The thrill of the world WRC Rally in Finland is set to come to your screens starting July 28 on StarTimes Premium. Already, WRC drivers are anticipating a tough challenge compared to previous races.
Speaking to Autosport, Volkswagen’s driver and three-time Rally Finland winner Jari-Matti Latvala says this year’s WRC event will be even more challenging following changes to the route – including reversing the iconic Ouninpohja stage.
The super-fast rollercoaster run through Ouninpohja is a favourite among the drivers, but the current crop have only ever competed on the 20-mile test one way.
“It will be a big challenge,” he says. “OK, we did half of it in 2008, but that was the small road – we didn’t drive the faster, wider road in this direction before.The challenge will come in knowing where are the jumps, how will he car react in some of these places?”
Latvala admitted one of the biggest questions would centre on the famous yellow house jump. “This one we all know it so well coming the normal way, but in opposite direction, the car will really drop down,” he said.
According to rally report by StarTimes, the race is so fast that winners and losers are determined by fractions of mistakes. “Pace notes must be perfect. Blind crests often hide corners and it’s vital to position the car correctly before take-off to ensure maximum speed through the bend. Speeds are so high that time differences are small and there
is little opportunity to regain time after a mistake,” says StarTimes in a report.
Current WRC regulations make no stipulation about the average speed for stages, with a 130kph maximum scrapped by the FIA. In the 2015 edition, Ouninpohja was the fastest stage of the rally.Running in the opposite direction will reduce the average speed.
Subscribers may also opt to download the StarTimes App on their mobile phones where they can stream all StarTimes programs including this rally for free. The rally will take place from July 28 to July 30th on StarTimes.
