Rally Finland’s 70th anniversary event has been postponed to a late-September date following the country’s decision to ban mass gatherings until the summer.
Originally scheduled as the World Rally Championship’s eighth round in August, the event has now been pushed back to September 30-October 3, in the hope fans will be permitted to attend.
Work is now underway to finalise the route of the event, with Jyväskylä’s Pavilonki exhibition and conference centre housing the event headquarters, media centre and service park.
“While we would like nothing more than for Rally Finland to take place in the summer, the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic means we could not go ahead with arranging the event with the lack of certainty that members of the public could attend,” confirmed Kai Tarkiainen, clerk of the course.
“Unlike Arctic Rally Finland, which was held to great acclaim in February, Rally Finland is very much a made-for-spectators event and we need fans to make it work. Although there is no certainty that we will be able to welcome fans in October, we hope the rollout of the vaccination programme will go a long way to making this possible.
“We thank all the local authorities, the FIA and WRC Promoter for accommodating the new dates. We are sorry for any inconvenience the change causes but we are convinced it will be in the best interests of the rally, the stakeholders and all the fans.”
The WRC calendar has undergone several changes this and last year to work around the COVID-19 pandemic, with new or returning events joining in place of traditional events, such as Croatia, Estonia and Greece.
FIA rally director Yves Matton is keen to ensure Rally Finland can go ahead successfully and welcomed the date change.
“A founding round of the FIA World Rally Championship, Rally Finland is a historical and unmissable event on the WRC roster, with its spectacular forest scenery and super-fast roller coaster gravel roads.
“It was important for us to be flexible and consider every option to ensure it would find its place on the calendar this year despite ongoing issues brought about by the pandemic.
“It will be an interesting change to see it take place at the beginning of October, certainly with slightly different weather conditions, and hopefully with spectators.”
| # | Event | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Rally Monte Carlo | 20-23 January |
| 2 |  | Rally Sweden | 24-27 February |
| 3 |  | Rally Croatia | 21-24 April |
| 4 |  | Rally Portugal | 19-22 May |
| 5 |  | Rally Italy | 02-05 June |
| 6 |  | Rally Kenya | 23-26 June |
| 7 |  | Rally Estonia | 14-17 July |
| 8 |  | Arctic Rally Finland | 04-07 August |
| 9 | TBC | 18-21 August | |
| 10 |  | Rally Greece | 08-11 September |
| 11 |  | Rally New Zealand | 29 September - 02 October |
| 12 |  | Rally Spain | 20-23 October |
| 13 |  | Rally Japan | 10-13 November |
