The night before the start of the 70th edition of the Rally Finland in the FIA World Rally Championship, it was confirmed that the WRC will return to the fast forest stretches in Finland as they have renewed the partnership.
AKK Sports Oy, the Finnish governing body, have now agreed to sign a two-year contract with WRC Promoter GmbH and the Finnish rally will remain on the calendar.
Rally Finland has been run every year since the WRC started in 1973, except last year when the corona pandemic hit the world. This year, the rally celebrates its 70th anniversary and it is being hosted this weekend (1-3 October).
So now Finland will have the chance to arrange at least two more rallies and will get to see the new era of rallying when the new Rally1 hybrid cars will attack the stages in 2022 and 2023.
In Jyväskylä City Hall during the evening, CEO Riku Bitter from AKK and WRC Manging Director Jona Siebel met and signed the contract.
“Rally Finland is one of the jewels in the WRC’s crown and fans across the globe will be delighted with this news. It is, after all, hard to imagine a WRC season without a visit to Finland’s breathtaking rollercoaster roads.” Siebel commented after the signing.
“For now, everyone is excited and looking forward to a wonderful 2021 event this weekend. On behalf of WRC Promoter and the sport’s fans, I thank AKK Sports for its efforts and perseverance in making the rally happen against the backdrop and difficulties caused by the pandemic.”
“On behalf of AKK Sports it gives me great pleasure to confirm Rally Finland will remain a key part of the FIA World Rally Championship for at least another two years. I thank Jona Siebel and his team at WRC Promoter for their continued support and belief in our event. I must also thank the Rally Finland stakeholders for their unwavering commitment and, of course, the fans for their backing, particularly in light of the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.” Bitter added.
