU WORLD RALLY TEAM              +02:22.2
5 HIRVONEN/LEHTINEN      BP FORD WORLD RALLY TEAM            +02:25.9
6 ROVANPERA/PIETILAINEN  MITSUBISHI MOTORS MOTOR SPORTS      +03:32.7
7 GARDEMEISTER/HONKANEN  BP FORD WORLD RALLY TEAM            +03:36.5
8 DUVAL/SMEETS          CITROEN TOTAL                        +04:56.2
9 SOLBERG/MENKERUD      BP FORD WORLD RALLY TEAM            +05:43.9
10 TUOHINO/MARKKULA      SKODA MOTORSPORT                    +05:53.9
11 SCHWARZ/WICHA          SKODA MOTORSPORT                    +09:03.1
12 PONS/DEL BARRIO        XSARA WRC                            +09:34.9

Marcus Grönholm (Peugeot) dominated the day.  The Finn was fastest on six of the eight stages to open a 67.0sec lead over Sebastien Loeb (Citroen). Grönholm, who admitted to not attacking the jumps to protect injured co-driver Timo Rautiainen's back, had his hopes of victory boosted when Loeb lost 35 seconds on the last stage after hitting a rock and puncturing a front left tyre.  Markko Märtin (Peugeot) holds the final podium place, the Estonian much happier with the revised suspension fitted to his car for this event.  Fourth-placed Petter Solberg (Subaru) lost time on stage 14 when his car's rear brake line split but he recovered to hold off the charging Hirvonen.  Sebastian Lindholm (Peugeot) failed to start this morning when co-driver Tomi Tuominen was advised by doctors not to continue after being one of several co-drivers to suffer a back injury during a vicious jump on the Vellipohja stage yesterday.  Gigi Galli (Mitsubishi) re-started under the SupeRally rules but went off the road on the first stage and retired for good while Manfred Stohl went off on the same stage and broke his car's suspension.  Chris Atkinson (Subaru) also re-started under SupeRally but rolled into retirement at a fourth gear bend on the penultimate stage.

Citroen

With just a few kilometres remaining before the end of the day's final stage (Himos), Sébastien Loeb, Daniel Elena and their Citroën were in a strong position, just 30 seconds behind Marcus Grönholm. But at that moment, a puncture cost them 37s and dropped them more than a minute adrift of the leader. They continue to hold 2nd place however, while François Duval and Sven Smeets have stuck to their game plan and continue to run in 8th position.

Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena: "I gave it everything I could. There was nothing I could do. Marcus was faster. Tomorrow, without taking any risks, I will try to keep Markko Märtin at bay with a view to scoring as many points as possible for myself and Citroën."

Francois Duval/Sven Smeets: "I was a bit quick into a left-hander and I preferred to take the safe option by going straight on into a farmyard where I was able to turn round. Apart from Seb, all the drivers ahead of me are Nordics and they are never easy to beat here. The positive thing is that I haven't made any mistakes and I am still on target to score points which is my objective."

Subaru

After another incident-filled day on the gravel roads of Rally Finland, Petter Solberg moved up the leaderboard to hold fourth place overnight. Solberg's pace increased steadily throughout the Leg, and he set a string of increasingly competitive times before a split brake pipe forced him to ease off on two stages in the afternoon. Petter will start tomorrow's final day of competition 39sec behind Markko Martin's third place. Chris Atkinson impressed many with his pace on today's notoriously tricky stages. On his WRC class debut in Finland, the youngster traded times with far more
experienced drivers and, on SS13, he set the third fastest time. Chris' day was cut short when he went off the road on the penultimate test of the day, but he hopes to re-join the event tomorrow as a Superally entrant.

Petter Solberg/Phil Mills: "It was good to see the car look like new again after all the work the team did last night. But today was so difficult as we've been looking for the right set up for the conditions. Sometimes that's just how it is. Just before the long stage today we tried some damper changes to get more traction, but I found that it made the car slide so much and we lost a lot of grip. Then, on the last stage, we tried some new changes and that was so much better. I think we'll keep the same setting for tomorrow. We'll keep trying with the four stages left, but it's a short day and the aim is to keep winning the fight for fourth."

