70. Secto Rally Finland 2021
1. 10. – 3. 10. 2021, Jyväskylä • AKK Sports Ltd. • gravel 287.11 km • total distance including road sections - 1059.64 km • Other years
Info
SS19
This one feels good in the way we managed to do it. We struggled a lot in Estonia and we made some changes to the car in the test and found some confidence early on. We had a good road position on Friday and took the lead on Saturday, and I'm really happy to be able to give the team a win on their home rally. I always said from the outset, the aim was to do the best on each rally we have left. We have to just focus on doing our best in Spain and worry about the rest later."
"It's been great fun. We had to try hard first time and next time we are coming back in a very different concept, so we will try to do better then."
"Quite a good result. We need to be very pleased for our performance and I have to say thanks for the team - the car was perfect all the time. It was really enjoyable to be back again and hopefully we can see in the future."
"Quite a good result. We need to be very pleased for our performance and I have to say thanks for the team - the car was perfect all the time. It was really enjoyable to be back again and hopefully we can see in the future."
"I don't know, the engine just stopped and I think power is also not here. It was not the best one, but it's part of the game. I am looking forward to asphalt so much now."
"I didn't really think much about what I was doing, I was just enjoying the feeling of driving this thing. I'm pretty happy with what I've done."
"The goal was to finish the rally and we took all the experience we needed to take. There was a lot of things completely new for me. I am happy to be at the end with no mistakes. Thanks to M-Sport for the opportunity - it was a really good opportunity for me."
"It's a lot of things happening and this is the first rally for us. Aaron did a great job and unfortunately I made a mistake yesterday. Today we were first car on the road and it was still okay, so I have to learn.
"The feeling is really good. We did big changes for this rally and changed the team and the car, but still everything is working well."
"I think we need to be happy to be at the end of the rally. It's the first time we are here with the Rally2 car and we had to learn as we were going this weekend. I think we have been fairly competitive all the way, but today it was out of our control really. I am disappointed with the result, but there was nothing we could do - I haven't given anything away all weekend."
"It was too much. Not our weekend, but I still have to thank my team and many locals who helped me a lot."
"It was a big fight, so we are happy that we made it. It is our last stage of this season so I hope we can come back next year and enjoy."
"It was a bit better but it's still quite slippery. Based on what we saw in the previous stage we thought there would be more grip."
"We are the testing pilots for suspension! Quite upset about yesterday.- unfortunately one of the punctures was my mistake. Today was quite fun, but this stage is still not good for me."
SS18
"Feeling pretty good. It was a pretty decent run - quite clean and quite committed. We're happy enough."
"Elfyn has his pace, but we just have fun now."
"Just a clean run through there with no mistakes. Really looking forward to the Power Stage - it'll be a nice one to finish on."
"I made one small mistake - I went slightly off the line on one tight corner but otherwise it was a really good stage. I am really pleased."
"That's one of the best stages in the world. Everything seems to be on the limit and it's such a nice flowing stage. That's what it's about."
"I am just trying to enjoy all I can because it's the last stages we will do with this car on gravel. I just want to enjoy and take the experience."
"Still one stage to go and we will just go through it slowly I think. I am not in the condition to jump because you have to do quite big jumps if you want to be fast."
"Grip is similar. I expected better grip so I don't know. It's okay."
SS17
off road
"It's fun! Overall, I didn't like the stage because the rear is snapping too much. In some moments it was quite okay but I was not pushing because I lost the confidence."
"I struggled a lot. The stage was very slippery and I had some issues in the beginning of the stage, so I nearly went off the road. I try to push as much as I can but we have some surprises."
"Of course we are having pressure. Mads is coming quite close and there is not room for mistakes. I really have to be flat-out."
"It's alright! It just felt really clean, nothing too wild. It was tricky enough in these two and there's a lot still to do."
"This one has slow and tight corners as well, so it's a pain in the a** to drive!"
"Just trying to enjoy it. I made a very silly mistake on the first one with that spin. We're getting on to the last couple of stages with these cars [on gravel] and I'm just trying to enjoy every kilometre."
"It's so beautiful weather, the roads are nice. A little slippery and there were two junctions where I made a mistake. I think we can improve the time quite a bit."
"The chance is there, but it's all about the driving - I have to drive well. This pass was quite slippery and the second pass will be a bit different."
"I had a nice rhythm in there and was enjoying the driving. Generally a little bit cautious in places, but the grip wasn't as bad in there as the first one."
