Neste Oil Rally Finland 2010: Rally Guide 1 reveals the route details of a WRC classic

Details of the route for this year´s Neste Oil Rally Finland have been released together with the Rally Guide 1, which can be found in the Competitors´ section of the website. The 60th anniversary event on July 29-31 is a combination of old and new. Laajavuori - a traditional opening stage in past decades - makes a return, while firm spectator favourite Myhinpää also remains on the bill. The route´s 19 stages total 310 kilometres

- Neste Oil Rally Finland´s three-day format has been tweaked to run the actual special stages on the Friday and Saturday, whereas scrutineering, shakedown and the opening Special Stage will have taken place on Thursday, explains Deputy Clerk of the Course Seppo Harjanne.

Harjanne underlines that particular consideration has been given to ease of spectating, obviously within the constraints allowed by regulatory demands on schedules and stage mileage.

- We want to give a choice of stages in a geographically wide area, with past years´ feedback from spectators, competing crews and teams in mind, says Harjanne.

- There was a desire to include in the route everything that made this rally famous and popular with the fans worldwide. For the competing crews it again offers familiar, fast stages and some new roads, too, he sums up.

In celebration of its 60th anniversary the event is sparked off on the Thursday by the tradition laden Laajavuori stage, which now takes the place of recent opening test Killeri. A novelty for Neste Oil Rally Finland is the re-seeding of competitors on the basis of results from Laajavuori. The top ten from that stage will be able to pick their slots in the running order for Friday.

Otherwise the jubilee rally´s route follows the pattern of recent events. On Friday morning the Urria and Jukojärvi stages are both tackled twice. After service the crews head north-east for the afternoon. Lankamaa and new stage Sirkkamäki are followed by Myhinpää, which proved super popular last year.

On Saturday the route heads south-west. First stages in the morning are Kolonkulma, Väärinmaja and Surkee, before service back at Jyväskylä Paviljonki. Next come Leustu and Himos before a re-run of Surkee and another service in Jyväskylä.

The day, and indeed the rally, is concluded with second runs through Leustu and Himos. The top crews will receive their awards at Jyväskylä Paviljonki at 19.30. The night will climax with a grand anniversary celebration.

Schedule and route maps to be found here
http://www.nesteoilrallyfinland.fi/attachements/2010-02-26T09-28-39253.pdf

Source:Rally Buzz