Soft Tyres for Rally Finland: The Fastest Rally of the Year with the Biggest Jumps

The ultra-fast Rally Finland returns to its traditional summer slot and four-day format this year, but there’s still plenty that’s new. Half the rally route is completely revised compared to last year, with about 30 of the 322.61 kilometres (split over 22 stages) brand new for 2022.

WHY TYRES MATTER IN FINLAND

All these changes add an extra unknown element to a rally that’s always a big challenge, with the tyres having to ensure optimal grip on gravel that can become slippery, as well as strength and performance to cope with the big jumps and high speeds. The longest day is Saturday, covering around 150 competitive kilometres and featuring the rollercoaster crests of the epic Päijälä, Rapsula, Patajoki and Vekkula stages: the latter being totally new. Each stage is run twice – once in the morning, then again in the afternoon – just like the other days. On Sunday, all eyes will be on the spectacular Ruuhimäki test, run as the Power Stage in the afternoon and well-known for its massive jumps.

THE TYRES AVAILABLE

Scorpion KX SA The main choice: suitable for low grip conditions with low and high temperatures, on wet and dry

Scorpion KX HA The alternative: indicated for dry conditions with temperature above 30°C

PIRELLI QUOTE

Terenzio Testoni, rally activity manager: “Finland is the rally that every driver wants to win thanks to its flat-out stages, which also mean that the gaps between the cars can often be measured in just tenths of a second. Along with a cool head and accurate pace notes, managing the tyres carefully throughout the stages will be key: especially if it rains, which makes the surfaces more slippery. The Scorpion soft has already shown itself to be a very versatile compound with a wide working range, so we expect it again to be the only tyre used by the drivers this weekend, thanks also to its robust construction that ensures reliability over the jumps – always a big challenge on many Finnish stages.”

THE PIRELLI TYRES IN FINLAND

Pirelli will bring 500 tyres for the Rally1 cars in Finland. The allocation for the top category is as follows:

  •          24 Scorpion KX WRC SA tyres
  •          8 Scorpion KX WRC HA tyres

Each Rally1 car can use up to 28 tyres throughout the rally (including four for shakedown) with a free choice between the compounds.

Pirelli also brings 1700 tyres for all the other four-wheel drive categories, which can use a maximum of 26 tyres throughout the rally (including shakedown).  The allocations are:

*Main choice: soft compound, 22 Scorpion K6B for WRC2 and 22 K6 for WRC3

*Option: hard compound, 8 Scorpion K4B for WRC2 and 8 K4 for WRC3

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