After a nine-week rally drought over the summer, the FIA World Rally Championship marks its return with two events in two weeks. Next weekend, straight after Rally Deutschland, the action moves to the gravel roads of central Finland for the tenth of the 16 round WRC series.

Formerly known as 'The Rally of the Thousand Lakes', Rally Finland is regarded as one of the classics of the WRC calendar and features smooth gravel stages that pass through stunning forest scenery and around the lakes that gave the rally its original name. With awe-inspiring stages and a record of producing some of the best drivers in the WRC, Finland is regarded as the spiritual home of rallying and it is estimated that a fifth of the entire population will turn out to watch their round of the Championship.

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 breath-taking speeds of more than 200kph, while the numerous 'yumps', the famous Finnish jumps that feature throughout the route, demand the ultimate in confidence and precision driving. Technically, the event is a difficult one.Jumps can launch a car 50 metres through the air and lead directly into blind crests and sixth gear corners. With average speeds of around 120kph, the event demands unwavering commitment and bravery.

Event pairing adds another dimension to the challenge for 2006. Most cars are due to arrive in Finland on Tuesday morning and teams will face a race against the clock to transform them from asphalt to gravel specification.A Superspecial at the Killeri horse-trotting track opens the rally on Thursday 17 August, with the first of 19 more 'proper' stages following on Friday morning. The rally comprises 351.61 competitive kilometres and is due to finish at 1454hrs on Sunday in the host town of Jyvaskyla.

Team Previews:

1. Kronos Total Citroen

The three Xsaras have been offloaded from the ferry on Tuesday morning at around 13.30 and were sent to the Kronos workshop's in Jyväskylä. One hour later all the material was unloaded and the fifteen mechanics ready to start working.

Sebastien Loeb: "Finland rally was always the most difficult for me to win. It's very specific, very fast places, jumps, crests, very difficult. Last year I was in a good rhythm for the first time here, not enough to win, but not so far away. I am happy with the settings on the car, so I will do my best. For me it would be the rally I would like to win, so it would be a great moment like it was when I won Sweden. Okay, we'll see. I will try to go faster."

Daniel Sordo: No quote available.

2. OMV-Peugeot Norway

The OMV Peugeot Norway World Rally Team is once again competing in full strength at the "Neste Rally Finland". Therefore Stohl/Minor (Aut) and H. Solberg/Menkerud (Nor) can also score in the manufacture WRC at the 10th run to the FIA World Rally Championship. The OMV Team plans to cut a very fine figure there even though the Finland Rally ranks among the most challenging WRC runs. While it is the sixth participation for Stohl in Scandinavia, Solberg has even more Finland-experience by one run.

Manfred Stohl/Ilka Minor: "It is simply incredible. Most of the time you are up in the air - that is, at least, what it feels like. A feeling that is further heightened by the high speed. And the spectators are incredibly enthusiastic, too. That is pure rallying."

Henning Solberg/Cato Menkerud: "I am really looking forward to rallying again. It has been a very long break. For me it was even longer since I didn't compete in the OMV ADAC Rallye. Now it is time to score driver points and manufacture WRC points as well, of course. I believe that we will cut a fine figure in Finland. It is a course made for the Peugeot 307 WRC."

3. BP-Ford

Ford's flying Finns will carry the hopes of their home nation when they aim to continue their country's remarkable record on the Rally Finland (17 - 20 August).  Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen and team-mates Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen will delight their legions of fans if either of their Ford Focus RS World Rally Cars wins this 10th round of the FIA World Rally Championship, a triumph that would mark Finland's 50th victory in the event's 56-year history.

Marcus Grönholm/Timo Rautiainen: "I don't really need to tell anyone that Finland is one of my favourite rallies, I think everyone knows that. Rallying is so huge in my country and Rally Finland is such a massive event that nothing can take away the enjoyment of winning here.  I will never get fed up with that.  I want to experience that again and after a good test last month I think the Ford Focus can win.

Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen:  "I just can't wait for the start. The rally is so fast and the roads are such great fun to drive.  The jumps are massive and it's a great feeling to be behind the wheel of a car that is flying sideways through the air at top speed.  I have my targets for the weekend but I'm keeping those to myself.  All I will say is that it's a shame for me that Marcus will be in the same car because in Finland he is the man to beat.

4. Stobart VK M-Sport Ford

Kosti Katajamki will join Stobart Ford for Finland.

