The Hyacenter Ralli organized this August as a test event for Rally Finland showed how the Rally1 cars looked like on these classic stages near Tampere, my hometown. It inspired me instantly to dig up some onboard videos and do some planning for a whole WRC event. How would a full WRC event look like on these roads? It’s time for fantasy route design!
Cover image by Tapio Lehtonen / Rallirinki (C)
Route overview
The service park of Tampere WRC Rally Finland would be in the sports/exhibition centre like in Hyacenter Ralli. The super special would be held in the center of Tampere with ceremonial start on the central market just before the stage start. The super special would be repeated on Friday evening with a regroup on the harbour of Mustalahti to adjust the starting order. Another remote regroup would be held before the power stage on Kostia Areena in Pälkäne.
Stages would spread out in all directions around the city. It would be possible, even reasonable, to do one leg towards Jämsä for stages like Päijälä and Kakaristo, but the point of this plan is to showcase the Tampere area stages so that’s what we’re concentrating on. Liaisons on this plan would be 930 km which is 220 km less than in 2023 Rally Finland in Jyväskylä.
| THURSDAY | ||
| Shakedown | Rautasema | 5.74 km |
| SS1 | Tampere 1 | 2.42 km |
| Thursday total | 2.42 km | |
| FRIDAY | ||
| SS2 | Viitapohja – Terälahti 1 | 17.87 km |
| SS3 | Pengonpohja 1 | 17.79 km |
| SS4 | Pentinmaa 1 | 15.23 km |
| SS5 | Perämaa 1 | 9.89 km |
Morning leg | 60.78 km | |
| SS6 | Viitapohja – Terälahti 2 | 17.87 km |
| SS7 | Pengonpohja 2 | 17.79 km |
| SS8 | Pentinmaa 2 | 15.23 km |
| SS9 | Perämaa 2 | 9.89 km |
| SS10 | Tampere 2 | 2.42 km |
Afternoon leg | 63.20 km | |
| Friday total | 123.98 km | |
| SATURDAY | ||
| SS11 | Ekojärvi 1 | 20.88 km |
| SS12 | Raitoo 1 | 12.35 km |
| SS13 | Onkemäki 1 | 20.41 km |
| SS13 | Pyörönmaa-Savo 1 | 23.65 km |
Morning leg | 77.29 km | |
| SS15 | Ekojärvi 2 | 20.88 km |
| SS16 | Raitoo 2 | 12.35 km |
| SS17 | Onkemäki 2 | 20.41 km |
| SS18 | Valkeakoski 2 | 3.20 km |
| SS18 | Pyörönmaa-Savo 2 | 23.65 km |
Afternoon leg | 80.49 km | |
Saturday total | 157.78 km | |
| SUNDAY | ||
| SS20 | Sahalahti 1 | 8.57 km |
| SS21 | Laitikkala 1 | 10.95 km |
| SS22 | Koivulahti | 10.79 km |
| SS23 | Sahalahti 2 | 8.57 km |
| SS24 | Laitikkala 2 | 10.95 km |
| Sunday total | 49.83 km | |
Rally total | 334.01 km |
Thursday
The shakedown would be Rautasema, run just like SS4+8 of Hyacenter rally. Parts of this stage have been run as Lastunen in the early 80’s in 1000 Lakes Rally. The start is on a small road with both fast and technical parts. Then there’s a wide road with square bends and a long straight.
Looking at super specials, I was a bit puzzled. The local rallies in the past 10 years have had super specials on a shopping centre parking lot, trotting track and landfill area. None of them feel really suitable for WRC.
Tampere hosted a WRC super special in the 90’s but it was 30 years ago and some of the area has been changed. However, I still felt that is the best option, with some changes. So, SSS1+10 Tampere can be seen on this TV broadcast:
When the stage goes through a parking lot at 8:00, the street behind it has now turned into a narrow footway with new buildings close to it, but maybe it could still be drivable with barriers protecting the house wall.
At 8:33 I have added a detour onto a sand area which would be a good spectator spot.
The open sand area after 9:17 is now completely built up with houses. There is still a footway passing through the same route but it’s uninteresting for rally usage as it’s very straight, and at the sametime impossible for spectators because of said houses. Thus, I would make the stage make a left U-turn on the four-lane main road at 9:08 on the video and then right onto a gravel park path.
A long right corner would return the stage onto tarmac. Spectators could likely be all around the stage with also lots of area for tents, as music festivals are often arranged here.
Finally double hairpins on concrete and tiles would conclude the stage in the same spot next to the stadium as in the 90’s. The bridge would also be a good place to spectate.
