The series began in 1959 with four events on the calendar: the Hankiralli, the 500-ralli, the Syysralli, and the 1000 Lakes Rally. The inaugural title was claimed by Esko Keinänen and his co-driver Kai Nuortila, competing in a Peugeot 403. This first championship established the template of a multi-round national series contested on Finnish forest roads, a surface that would go on to define the international reputation of Finnish rallying.
In 1970, Group 2 regulations were introduced into the championship, with Timo Mäkinen taking the first title under those rules. Mäkinen was already an established international figure, and his presence in the domestic championship illustrated the close relationship between Finnish national and international rallying.
Group 4 machinery was contested within the championship from 1976 to 1978. In the 1980s, Group A cars were progressively admitted into Group 1 competition, eventually replacing older homologation classes entirely as the series modernised in line with international regulatory trends. Group 2 was superseded by Group N in 1987, while a dedicated championship for Group B cars ran from 1983 to 1988, with Group 4 entrants also eligible to participate in the Group B class during 1983 and 1984.
Toward the end of the 1980s, Groups A and N were each subdivided into engine displacement classes above and below 2000 cc, creating the derivative categories referred to as lowercase "a" and "n" within the Finnish system.
The modern Finnish Rally Championship runs several competitive classes. The top tier, Super4, encompasses R5 cars, S2000 machinery, and older World Rally Championship-specification vehicles. Production4 covers Group N cars. The R2 class is open to R2 and R1 cars, while Super2 provides a category for other two-wheel-drive machinery outside the R2 and R1 classifications.
This multi-class structure allows the championship to accommodate a wide range of competitors and equipment levels, preserving accessibility while maintaining a clear performance hierarchy.
An additional championship for female competitors, the Finnish Rally Championship for Ladies, was contested in two distinct periods: from 1971 to 1978 and again from 1986 to 2000. This initiative reflected Finland's broader engagement with rally motorsport across the wider population and its history of competitive female participation in the sport.
Finland's contribution to international rallying is disproportionately large relative to the country's population. The domestic championship has been central to that output, providing the competitive environment in which drivers develop the fast, flowing, instinctive driving style on gravel forest roads that has become known internationally as the "Finnish flying" technique. The 1000 Lakes Rally, one of the founding events of the series, has remained on the World Rally Championship calendar for decades as Rally Finland, maintaining a direct link between the national championship's roots and the top level of the sport.