Matthew Wilson/Michael Orr: "I'm looking forward to Finland as it's a gravel event and it should suit my driving style. I attended the BP Ford World Rally Team test and sat alongside Marcus Gronholm when he tested there so I gained a lot from that. It's a flat out event and it has big jumps. We'll be looking to complete the event and gain experience rather than go for all out results but I'm sure it will be enjoyable all the same."

Kosti Katajamaki:  "It's quite difficult to say in numbers where I want to be at the finish. I want to go faster and faster on every stage and finish at the top of the private drivers. I don't think there's an advantage for the Finns. This will be my fourth time in Jyväskylä and there are many drivers who have been here more than me. Of course, the type of the stages is quite familiar for us, but it doesn't make a big difference."

5. 555 Subaru

The Subaru World Rally Team will enter two cars in Rally Finland. One of the two Impreza WRC2006's will be driven by Petter Solberg (co-driven by Phil Mills), the other by Chris Atkinson (co-driven by Glenn Macneall). Petter has driven the rally seven times before. Last year the Norwegian had a heavy landing after a jump on the first day of competition and extensively damaged the rear of his Impreza WRC2005. Subaru technicians repaired the car in the final 45-minute service of the day and Petter went on to finish fourth.

Chris competed in Rally Finland for the first time in 2004 when he drove a privately-entered Group N Impreza. The Australian made his Finland WRC debut last year and set some highly competitive times before retiring on SS19 with a mechanical problem.

Petter Solberg/Phil Mills: "In Finland I'm just going to be patient from the start and do a little fine-tuning as we go on. We've now got to show we can perform, and there's some pressure on all of us to make things work. I hope we will be fast enough to fight for the win - I've been second and third before and know the event very well. I want a good result for the people back in the factory - they are working flat out."

Chris Atkinson/Glen MacNeall: "This will be my third Rally Finland and it's an event I really enjoy. It's good fun to drive, it's so fast and the jumps are incredible.The testing we've done over the summer gave us some valuable information and everything suggests we've made a big step forward with the car. I'm now looking forward to putting it into action on gravel.I'd like to be as competitive as the top five guys; I don't think a podium finish is impossible."

Event Timetable:

Thursday 17 August: Leg 1 Jyväskylä - Jyväskylä

Start  Paviljonki                      19.20
SS1    SSS Killeri 1          2.06km  20.00
Finish  Paviljonki                      20.27

Friday 18 August: Leg 1 (Continued) Jyväskylä - Jyväskylä

Serv A  Paviljonki (10 mins)                    08.00
SS2    Lankamaa                24.98km 09.21
SS3    Laukaa          11.82km 10.09
SS4    Ruuhimaki              7.57km  11.04
Serv B  Paviljonki (30 mins)                    11.58
SS5    Vellipohja 1            36.39km 13.08
SS6    Mökkiperä 1            12.61km 14.17
Serv C  Paviljonki (30 mins)                    15.26
SS7    Vellipohja 2            36.39km 16.36
SS8    Mökkiperä 2            12.61km 17.45
SS9    SSS Killeri 2          2.06km  20.00
Serv D  Paviljonki (45 mins)                    20.27
Finish  Paviljonki                      21.12
Total                  146.49km

Saturday 19 August: Leg 2 Jyväskylä - Jyväskylä

Serv E  Paviljonki (10 mins)                    06.00
SS10    Vaheri          19.91km 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          12.97km 18.04
Serv H  Paviljonki (45 mins)                    19.49
Finish  Paviljonki                      20.34
Total                  144.90km

Sunday 20 August: Leg 3 Jyväskylä - Jyväskylä

Serv I  Paviljonki (10 mins)                    08.30
SS18    Kuohu 1        7.80km  09.14
SS19    Jukojärvi 1            22.31km 10.27
SS20    Kuohu 2        7.80km  11.45
SS21    Jukojärvi 2            22.31km 12.58
Serv J  Paviljonki (20 mins)                    14.26
Finish  Paviljonki                      14.54
Total                  60.22km

