Rally Finland began as a quickly improvised qualifier event for the Monte Carlo Rally; thirty Finnish drivers wanted to take part in Monte Carlo, but only 14 were able to fit within the quotas on Finns and Swedes. In July 1951, Pentti Barck’s proposal for an annual competition in Jyväskylä was accepted, leading to the first rally, Jyväskylän Suurajot, on 1 September 1951. The inaugural event covered 1,700 kilometres, stretching to Rovaniemi in Lapland and back, with Arvo Karlsson, driving an Austin Atlantic, winning after accumulating the least penalty points.
The 1952 event expanded to 48 entries and included Helsinki as an alternative starting point, with Eino Elo winning without incurring any penalty points. In 1955, the rally began to resemble a modern format with eleven special stages, the highest number in any European rally at the time. Elo and Peugeot became the first two-time winners of the event that year. In 1957, Sweden’s Erik Carlsson drove his Saab 93 to victory, becoming the first non-Finnish driver to win the rally.
In the 1960s, the rally became dominated by Finnish drivers, including Rauno Aaltonen, Pauli Toivonen, and Simo Lampinen, with Lampinen becoming the first driver to win consecutively in 1963 and 1964. The 1970s saw Timo Mäkinen achieve four wins, and in 1973, he became the first Finn to win a World Rally Championship round. The 1974 event was marred by the first fatal accident for a competitor in the World Rally Championship, with co-driver Seppo Jämsä dying from injuries sustained in a crash. In 1960, a fatal accident also occurred when a deaf-mute road worker was hit by Eugen Böhringer.
The 1980s saw continued dominance from Nordic drivers, with Hannu Mikkola extending his record to seven wins by 1983. However, the decade was also marked by several serious accidents, including the death of a marshal in 1981 and a spectator in 1984. In 1988, Markku Alén became the first driver to win the same WRC round six times.
The 1990s saw Carlos Sainz become the first non-Finnish and non-Swedish driver to win the rally. Tommi Mäkinen dominated the late 1990s, achieving a record five consecutive wins. However, the decade was also marked by tragedy, with spectator fatalities in 1995 and 1996.
In 1974, co-driver Seppo Jämsä died of injuries sustained in a crash during the Ouninpohja stage, marking the first fatality for a competitor in the World Rally Championship. In 1981, a marshal was killed after being hit by a car after the finish line of a stage. In 1984, a car crashed into a crowd of spectators, resulting in one fatality and several injuries. In 1995, a spectator was fatally struck by a car during the Hassi stage.
In 2005, Marcus Grönholm set the still-standing record for the highest average speed in a world rally, at 122.86 kilometres per hour. In 2007, Grönholm equalled Mikkola's win record, becoming the first driver to win the same WRC event seven times. In 2008, Sébastien Loeb became the first non-Nordic driver to win the rally twice.
Rally Finland is known for its smooth and wide gravel roads, numerous jumps, and blind crests. It is the fastest event in the World Rally Championship, having averaged 125.4 km/h in 2015. The Ouninpohja stage is the most famous section of the rally, known for its high-speed jumps and sweeping corners. In 2003, Markko Märtin set the record for the longest jump on the stage, travelling 57 metres in the air at a speed of 171 kilometres per hour.
Gallery · 4 related images