Chris Atkinson/Glen MacNeall: "Today was one of the best days rallying I can remember. To come to Finland and consistently match times with the top drivers was just fantastic. Everything has been working so well all day, the car, the tyres and overall package. It was a shame such a small mistake cut short a great day, but we just got caught out when we got stuck in a rut coming out of a corner and then hit a bump with the car tipping over into a ditch just off the road on the second last stage. To be fast in the long term we need to be quick and you have to risk the odd mistake. The crowd got us back on the road after a few minutes, but we didn't want to press on in case we damaged the engine. Hopefully we'll be back out with the car again
tomorrow."

Ford

Both BP-Ford World Rally Team pairings hold points scoring positions after a blistering second leg of the Rally Finland today.  Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen are fifth in their Ford Focus RS World Rally Car, while Toni Gardemeister and Jakke Honkanen lie seventh in a similar car despite losing two minutes and three positions on the longest speed test of the event this evening.

Toni Gardemeister/Jakke Honkanen: "The speeds were higher today than I've ever known.  I think I pushed too hard in Ouninpohja this morning, going sideways too much and losing time.  My tyre choice was too soft for the repeat stages there this afternoon and they started to move around a bit. The road surface was cleaner and I tried to drive more smoothly than this morning but it didn't make any difference to my times"

Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen: "Yesterday was a medium plus day for me, this morning was a medium minus but this afternoon I was back to a medium plus again.  I compared my times with Toni and Petter and I won a second here, and lost a second there, so it was up and down all day.  Before the rally I thought that if I was going to lose time it would be today, but that wasn't the case.

Roman Kresta/Jan Mozny:  "I entered a left bend too fast and slid into a ditch.  Jan opened the door to climb out just as I spun the wheels and he was covered in mud!  There were many spectators there who pushed and lifted the car back on the road.  Without their help we would not have continued so a big thanks to them."

Peugeot

Peugeot 307 WRC drivers Marcus Gronholm and Markko Martin have consolidated their positions at the sharp end of the leaderboard during the second leg of Rally Finland. Marcus Gronholm keeps his first place, extending his advantage over Sebastien Loeb from 5.8 seconds this morning to more than a minute by the end of the day. Markko Martin maintains his third position, having pulled out a margin of 39.8 seconds over Petter Solberg.

Marcus Gronhölm/Timo Rautiainen: "It's been a very good day, although I could not have expected to have a lead of a minute by the end of today! Actually that does not change things so much as we have been fast all day and I think we know that the speed is there. Our tyre choice this morning was perfect for Ouninpohja, and we had no problems at all. However there are still four stages run together tomorrow without service so we have to stay concentrated. Anything can still happen."

Markko Martin/Michael Park: "It's been another good run through the stages today: this is definitely the best rally of my year so far. I've got confidence in the handling of the car now and of course the engine is very good, which has allowed us to set some fast times. We've moved ahead of the battle we were in with Toni Gardemeister and Petter Solberg so tomorrow our plan is to drive for a podium finish."

Skoda

The Skoda Motorsport World Rally Team completed the second leg of Rally Finland with Janne Tuohino in 10th place and Armin Schwarz in 11th. Jani Paasonen did not restart this morning as the penalties he collected under the SupeRally system would have been impossible to overcome. On today's stages Janne increased his pace and again set several top 10 stage times. He moved into ninth place by SS15 but on SS16, the longest stage of the event, the large amount of loose rocks and gravel slowed him sufficiently to cost him a place.

Armin Schwarz/Klaus Wicha: "The car has been fine again for most of the day but I had too soft tyres for the first runs over Ouninpohja and by the end of the first group of stages there was very little grip left. We lost the auto gearshift on SS16 but we survived and can still get a good result."

Jani Paasonen/Jani Vainikka: Retired

Janne Touhino/Mikko Markkula: "This morning I tried to push a bit harder and I closed the gap to the people ahead of me. This afternoon's stages had a lot of loose gravel that didn't suit our set-up and I was disappointed to lose a place on SS16 which was especially rough. We will keep pushing tomorrow and see if we can recover the position."