Friday
Friday would take the crews North around the lake Näsi in counter clockwise direction through four stages, making up 121 km.
SS2+6 Viitapohja – Terälahti is a combination of two 1000 Lakes stages like the name suggests. Viitapohja was run in the early 70’s, both of them in the early 80’s. In here I’ve applied some customization to make the stage more interesting.
The Viitapohja part seen on this video is quite wide, starting quite technical, turning all the time and going over crests. It becomes faster midway through. The crest where Hannu Mikkola had a bad crash in 1971 appears at 3:54. The Viitapohja stage used to end somewhere at 4:30.
After spectacular field bends, at 5:45 we would turn right to the Terälahti stage run in the opposite direction to how it usually was. This would mean two fast-flowing roads – a narrow and a wide one, and another tight hairpin junction turn between them (coming from the left road on the street view, turning left).
The ending of the stage could be seen on this video until 0:54, featuring two tricky corners.
This stage would be quite fast, but with three junction turns and some technical parts it would not be too fast.
SS3+7 Pengonpohja is a 1000 Lakes classic run in the 60’s and then twice in the heyday of group B. The route here is more familiar from local rallies, although the most important section is shared with 1000 Lakes, although in opposite direction to the 80’s.
The beginning of the stage involves a small road loop seen here in the darkness. The first two roads are narrow and angular, the third wider and more fast-flowing over crests.
The rest of the stage is better viewed from this daylight onboard from 1:20 onwards. First there’s an awesome section on a wide road with two tilted jumps and many other tricky places. The next section is first very straightforwardly fast, then undulating, before a pair of junctions takes us onto the actual Pengonpohja road at 5:00. It’s a bit narrower, very technical with rollercoastery hills and tight turns.
I have extended the stage onto the following big fast road just to allow better spectator access through the fields.
SS4+8 Pentinmaa was also driven in 1985 and 1986, and just like Pengonpohja, in the opposite direction.
The start is on a quite narrow and semi-technical road. Halfway through it becomes wider and faster. A tight junction takes onto a wide and fast road which in turn becomes a bit more technical towards the end. Then the next two roads are again quite narrow and now angular.
Just like with Pengonpohja, I’ve extended the stage to proceed onto the next big road – the same used in 1985 and 1986 – for some field area access.
SS5+9 Perämaa has been run in 1968 and 1985 1000 Lakes Rallies. It’s not really a classic stage but a good one to complete the loop, although not an easy one. This stage has caused numerous crashes in local rallies.
The start – not run in 1000 Lakes Rally – is on a narrow and technical road. It’s filled with blind crests and tricky corners. Then the big road is reached through a piece of tarmac. The big road is undulating and fast with some tighter corners. Near the end there’s two sinuous passages connected by a straightforward one.
Saturday
Saturday would take the crews South on four forest stages and one extra super special, making up 157 competitive kilometres.
SS11+15 Ekojärvi was driven in the 1985 and 1986 1000 Lakes Rallies in the opposite direction with a slightly different route, as well as with with the title Marjasuonmaa in the 60’s.
The 1985 version of the stage can be seen in the opposite direction on this video. Our stage would come from the right at 12:25
Furthermore, the beginning can be seen here in the correct direction here, on small roads and tight junction turns. At 1:22 (same spot as 12:25 on the 1985 recce video) the stage would turn left onto a similar small road, mostly fast-flowing and undulating apart from a couple of tight corners.
The next three parts of the stage can be seen on this 2018 video from 2:01 onwards. A tight junction right would lead onto a medium wide and technical road. Then a short narrower and fast-angular part leads onto the wide road. It’s classic 1000 Lakes style with cambers, crests and constant turns.
At 8:15 into the video we would turn left onto a short small road section similar to the beginning of the stage, following the 1985/1986 route in the opposite direction.
SS12+16 Raitoo featured on the 1000 Lakes route from 1984 to 1986 and also in 1970. This version here is driven in the opposite direction and the ending has not been used in WRC.
Basically this stage alternates constantly between fast and technical sections regardless of the road. The start and end are on small roads, the short middle part on a wide road.
SS13+17 Onkemäki was basically driven only in 1984 similarly to this, but the beginning featured as Jouttu, Kehro and Krääkkiö – the last one from 1983 to 1986 – and also the Onkemäki 1983 shared the ending in the opposite direction. These roads were Henri Toivonen’s favourites.
This stage starts on a small road, which is fairly fast and flowing with some technical spots as well. The tight junction takes on a medium wide road, mostly fast-flowing until a pair of tight corners – the latter onto a bridge where Malcolm Wilson went into a ditch in 1986. Right after that, a narrow and angular section features quickly as a link to the next section.