Rally Total            351.61km

Leaderboard after Leg One

1.  M Grönholm/T Rautiainen FIN Ford Focus RS 1hr 12min 59.6sec
2.  S Loeb/D Elena F Citroen Xsara 1hr 13min 11.6sec
3.  M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen FIN Ford Focus RS 1hr 13min 43.1sec
4.  P Solberg/P Mills N Subaru Impreza 1hr 13min 52.5sec
5.  H Solberg/C Menkerud N Peugeot 307 1hr 14min 46.8sec
6.  C Atkinson/G MacNeall AUS Subaru Impreza 1hr 15min 16.7sec
7.  D Sordo/M Marti E Citroen Xsara 1hr 15min 44.6sec
8.  G Galli/G Bernacchini I Peugeot 307 1hr 15min 49.2sec
9.  J Välimäki/J Kalliolepo FIN Mitsubishi Lancer 1hr 16min 01.9sec
10 J Tuohino/M Markkula FIN Citroen Xsara 1hr 16min 05.6sec

Leg One News

After a cautious start, championship leader Sébastien Loeb (Citroen) increased in confidence on the drier roads of the early afternoon and ended the leg with four fastest times, splitting the Ford's on the end of day leaderboard.  Petter Solberg (Subaru) was untroubled in fourth, one place ahead of brother Henning (Peugeot), who steadily climbed the leaderboard throughout the day.  Chris Atkinson (Subaru) completed the top six despite overheating troubles this afternoon.  Dani Sordo (Citroen) lost time when his car's windscreen wipers failed on stage four but recovered to seventh ahead of Gigi Galli (Peugeot), who dropped 40sec with a spin on the following stage.  Manfred Stohl (Peugeot) dropped five minutes with broken suspension in stage six after hitting a rock and incurred a 70sec penalty as the team made repairs.  Daniel Carlsson (Mitsubishi) climbed to sixth before crashing on the penultimate stage while Kosti Katajamäki (Ford) retired on the previous test after hitting a rock and ripping a rear wheel from his car.

1. Kronos Total Citroen

Having won in Germany a week ago, Sébastien Loeb, Daniel Elena and their Xsara WRC face a rematch against Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen in Finland. With the opening day of competition completed, the duel is already shaping up to be a classic one.

Sebastien Loeb: " It wasn't raining to start with, but even when we saw some drops on the windscreen I didn't lift off. I was braking as late as I would in the dry, skidding through the ruts, and aquaplaning all over the place. We had a few big moments but I'm not unhappy with the end result. We're about a dozen seconds off Marcus so there is still everything to play for. Tomorrow I'll be pushing hard again!"

Daniel Sordo: "I'm having a lot of fun on the high-speed sections : I'm just driving at my own pace and the times are not too bad. I'm simply hoping that we will have a bit more stable weather for the rest of the rally. Driving here is difficult enough as it is !"

2. OMV-Peugeot Norway

The feelings of the two OMV Peugeot Norway World Rally Team-drivers couldn't be more diverse. While Henning Solberg was true to his word and climbed up to the top five, Manfred Stohl lost over six minutes. The 34-year-old Austrian grazed a rock on special stage six which caused the left transverse control arm to break. The OMV driver remains optimistic nevertheless and considers the further run as more than just a fast recce for the "Neste Oil Rally Finland 2007".

Manfred Stohl/Ilka Minor: "In such a case you can't hope to win anymore. But, following Katajamäki's retirement, I'll try at least to get Wilson. That would secure one manufacture point, at least. And who knows what tomorrow and Sunday will bring?"

Henning Solberg/Cato Menkerud: "It's perfect. We are really feeling great. And the speed is finally okay, too. Third best overall time on special stage six gave our self-confidence a further boost. Now we will do our all to get even further ahead."

3. BP-Ford

BP-Ford World Rally Team drivers Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen led Rally Finland after winning five speed tests during today's first leg.  The Finns, chasing their sixth victory here in seven years, powered their Ford Focus RS World Rally Car into the lead during a rain-soaked morning and returned to the rally base in Jyväskylä this evening with a 12.0sec advantage.  Team-mates and fellow countrymen Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen lie third in a similar Focus RS, 43.5sec behind their colleagues.

Marcus Grönholm/Timo Rautiainen: "We tested in the dry here last month but the set-up worked well in the rain also. The roads were extremely wet in places and dry in others and although it was difficult to drive in such changeable weather, we had constant grip.  The rain was so heavy in one stage this afternoon that the windscreen wipers would not go fast enough and I just couldn't see."

Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen:  "Third is a good position tonight, although first or second would be even better!. At times this afternoon I was over-driving at every corner and as a result the car was sliding too much. It's quicker to back-off before the corner and take the bend in a straighter line.  There were so many corners that I got wrong and I needed a calmer pace.