Mitsubishi

At the end of the second leg of Rally Finland, round 10 of the FIA World Rally Championship, Harri Rovanperä and Risto Pietiläinen have moved into sixth position in the Lancer WRC05. However, team-mates "Gigi" Galli and Guido d'Amore were once again on the sidelines having gone off the road in SS12. The pair will not start the final leg in view of the damage caused to the chassis and suspension components.

Harri Rovanpera/Risto Pietilainen: "Today has not been so bad and we have tried to push as hard as possible all day. We had a lot of moments though, with the car too sideways, but for sure it was better than yesterday. Since changing the damper set-up earlier in the afternoon the car has been a lot more precise, but maybe we lose some grip. Tomorrow the first stage is not so bad, but the second I have only driven once before and it's quite soft, very fast and one where you need a lot of power. As for keeping ahead of Toni (Gardemeister), we just have to see."

Gigi Galli/Guido D'Amore: "We made one mistake over a jump and lost control; I couldn't do a thing. Lining the car up for the next right-hand corner I turned too much and when we landed the car snatched away from me. We hit a tree and damaged the front corner. I have never hit anything in that way before; it was big scare for Guido and me."

Marcus Grönholm stormed to an overdue victory on the Rally Finland 2005: 
The performance of the 307 WRC always seemed to be there, but luck wasn’t on the team’s side. Markko Märtin claimed and showed that new shock absorbers were a big improvement to him. However the team insists the new shock absorbers don’t give a performance advantage and in fact Marcus Grönholm won the event using the old ones! This time fortune turned. Early in leg2 the gap between Marcus Grönholm and serial winner Sébastien Loeb was still counted in split seconds. Before the last stage of leg2 Grönholm managed a lead of exactly 30s. Although it was a puncture for Loeb that ensured Grönholm could drive to victory relatively risk free, he also won 11 out of 21 stages, proving the victory was on performance and not pure luck.

Same for 3rd placed Markko Märtin. He came out on top in battles with Petter Solberg and Toni Gardemeister and at the finish of the last stage Märtin proudly made a strong point: “I drove to this position, I am not here because of luck!”. We expected two exciting fights inside the points positions. Petter Solberg vs Mikko Hirvonen for 4th went right down to the wire. Solberg had the upper hand on the first two stages of the day, but the 3rd stage was won outright by Mikko Hirvonen and the gap was again at only 5.2s with one stage left to go! In this one the pair was seperated only by 0.4s over 25km! Such Solberg defended 4th. The battle between Harri Rovanperä and Toni Gardemeister for 6th was quickly sorted. Already in the day’s 1st stage Garde passed Rovis. Next on the 1st run over the 25km Kruununperä stage Rovanperä inexplicably lost 20s to Gardemeister. And even though from now Rovis backed off, the result was underlined further by a puncture for Rovis on the last stage.

It was a short, 66km day, but these 66km certainly were good enough for drama. Chris Atkinson retired his Subaru with mechanical problems at the start of the penultimate stage. It was his 3rd retirement in one and the same rally, thanks to SoupRally rules. In S1600 Daniel Sordo drove to an unchallenged victory, starting the day with a lead of over 2min.

However big drama in group N! Swede Patrick Flodin and Finn Aki Teiskonen went into the last day seperated by only 5.5s. There was to be a big fight for group N victory! Actually, on the stages Flodin was having the upper hand as he extended his lead to 19.3s with one stage left to go. But on this very last stage Flodin suffered 2 punctures and he dropped a full 12 minutes in the process, dropping him to only 5th in group N! Worse even the story Hannu Mikkola’s son Vesa Mikkola has to tell. He went into the last stage with a massive lead in class N3, but his Honda Civic got stranded with mechanical problems near the end of the very last stage!

All in all this was a refreshingly exciting rally. And nice to see a different winner. Although we are wondering about some rumours that are circulating. Grönholm and Peugeot may be disqualified for an underweight door handle on a too un-blue car!