The wide road part of the stage is very fast, similar to the “it gets faster now” section of Ouninpohja. There’s corners over crests as well as some big jumps at 6:52, 7:18, 8:06 and 8:56 on the video. After the last jump, the road becomes sinuous with a string of spectacular square bends. Finally the stage concludes on a small road section – mostly straightforward with a sinuous passage in the middle. The open fields and slow corners at the end would make it great for filming, and thus I’ve chosen this as the Saturday TV stage.
SSS18 Valkeakoski was a part of the 1000 Lakes Rally from 1986 to 1989 and 1994 and it was run on the Finnish Championship event in 2016 and 2017 so why not include it here?
The stage is a mix of wide streets and narrow pathways, all paved until the last corner on gravel. The version here is similar to the 1986 version until 1:36 on the video.
SS14+19 Pyörönmaa – Savo, like the name suggests, is a combination of two stages and also the longest stage of this rally. Savo is a definite classic, but is difficult for WRC since there are no good access roads nor fields for parking. The solution is essentially the same as has been done with Päijälä – we must lengthen the stage with sections better suited for spectators. We take the Pyörönmaa stage and connect the two stages via forest roads.
Pyörönmaa was never a part of 1000 Lakes Rally, but has featured often on national rallies of the area. It can be seen on this video from 17:12 onwards. The start is on an angular small road, then proceeding onto more technical roads – first medium wide and then very wide. At 19:43 where a hairpin left would take the stage towards next part. I don’t have video from that but based on the map and street view it would be a somewhat technical small road.
Another tight hairpin would take the stage onto a forestry road 39:55 on the following video. This is normally the only drivable access road to the Savo stage. It’s angular with long straights but sudden tight corners, similar to the one in the middle of the Vekkula stage. Some of the steep hills and heavy jumps remind me of the Ouninpohja small road.
The actual Savo road begins at 44:38. It is wide, firm and cambered but very sinuous. There’s big crests but only a few jumps. It’s one of my all-time favourite rally roads (alongside the Pengonpohja road)
Sunday
Sunday would pack in five short stages, including one single run stage. They would be located South-East from Tampere.
The first stage of the day would be SS20+23 Sahalahti, in a shorter format than typically in Rally Finland, since I find the rest of the stage too fast and straightforward. The small road has been used in 1980 and the big road from 1988 to 1995.
The planned stage is driven in the opposite direction to shown on the video. It consists of a small and a wide road. Both are similar in the sense that they are mostly fast but both have sinuous sections.
SS22 Koivulahti would be a single run in the middle of the day. This stage was a staple in 1000 Lakes Rally from 1986 to 1995 but never after it. In this rally we would use it in the opposite direction and with a different part of the big road.
This is mostly a fast-flowing undulating stage with some single tight corners here and there with the last third of the route being considerably more sinuous. The initial acceleration is on tarmac and the first road is a bit wider than the second. Some of the crests could be jumps on Rally1 cars.
The power stage would be SS21+24 Laitikkala. This stage was driven a few times in the 80’s before being merged with Haukila as a longer stage called Uskila, driven from 1989 to 1995. This stage was also driven in Hyacenter rally in slightly shorter format with 132.9 km/h of average speed for Elfyn Evans’s stage win, in rainy conditions (for comparison, in 1988 it was 113 km/h on Markku Alen’s Lancia Delta Integrale, in dry conditions.
The first road is narrow and angular with some very fast sections between two sets of tight corners. The next road is wider but more undulating and even sinuous at times. After the second junction there’s basically only a couple of corners left on a very wide road, ending on the famous “county border corner” that was often filmed by TV crews. The finish line would appear at 5:47. The initial podium could be held at a local dancing venue nearby.
Conclusion
I don’t mean to say Rally Finland should be moved out of Jyväskylä, but it’s good to know there are alternatives. The roads here would maybe be a bit different, more of the undulating firm and wide roads, but it’s also up to what you choose. Some of the stages of the past would be too fast and simple for today’s cars.
And once again, making this plan was great fun. If you have read all the way down here and watched all the videos, I tip my hat to you!
UPDATED 7.3.2024: Google Street View showed one road was not passable so I changed the layout of SS2+6
It Gets Faster Now! 
Reading this was also great fun! How about a full-length WRC (or ERC) Arctic Lappland Rally? Or stage review and 2024 ideas about this years Jyväskylä-based Rally Finland?
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Maybe I’ll do stage review for 2023 but as I expect not much to change, I don’t know if it’s necessary.
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