Rally Finland was, back when Motorsport allowed a little more levity in its event names and a little less corporate sponsorship, called the 1,000 Lakes Rally. This is because, shockingly, Finland is absolutely covered in lakes. Imagine how much a marketing firm would be paid to come up with such a wild name today…
What it could easily be called instead, is the 1,000 jumps rally. While Arctic Rally Finland, which leapt into the calendar earlier in 2021, is full of snow and ice and sliding cars, the summer – or in this case early autumn – event is hot, dusty and gravel-based.
It’s also fast, very, very fast, and covered in yumps and crests. Add those two things together, speed and crest, and you get jumps. So WRC cars at Rally Finland spend almost as much time airborne as they do on terra firma.
But, most of these jumps are momentary, a little lift with the driver knowing that they cannot accelerate without the wheels touching the floor. So how do you make sure the jumps will be properly spectacular?
The organisers of Rally Finland 2021 found the perfect method: put the stage end for the Power Stage, right on the crest of a big yump. Hey presto, the drivers can now attack the peak with all the speed they can carry, not needing to worry about losing time in the air or preparing for another corner just after.
The result was some spectacular jumps and our friends at the WRC have celebrated that, but putting together a collection of the biggest. And when we say biggest, we mean it, some of these are scarcely believable.
Welcome to Goodwood Elevenses, a mid-morning helping of motoring-related amusement to help break up your day. Watch the last video: A 'Ring masterclass in a Nissan 200SX
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WRC 2021
2021