"We made some changes with the rear of the car and it's better. Let's see - it was definitely better for me."
"It feels fine when I drive slowly like this, but there is no chance that I will try to do anything on the Power Stage. It's a shame for all the fans that I can not drive normally, but at least we are here."
"The first one was not so bad, but this one is very, very slippery. I don't know why, it's quite strange, but we are enjoying a lot. We will try to understand each other and prepare for the future."
SS16
"Not great to be honest. I could have gone a bit better in places but I had a few big slides at the start and it was quite low grip. All okay."
"In some places it was quite slippery with a few surprises, but generally quite an okay run."
"I had a little spin at the junction and I had to do a 360. Nothing too serious - I probably could have fired it into the junction but I decided to spin it around and not do anything too silly."
"Very slippery, but when you compare it from the afternoon yesterday it feels very slippery. The car is sliding a lot, but the road is not broken yet so this afternoon will be better."
"We have big gaps around us so the only target is the power stage. We just drove this one."
"Compared to the grip of the last time I drove this stage, there's almost none. It's surprising how little grip there is."
"It was really slippery and I had no grip with the rear of the car. I did my best but it doesn't give me the confidence, so we'll try to find something for the next stage."
"We are just cruising through really. It's fine, we just go through the stages."
"I just tried to enjoy and get the mileage with Aaron. Obviously this is the first rally for us so we need to manage together and understand each other. That's the main thing."
SS15
"It's honestly nice to be rallying on these roads. We've done a few WRC events this year and, I may be biased, but this is the nicest of the year."
"No errors, no warnings on the dash. We had a small hole on the radiator but we were able to fix it. I have to say, we were lucky."
"It's always nice to have a battle in Finland. It's been a battle all day to be honest, but the feeling has been better in the afternoon. I am looking forward to tomorrow - I know how to fight on a Sunday, so I will try to do that."
"It's been a good day. I really enjoyed it. It's been a great fight and there's obviously a long way to go tomorrow, but we'll just take it stage by stage."
"The road changed and I could manage the car better. It's been a big step for the team and it's good to be on the pace with Hyundai in Finland."
"I think it's been a reasonably good day, we have to be pleased. For the third time in a row, we have the lead of an event and for whatever reason we just can't put it together. Just to be amongst the top people here is something special, but it hurts a little just not to be able to get that last bit."
"It's been a good two days. I tried to beat Seb [on this stage], but it seems that I am learning still and I am getting older."
"The second loop was much better. I think the set-up change was really beneficial for my confidence and the pace was quite okay. This afternoon, I think if you take starting order into consideration, it was not so bad. At least it's going the right way and the focus now is on the power stage."
"I am really happy with today. It was a really good learning for me to open the road and I can be happy with myself sometimes."
"I am really happy with today. It was a really good learning for me to open the road and I can be happy with myself sometimes."
SS14
"When you have it in your hands and it starts to go away it's a little disappointing, but we have to be realistic. I think to get that last 1 per cent is very, very difficult."
"It was quite good fun, actually. I can see Elfyn is pushing quite a bit also."
"It was not too bad. I think the conditions were quite okay and the roads are actually harder than in the summertime."
"It's a pity the conditions are quite slippery in places but overall quite okay."
stopped , car damaged
"It was nice to drive, but it's difficult with the line. It was a clean drive for me."
SS13
"I really didn’t have a good rhythm and I just didn't push enough. There was so much more grip than in the first pass but we're still here."
"The feeling is much better than before. The grip is high and it's really enjoyable."
"It wasn't the best run to be honest. I just went a little bit wide and had some understeer which cost us a bit of time, but it's okay."
"It just feels very nice to see all of the spectators. They are supporting us well."
"It was okay. We had a good rhythm and I can't do much more. I tried my best."
"The plan is to drive better because I didn't really enjoy the start of the rally. Now that we finally have a car that suits me better I feel much better to drive fast."
"It seemed okay. It's cleaning, but compared to years we've had in the past, the ground is so much more compact and there's a lot less cleaning. For me, what stood out was how many rocks have come out."
"It’s even worse because the stage is quite narrow so the loose is everywhere and in the lines it's quite difficult to keep the grip. I need to improve my pace, but the stage was not easy for me."
SS12
"Teemu is going really well, but I am trying my best and feeling good."
"Pretty okay. Nothing special..."
"The two boys are going at it hammer and tongs. I tried my best - I had quite a perfect stage to be honest with you, but it’s a huge pace and I'm just trying to do my best."
