WRC Finland: why tyres matter

Rally Finland is the fastest event in the World Rally Championship, and its high-speed forest stages also feature many of the biggest jumps you'll see all season. It's this combination of extreme speeds and massive leaps that create the greatest challenges for tyres on Rally Finland, requiring a robust construction that can withstand the significant forces at play.

The surface on the other hand is as smooth as it comes on a gravel rally. In places it's so smooth and hard-packed that that people often refer to this event as “The Finnish Grand Prix.” For the other 51 weeks of the year, these are the roads that the locals use to get between the farms and villages of the Finnish countryside. Usually at speeds much lower than 180kph….

To reach speeds like that demands good traction out of the corners. The Finnish roads themselves offer up pretty consistent grip with a surface that's harder than in neighbouring Estonia. But there can be some loose gravel on top for the early runners, especially if it's a hot and dry summer, while a bit of rain can actually increase the grip and therefore the speeds by compacting the surface. In either case, the soft-compound Pirelli Scorpion KX tyre is seen as the best option for reaching the season's highest speeds.

Also known as the “Gravel Grand Prix”, Rally Finland is one of the highlights of the WRC season. Its high speeds and huge jumps make it one of the most spectacular places to watch rally cars in action, and the rally-mad Finnish fans line the stages in their thousands. The forests around Jyväskylä in central Finland are considered rallying's spiritual home and have produced many of the sport's greatest drivers: eight different world champions since 1977 with 15 titles between them, including that won last year by Kalle Rovanperä.

Last year's event was the fourth-fastest in WRC history with an average speed of 125.32 kph for the winner Ott Tänak, and a much-altered route for 2023 could be prove even quicker with the return of classic flat-out stages such as Myhinpää. But any ‘maximum attack' could be best reserved for a new-look Sunday which will include a chance to fit new tyres just before the rally's final Power Stage, which descends alongside the ski slopes of Himos.