4. Stobart VK M-Sport Ford

5. 555 Subaru

After an encouraging first day of Rally Finland for the Subaru team, Petter Solberg holds fourth place overall, but remains less than ten seconds behind third place with two days of competition still to go. Highlighting the performance improvements already made to the Subaru Impreza WRC2006, Solberg's car ran faultlessly throughout the Leg and enabled him to set a string of top three times. Chris Atkinson also had a positive day and was holding fifth place overall before an overheating problem on the last loop of stages dropped him to sixth.

Petter Solberg/Phil Mills: "Today has mainly been very good. I feel the car has improved very much particularly when jumping and in the rougher parts of the stages. We've been very unlucky with the weather and then losing time stuck behind Manfred Stohl. For tomorrow we're going to keep pushing as we want to get up onto the podium."

Chris Atkinson/Glen MacNeall: "I'm pretty satisfied with how we drove today. From the start we targeted a top six position and despite the tricky conditions and the time we lost on the last stages we are there. I'm sure that we can fix the overheating and tomorrow we look forward to getting back out there and setting more good times."

Leaderboard after Leg Two

1.  M Grönholm/T Rautiainen FIN Ford Focus RS 2hr 23min 51.2sec
2.  S Loeb/D Elena F Citroen Xsara 2hr 24min 59.0sec
3.  M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen FIN Ford Focus RS 2hr 25min 33.7sec
4.  H Solberg/C Menkerud N Peugeot 307 2hr 27min 28.2sec
5.  G Galli/G Bernacchini I Peugeot 307 2hr 28min 37.1sec
6.  J Tuohino/M Markkula FIN Citroen Xsara 2hr 29min 29.3sec
7.  J Välimäki/J Kalliolepo FIN Mitsubishi Lancer 2hr 29min 49.8sec
8.  J Kopecky/F Schovanek CZ Skoda Fabia 2hr 32min 41.7sec
9.  M Stohl/I Minor A Peugeot 307 2hr 36min 26.4sec
10 M Wilson/M Orr GB Ford Focus RS 2hr 37min 05.7sec

Leg Two News

Sébastien Loeb (Citroen) won the second stage but his challenge suffered a huge blow on the next stage in Ouninpohja.  The Frenchman hit a huge rock which threw his car onto two wheels and broke the front left wheel.  He dropped more than 30sec.  Petter Solberg (Subaru), fourth after the opening leg, crashed heavily just 700m after the start of the first Ouninpohja test and retired.  His car is too badly damaged to restart tomorrow.  His demise allowed brother Henning (Peugeot) into fourth, although the Norwegian struggled with brake problems all day.  Dani Sordo (Citroen) climbed to fifth before he crashed heavily on the second pass through Ouninpohja.  He will not restart tomorrow.  That allowed Gigi Galli (Peugeot) to move to fifth with Janne Tuohino (Citroen) rounding off the top six.  Chris Atkinson (Subaru) broke his gearbox in the opening stage and had to limp through all three morning stages, losing more than 11 minutes.  Then his car's power steering broke and he dropped a further two minutes on the penultimate stage.  He lies 13th.

1. Kronos Total Citroen

Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena started this morning determined to challenge for victory in their duel against Marcus Grönholm. They conceded little in Vaheri (SS10) - 1.7 seconds - and won Ouninpohja Länsi (SS11). So for the first time, they beat the five-time winner of this event on its most legendary stage, averaging more than 128 kph. "I thought I drove the stage perfectly," said Seb afterwards. "But in the end my winning margin was just a tiny 1.3 seconds!"  Their tussle for the lead sadly came to an end on the next Ouninpohja stage.

Sebastien Loeb: "On the inside of a corner that was marked as a cut in my notes, we hit a big stone that threw the car into the air. The wheel was too damaged for the anti-deflation mousse to work effectively, so we ended the stage with a flat tyre. Many other drivers hit that stone, including Marcus Grönholm. He's been driving that corner since 1989 and never noted it. This makes me think that year after year, we're probably cutting corners deeper and deeper. Well, we're not going to cut it any further right at that exact point."

Daniel Sordo: "After a right-hand corner over a crest, I landed a bit too sideways," explained Dani . "As the car landed it snapped to the outside of the corner, where there was a rock face." The reigning Junior World Champion has only experienced this sort of mishap once since he started rallying . "To make things even worse, I was just stuck in the ditch, unable to get going again!" he added.