"The grip is higher and the car is behaving a bit better, so I am pushing a bit."
"It felt pretty okay, actually. It was all quite clean - maybe I need to push a bit more."
"It was much better than the first pass and the grip is getting better. Our car is working better on the second pass - that's very clear - but we need to make it work for the first pass as well."
"I had a good rhythm but I got pulled out of the line twice and had to release the throttle before a long straight. I lost maybe two or three seconds in there. That's part of the game when you're pushing."
"I enjoyed the driving much more. Since the changes I made at midday the car is nice to drive. I am not 100 per cent on the limit yet."
"It's a stage I like and I wanted to give it a push because I want to see what I can do and what need I need to improve on. I tried."
"There is one section which is quite slow but the rest is really fast. It's difficult to have a proper line because on the outside is very loose. On the first time here it's not an easy job, but it's good learning."
SS11
"I tried my hardest and did absolutely everything I could."
"The grip is higher now and the car is easier to drive. The feeling was better and we will keep the pressure on now."
"No real surprises - a few nasty rocks sticking out here and there. I felt a pretty bad one on the rear actually, but other than that it's pretty fine."
"It was a perfect stage. I was really on it and I didn't do any mistakes. For sure, we did our best."
"A little bit more rough. The grip was more consistent as well. I was able to have a good stage. Maybe I was a little bit too high and a little bit too soft, but we can easily change that for the next stage."
"The grip is much better than the first pass, but it's the same for everybody. It was a nice stage and it was really enjoyable to drive in there."
"I was trying in places but the grip was so, so much higher than this morning. If someone can hook the grip up in there they can make some big time."
"Even at the start it's difficult to start the car because of the line. In some places when it's quite wide, the feeling is nice. I know we are losing time but the grip is better than this morning and it's enjoyable."
SS10
"There's not much left. Like I said before, I have a reference to the first car in front of me and I didn't think I'd be able to fight with these guys. Elfyn just has something else that I don't have today."
"Don't worry, I am fighting already and have been fighting for quite some time. This is all we can do."
"You have to focus on doing your own thing and trying your best. Until there's something to manage then there's no point to look at anything."
"I think we would have been faster but we had to slow down a lot in Kalle's place. I hope we can get some time back but otherwise it was a good stage."
Retired after 2 punctures
"The gap is not big enough. There is a lot of cleaning in there and the guys behind will go faster. I enjoyed this one - it's a really nice stage."
off road
"It's tricky. It's hard to commit and you lose so much time when you can't commit. I'm trying, but sometimes I'm having fairly big slides.
"There are different parts in the stages where it's quite compact like it is now, but there are also loose sections in the middle. I was struggling a bit, but we will see. It's not too bad."
SS9
"We went too fast into a corner and had to go straight off the road and got stuck in the ditch. Thanks to the spectators we got out and it seems the car is okay."
off road
Puncture
"It was super tricky. Slippery in places and I was taking it a bit carefully, but it's quite an okay stage."
"I can't do anything more than that. It was nearly a perfect stage to be honest with you - that's my maximum."
"The notes are not so bad. New stages are always tricky, but we have a limit and this is our limit. We will keep going at this pace and let's see."
"The car is working quite well but I didn't have the best feeling in there. Overall it was fine, but with the new notes it's very technical. I think it's somewhat normal for a new stage like this, but it could have been better."
"I don't know. We need to see how the boys are coming at the back. It felt very similar to before. It's hard to do more - it felt like a good stage for us and it feels too dangerous to push more."
"It looks to be okay, but still could be better. We know on the small roads with more grip that the car is working. The stage is cleaning on this one but it's a bit more enjoyable on a technical stage like this."
"I had a clean run, but it's very different. Sometimes we still don't have a great rhythm so we need to work on that to get it a bit more floating, especially on new stages like this."
"The profile of this one is different from the previous stage. I think I had a better feeling in that stage but so far it doesn't look like a good rally for us. I will keep trying to get this confidence to go faster."
"I am struggling more and more with the car as the morning's going on. The first stage it was behaving quite well but now it's hard to commit. We're going to make some changes."
"This one was not easy for us because we had a lot of loose in the middle of the road and most of the time I was losing the grip. It's good learning."
SS8
"In the beginning of the stage. I don't know how it's made the puncture - it's quite surprising. I decided to go until the finish because otherwise I would lose more time."
