Secto Automotive, the long-standing title partner of Finland’s round of the FIA World Rally Championship, is helping to build the future of rallying through a wide-ranging commitment during the event’s 75th anniversary year. The partnership extends from event visibility and running its own rally team to the creation and development of the international Spark the Future sustainability forum.
Secto Automotive has been the title partner of Secto Rally Finland since 2021. Over the years, its cooperation with AKK Sports has grown beyond a traditional event partnership into a broader collaboration that also contributes to the development of the future of motorsport.
– Together with Secto, we have wanted to build a partnership that creates value for Finnish motorsport beyond the rally week itself. Secto Rally Finland is a world-class sporting event, but it is also an excellent platform for new ideas, emerging technologies and the continuous development of sustainability across everything we do. Secto has pursued this vision with us in a determined manner and continues to bring new innovations to the table year after year, says Lauri Pöyhönen, CEO of AKK Sports Ltd.
At this year’s WRC event, Secto Automotive will enter its own Secto LABS rally team in the World Rally Championship for the first time. The team will compete in the WRC2 category with star pairing Teemu Suninen and Janni Hussi. Riku Tahko and Markus Soininen will also compete in Secto LABS colours in the WRC3 category. In addition to its competition activities, Secto LABS serves as a platform for developing new technologies, innovations and sustainable mobility solutions.
A recent example of the impact of this development work came just before the rally week, when Secto Automotive and lubricant manufacturer Motul announced a partnership under which Secto will introduce low-fossil lubricants across its fleet of nearly 12,000 vehicles, beginning with vans. The solution has been developed and tested through Secto LABS in demanding operating conditions, demonstrating how motorsport can serve as a development platform for innovations that can also be transferred to everyday road transport.
A significant part of the partnership is the international Spark the Future sustainability forum, which will be held on Friday, 31 July. Jointly launched by AKK Sports and Secto Automotive, the event will now be organised for the fourth time and has established itself as an important international motorsport forum for discussion on sustainable mobility.
At this year’s seminar, Secto Automotive will contribute to the programme with a presentation exploring motorsport as a platform for innovation and the development of sustainable mobility. International experts from the FIA, WRC Promoter, the business community and academia will also take to the stage during the day.
– Spark the Future is an excellent example of how rallying can serve not only as a competition, but also as an international meeting place for new ideas. We are proud to have been able to build this concept together with Secto from the very beginning, Pöyhönen says.
Secto Rally Finland’s anniversary year demonstrates that modern rallying is much more than a top-level sporting competition. Together with its partners, the event also serves as an arena for developing the mobility of the future, creating new innovations and building solutions that will ultimately find their way beyond the rally stages.
Photo: Petro Piilo / AKK Sports Oy
