The Art of Flight – Rally Finland
Text: Ian McLaren. Article from the October 2013 issue of CAR Magazine.
It’s one thing to watch the highlights package, but there’s something in the air at Rally Finland that makes it extra special
It’s the sound of the engine revs pounding the 8 500 r/min electronic limiter as traction at all four wheels is lost that first alerts the senses. Comprehend this manic sound as you watch suspension stretched out to full reach before, moments later, being shoved into a tight crouch as gravity restores a WRC car to its rightful place on terra firma. The backs of my legs are pelted with small stones as I swivel to watch the cars disappearing into the depth of the forest, all while the rev-limiter abuse continues as yet another jump is nailed. And the aftermath of this sensory overload of noise, flying metal and dust? A civilised round of applause not dissimilar to that reserved for boundary shots at Lord’s Cricket Ground.
It’s not that I was expecting spectators at a World Rally Championship event to be uncivilised or unruly, it’s just that I didn’t expect my first WRC experience, especially one held in the rallying capital of the world – Finland – to be as well-organised, welcoming and, well, sophisticated. For the most part, it’s a family affair as picnic blankets are laid-out, cooler boxes stacked and national flags erected.
Naturally, the loudest cheers of the day are reserved for hometown favourites, including Volkswagen’s Jari-Matti Latvala and Citroen’s Mikko Hirvonen, but impressive was the appreciation for both the sheer commitment that saw up-and-coming Belgian driver Thierry Neuville fly further than anyone else on the day, as well as the class shown by 2013 champion elect, Sebastien Ogier.
I’m told that it would take two mechanics just 12 minutes to change a gearbox should it be required
On the fastest stage on the WRC calendar, Ouninpohja, I watched as the 29-year-old Frenchman was the only driver not to tap the brake pedal before powering through a fast left-hand sweep. On his way to establishing a new record for this 62-year-old stage, Ogier’s average speed over the unforgiving 33,11 km run was 130,7 km/h.
As per WRC rules, all cars have to be street legal, and each team has to drive to the start of a stage while strictly obeying local speed limits. After the stage they return to a central pare ferme sited, in the case of Rally Finland, in the picturesque university city of Jyvaskyla.
Once each car is returned to its respective team pit area, a crew of four mechanics has up to 45 minutes (the longest of three periods comes at the end of each day) to carry out any running repairs. I’m told that it would take two mechanics just 12 minutes to change a gearbox should it be required.
In Volkswagen’s first full season in the WRC the team is on the brink of winning the constructors’ championship, while Ogier would need a serious run of poor luck for him not to win his first WRC title this year. It’s been a dominant season for the Wolfsburg-based outfit, keen to add to the endurance-racing credentials established in the gruelling Dakar Rally.
As professional as this team is, you do get the sense that, much like within the greater rally community itself, there is a close-knit bond between each of its members.
While fans on the other side of the paddock wait for the drivers’ autographs, there’s a refreshing calmness and approachability about everyone, from the mechanics to the unassuming yet highly skilled co-drivers, all the way to the team principle.
It’s a pity that, in the modern era, the likes of Subaru, Mitsubishi and Peugeot are no longer fully invested in WRC.
While other racing disciplines present opportunities for a manufacturer to market its individual strengths as a brand, few racing events can offer the kind of adrenaline-fuelled, close-to-the-action spectacular that is rallying. That the cars featured mimic those available on showrooms round the globe, and that those behind the wheel are surely the most skilled of any other discipline (including F1), make it this motorsport much more special.
A greater pity still is that the African continent no longer hosts a round of WRC. While the gruelling Safari Rally still holds fond memories for all who participated in it, many a team member in the current WRC paddock remains keen to see Africa, and in particular South Africa, feature on the modern calendar. Here’s hoping.
Link: Garden Route Rally offers anti-climax to sensational season
Link: WRC: Ogier wins Rally France as champion
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