2. OMV-Peugeot Norway

The OMV Peugeot Norway World Rally Team has reason to be satisfied with the second day of the "Neste Oil Rally Finland". Henning Solberg consolidated his fourth overall place. And Manfred Stohl even gained eight places and currently lies in ninth place.

Manfred Stohl/Ilka Minor:  "We did our best. Now we'll have to wait and see. But like one has seen today: in Finland even a short special stage can become a stumbling block."

Henning Solberg/Cato Menkerud: "When it is dry you can see the difference to the works cars. Our Peugeot 307 WRC was perfectly prepared by Bozian-Racing but they have ressources we can't tap. Nevertheless, now that we have a kind of draw, I can enjoy driving even more. That is something to take advantage of in Finland."

3. BP-Ford

BP-Ford World Rally Team drivers Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen dominated today's second leg of Rally Finland to strengthen their lead.  The Finns, chasing their sixth victory here in seven years, were fastest on seven of the eight speed tests in their Ford Focus RS World Rally Car to return to the rally base in Jyväskylä tonight with a lead of 67.8sec. Team-mates Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen reinforced their third position in a similar Focus RS.

Marcus Grönholm/Timo Rautiainen:  "There is still another day to go, so it's not finished yet.  But it did get easier for us when Loeb lost time.  I didn't go crazy after that and took the jumps quite steadily and I will do the same tomorrow.  There were a few rocks in the road on the second pass through the stages and I concentrated on avoiding them.  The stages have been so fast today and that's the way it is on this rally."

Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen:  "When we heard Petter had crashed I really dropped my pace. But when you slow it's easy to lose rhythm and the one thing you need in Finland is a good rhythm.  So I picked up the speed a little because it was easier to drive that way but I know that I need to finish and get the points for the team, so it wasn't a big attack.  I tried to push Loeb but he controlled his speed well.

4. Stobart VK M-Sport Ford

5. 555 Subaru

The second Leg of Rally Finland turned out to be a frustrating one for the Subaru team, as lead driver Petter Solberg crashed out of fourth place and two mechanical problems dropped Chris Atkinson from sixth to 21st. The day started well for Solberg, who set the third fastest time on the opening test, but a crash on the next brought his event to a sudden and premature end. Once Atkinson's problems dropped him out of contention for a podium finish, his focus switched to building experience and testing ahead of forthcoming gravel events. Despite this, by the end of the Leg he had climbed back up to 13th overall.

Petter Solberg/Phil Mills: 'We were coming into a long left-hand corner, went over a crest with a little under-steer and then hit a rock face on the right-hand side. I thought it would be alright, but the car spun around and we ended up rolling. Phil and I are both okay, but the car was quite badly damaged. Despite this, I'm still feeling positive about everything we have done so far and know we have taken something good from this weekend. We have found some improvements and we tried something in the first stage today which was quite positive too, however we still need to work on the consistency. We have a test coming up for Rally Japan now and we have identified some more areas to work on. I've got a good feeling about the next rally and I'm definitely not giving up at all.'

Chris Atkinson/Glen MacNeall: 'Today we had a couple of technical problems that dropped us down the order. When we had a clear run we were encouraged to be competitive on stages we had never driven at speed before, and managed to move up the order. For tomorrow the focus is on testing and working with the team to continue to develop the car.'

Final Leaderboard

1.  M Grönholm/T Rautiainen FIN Ford Focus RS 2hr 52min 50.3sec
2.  S Loeb/D Elena F Citroen Xsara 2hr 53min 57.0sec
3.  M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen FIN Ford Focus RS 2hr 54min 24.8sec
4.  H Solberg/C Menkerud N Peugeot 307 2hr 56min 48.1sec
5.  G Galli/G Bernacchini I Peugeot 307 2hr 58min 30.2sec
6.  J Tuohino/M Markkula FIN Citroen Xsara 2hr 58min 55.3sec
7.  J Välimäki/J Kalliolepo FIN Mitsubishi Lancer 2hr 59min 45.7sec
8.  J Kopecky/F Schovanek CZ Skoda Fabia 3hr 03min 05.3sec
9.  M Stohl/I Minor A Peugeot 307 3hr 06min 18.3sec
10 M Wilson/M Orr GB Ford Focus RS 3hr 07min 37.7sec

Final Leg News

Sébastien Loeb (Citroen) took no risks through the final day to be the meat in BP-Ford's sandwich in second.  Henning Solberg (Peugeot) equalled his career-best result in fourth and, despite a 20 second time penalty imposed overnight, Gigi Galli (Peugeot) held off Janne Tuohino (Citroen) for fifth. The final driver points went to Jussi Välimäki (Citroen) and Jan Kopecky (Skoda).  There were no major retirements today.