"I will go a bit faster. Compared to Ott it's not a bad stage, but Elfyn has done a real blinder in there. I struggled a bit with grip, but that's an amazing time."
"It's a nice stage, but high-speed and a bit challenging. We did all we could."
puncture
"It felt okay, but not perfect everywhere. In a few places I came in too hot and lost my line a little bit, but it's okay."
"We got a nice rhythm. It was a good stage from us and I was quite many times on the limit. It's very hard to trust the grip. Sometimes it's quite okay, but suddenly you completely lose it and you start to go wide."
"I knew this stage was going to be difficult and I can not do anything more. I am just trying to survive on the road - I'm sliding so much and I just don't have the grip to do anything else."
"I am trying all I can. Maybe in this stage in a few places you can go faster, but we are still checking the notes. I tried to find a good balance between pushing very hard and keeping the car on the road. Our only target can be Lappi today but it might be difficult."
"I don't know. I just heard on the radio that they are both okay. For me, I am not fast for sure. I don't have the confidence."
"It's been pretty good, but in that stage the notes were way too fast. I was taking too much entry speed and losing the speed coming out of the corners. A tricky one."
"On the jumps, it's quite interesting to see the sky! This stage was the fastest stage for me in the rally. It's good learning."
off road
SS7
"I left so much time in there, honestly. I left five or eight seconds easily with hesitation. It was a nice run, I really enjoyed it, but the race is on."
"If it's not full confidence then I can't do full to the limit, that's like it is."
"It felt pretty good in places - not perfect everywhere though. Generally the feeling is even better than yesterday I would say."
"I tried my best - that's all. It's just too slippery to push hard for me. I have no confidence to push harder.
"It was a clean run, but am not fully happy with the car and myself also. It's more difficult than it should be - I can not be as precise as I want, but there is not much we can do now."
"I had a good stage, but the rhythm is very high. It won't be enough for the guys behind because the road is probably getting faster, but I did my best.
"The conditions are better than first on the road, but let's see compared to the faster guys behind."
"It's so fun to drive the stage. The grip is more easier than yesterday, but it's still very challenging."
"It's one of the best stages of the rally, that's for sure! In some places the grip was really good and in some it was very slippery, especially towards the end."
"The ground is really compact on the roads we are using this morning. It was good, but it was difficult because we have no lines to follow for the braking."
SS6
Stuck in a ditch
"It's been pretty good. Of course, it's a pretty different car to drive, but I am getting used to it step by step and I have been really enjoying a lot."
"Today was okay but this stage was so terrible. I was expecting to lose a lot because in the first part we hit something and it was so loud in the car, so I couldn't hear the co-driver properly. Okay, we are here and that's a good achievement for today."
"Not a good rhythm. We have a smell of fire in the car, so I was paying attention to my mirrors to make sure there was not fire. Something feels broken at the rear, so maybe an oil leak or something. I don't know."
"We did what we could in the darkness. A good day overall."
"It was such an experience. Wow. In the night, it changes everything. I just wanted to finish the stage because it was really difficult. It's nice to drive in the night but to be able to have a good pace you have to be committed. We are here, so I am happy."
"It wasn't a great stage. It felt okay, but the time doesn't look too good."
"It's amazing. I always questioned what Finland would be like in the dark and now we've felt it and witnessed it. It's absolutely incredible. My lights weren't 100 per cent to be honest, I have a bit of work to do on them, but it's just incredible."
"It has been a very tricky day. I wanted to push and set some more good times, but this is life. I need to learn from this and tomorrow is going to be a better day for us. It's good learning for both of us."
"It's surprisingly good. We never expected to be in the battle with Toyota, so it's been surprisingly okay. This was just the introduction, so let's see tomorrow. It's a big day."
"It was difficult. It's starting to be quite dark for us already, so let's see what the guys behind us do. I didn't want to risk everything. I tried to push but the time is not so good."
"I just couldn't commit to it and the visibility was quite poor. My lights weren't nice and I didn't want to do a mistake because it would have been stupid."
"Really enjoyed it, but it's not been easy. It's difficult to be relaxed in the dark like this and in the last part of the stage it's very difficult to see what's on the side of the road."
"It hasn't been a very strong day for us. We did what we could but I didn't have any pace. This one was a very difficult stage."
SS4
"I thought I did well. I don't know what we should to be honest - it felt like a good push."
"It's unbelievable. The speed of the car is just amazing. I am still really slow compared to the others but I know how to improve, so this is the main thing."
