WRC drivers are currently fine-tuning their final winter settings for the upcoming Rally Sweden round (12–15 February) in the demanding conditions of Lapland. This weekend’s Arctic Lapland Rally serves as a practical full-speed test for many top crews, where both cars and driving are honed at true competition pace. Taking part purely for testing purposes is Toyota’s Elfyn Evans in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally1, while a large group of Rally2 drivers familiar from the WRC are competing seriously for Finnish championship points. Also on the entry list is Esapekka Lappi, who competes in the WRC with Hyundai, but here lines up in full Finnish Rally Championship attack mode with Škoda, defending his SM1 class national title.
The special stages run around the Arctic Circle in the Rovaniemi region offer exactly the elements required for a winter world championship rally: snowy and fast roads, precise pacenotes and freezing temperatures. Similar conditions will soon decide WRC points across the border in Sweden.
With official test days limited, a real rally provides a unique opportunity to drive long continuous runs, try different tyre and setup combinations and get both driver and co-driver fully into the rhythm of snow rallying. At the same time, teams gather valuable data on the car’s performance in extreme winter conditions.
Even though no WRC points are on offer here, the pace is anything but cautious. At the Arctic Lapland Rally the goal is to maximise feel and confidence on snow and ice between towering snowbanks. These are exactly the factors that create the differences at world championship level as well.
From the perspective of Secto Rally Finland, it is fascinating to follow how drivers use the Lapland event as part of their preparation. The fine-tuning and confidence built in winter rallies often lay the foundation for success later in the season too, when the WRC heads to the fast gravel roads of Central Finland at the end of July.
The setups, insights and driving feel gained in Rovaniemi this weekend may therefore still be visible much later in the year. The work done on the snowy roads of Lapland is an important piece of the bigger picture, culminating in the legendary special stages of Rally Finland in the summer.
Photo: Taneli Niinimäki / Ralli SM