1. Kronos Total Citroen

After a trouble-free final leg, Sébastien Loeb, Daniel Elena and their Citroen Xsara WRC took an excellent second place on the aweinspiring Rally Finland, just as they did last year. The reigning two time World Champions have therefore continued a remarkable unbroken series. For the 10th time in 10 rallies this year, the Kronos Total Citroen team leaders have been on either the top or the middle step of the podium.

Sebastien Loeb: "I won't pretend that I didn't want to win this rally, but that plan didn't quite work out. While there's no shame in giving best to Marcus Grönholm on his home territory, I still feel a bit disappointed. What I will remember about this event is the fact that my Xsara has taken yet another step forward, thanks to all the hard work from Citroen Sport's development team. The car's stability has got even better, and its handling is more precise now. It really gave me a lot of confidence. I don't think we have ever been so close to Marcus here : thanks to a big attack and a trouble-free run we were able to beat him for the first time on the Ouninpohja stage. So now we know it's possible - and we know as well just how much effort we need to put in to get there."

Daniel Sordo: Retired - Accident

2. OMV-Peugeot Norway

The OMV Peugeot Norway World Rally Team finished the "Neste Oil Rally Finland" with both cars among the top-10. The only registered works team of the FIA World Rally Championship to match this feat was Ford. Thus Henning Solberg/Cato Menkerud in fourth overall place and Manfred Stohl/Ilka Minor in ninth place won nine points for the manufacture WRC. A result that Bozian-Racing can be proud of.

Manfred Stohl/Ilka Minor: "If somebody had told me prior to the rally that I would reach a top-10-place, I would have been overjoyed. But now I'm a little bit sad about ninth place. More would have been possible. But the damage on the first day (broken transverse control arm) had me thrown too far back. Fortunately we were able to gather valuable manufacture points which somewhat makes up for one or more lost driver points"

Henning Solberg/Cato Menkerud: "Finally the luck we had been missing during the first half of the season was on our side. I have nothing to reproach myself for. The three works teams in front of us can't be beaten under such conditions. Now we've moved up in the WRC again. And the next two rallies I will participate in, Cyprus and Turkey, are to my liking. I reckon that I'll achieve a good result there. But right now I'm just happy about this success."

3. BP-Ford

BP-Ford World Rally Team drivers Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen won Rally Finland today after dominating the fastest rally of the year in their Ford Focus RS World Rally Car.  It was the team's fourth victory of the FIA World Rally Championship season, already making this Ford's most successful campaign since 1993 with six rounds still remaining.  The victory was Grönholm's sixth in seven years here and his triumph marked Finland's 50th win in the rally's 56-year history. Team-mate Mikko Hirvonen delighted his home town fans by bringing a similar BP Ultimate and Castrol-branded Focus RS to the finish in Jyväskylä in third.

Marcus Grönholm/Timo Rautiainen: "When I was a young driver in the 1990s, I could never have believed that I would win this rally six times. I've not had a single problem all weekend and victory here is really important to me. I had a good fight with Loeb but once he hit a rock and dropped time yesterday, I had a comfortable lead and could pace myself to the finish.  My target is to win every rally now.  I know I can win more rallies this season.  With the Focus RS, I have the car to do it, so why not?"

Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen: "It's hard to describe my feelings. I have watched this rally since I was a kid, dreaming of a podium and now I have achieved it.  It has been clear since yesterday that I could take a podium and it's a great personal achievement.  I was happy with my speed but I need more experience of these roads to be able to fight Marcus for victory.  I finished fifth last year, third now so where will I be next year?"

4. Stobart VK M-Sport Ford

5. 555 Subaru

After Petter Solberg crashed out of Rally Finland on Leg two and mechanical problems dropped Chris Atkinson out of contention for a podium finish, the team's focus for today's final Leg was testing for the forthcoming gravel rallies. Atkinson set three top-five times on today's four stages and finished the rally in 11th place.

Petter Solberg/Phil Mills: Retired - Accident

Chris Atkinson/Glen MacNeall: "We've been working on the development of the car and we've found a bit of a direction and some ideas to go on. I'm pretty happy with our performance over the weekend as we did exactly what we were supposed to and ran throughout with the top five. We look forward to Japan as I had a good result there when we scored our first podium and we're working on getting another one."