"It's not really an improvement, but in places now I genuinely can't go any faster. I'm on the door handles and using all the road. The times are not so good, but I enjoyed myself so much and it's such a good stage."
"I have something loose in the rear of the car - I don't know what it is - maybe a diffuser or something."
"It's okay. Struggling a bit with the feeling, but it will come. I am just trying to be steady and get the feeling more."
"I changed the car balance a bit and it's following a bit better. The feeling is coming step by step and we are learning, so it's getting better."
"I think our set-up is just not so good on the first pass. That’s my mistake from the testing and I think it's not so easy to fix that now during the rally. I can't do much more than this if somebody is much faster."
"I had a good stage, but the guys are pushing very hard. It's more or less power stage mode in there, so it's really difficult. I had a good stage and the car felt quite okay."
"Pretty okay really. There are some places we could take a few more risks, but it's hard to find the balance at the moment."
"Grip is a bit better, but I am not sure if it is going to evolve mow. I am still enjoying, but the times are not so great so far."
SS3
"(More grip?) No. Tricky. Stage is really nice but easy flat rights are hard to negotiate. Needs more work."
"Was amazing. The beginning is so fast, always 6th gear. Without risk. Really really fast, I need to find a bit with my driving."
"It's okay. Very nice stage, I liked the new start but too fast for the R5 I think!"
"Quite slippery. Some places were interesting to drive, some places no grip. The rest was okay."
"Very difficult, struggled a lot with understeer. Front is always giving up, not easy at all but we try."
"It was better than the first one, less eventful. All okay."
"The stage was okay, but I made some big mistakes and lost some time. Trying to get used to the high speed. Pushed too much in the junctions and had to turn around.
"After that I have to be careful. There is still a long way to go, so I will try to get back the confidence and the feeling then I push again."
"I was not happy in the first stage with the car. I had quite a bad pre-event [test], so we changed a lot and it seems to be working."
"The driving is good but I can not push any harder. I am all over the place all the time and I can't take any more risks."
"The stage was quite okay. If I want to go as fast as him [Tänak] then we need to take some risks. In the conditions we are now, I had a good stage."
"Just caught out a bit by the grip. On the surface it’s very easy to lose your line, then it's very difficult to get it back."
"It seems that the road is getting a bit quicker. Not an easy one - some very fast sections where you need to be confident."
SS2
damaged car after the jump, retiring for the day
"The lines of the guys are quite crazy. They are cutting quite a lot and I didn't have this in my notes, so we are losing quite a lot of time."
"It's not too bad. I just need to find a way to be faster. You really need to be committed to have a really good pace. It's really easy to make a mistake."
"It was okay. Just struggling with the car a little bit. Some of it is the grip, but we're really struggling to keep the car in a straight line on the high-speed sections."
"It's so, so nice. You can be so committed and I don't have the words for it. It's absolutely amazing."
"In a very high speed corner there was a bump inside and we kicked out from the bump. Luckily we didn't hit anything. We are here and it's fine - these things can happen in this rally."
"I was trying hard, but it's not easy - there's not much confidence. Let's see, we will try to learn more."
"It was okay. The grip level is really difficult because the road is very compact in places and the road is difficult to drive."
"Quite slippery actually. I struggled a bit with understeer but other than that I had an okay stage."
spin
SS1
"I've never had such a good start!"
"I am really looking forward to taking experience on this amazing rally. It will be a big discovery for me. Two years ago I was with the Rally4 and now I am with the WRC, so I am quite happy with my career improvement."
"Probably the best rally to do in these cars, so I'm looking forward to it. Happy to get through this one."
"Really looking forward to the rally. I really struggled with some strange things in the car and I need to understand why."
"A good start for sure, but this is just a short stage. I tried to enjoy with Aaron - that's the most important thing."
"I have never been driving here in a Hyundai, so we will find out."
"I think everybody has a lot of experience in this event anyway. It's not going to be easy for sure. I will try to do my best of course, but it's going to be a big fight."
"I had a good feeling in shakedown. Hopefully we can match the speed of the Toyota's - that's the big question at the moment. I just want to enjoy it and try to bring home a good result for the team."
"We'll aim to do as well as we can. I am looking forward to the challenge because it will be a challenge. A lot of new stages, and they're looking quite technical and jumpy."
"We will try to enjoy as much as we can. It's the last time on gravel roads in these cars and the roads here are so beautiful here. Normally when you enjoy, the times are not so bad."