And this is where it all comes home for Max Vatanen. The 24-year-old, currently second in the Drive DMACK Fiesta Trophy standings, is contesting his home Rally Finland, which gets underway tomorrow, for only the second time in his short career. Nonetheless, this is an event that he’s been coming to almost before he could walk.
Finland marks the halfway point of the five-round Fiesta series, which carries a prize drive of an R5 Fiesta on the full WRC2 championship next year. For Max, this season got off to a flying start in Portugal with a win; then on the second round in Poland a puncture meant that he finished third.
His aim in Finland is to get his championship lead back, with a victory on the event that means most to him of them all. As a test of bravery and commitment, Rally Finland has no equal.
Last year, Max was leading in Finland: this year, his goal is to carry that lead all the way to the finish. But so complex are the fast roads of Finland that it’s incredibly easy to make a mistake, so the pace notes – called out by Jean-Jacques Rennucci, in French – have to be 100 per cent accurate as well.
“We definitely come here to try and win: it’s an event that means so much to me on a personal and emotional level, as well as a sporting one,” said Max, whose famous father Ari is a two-time Rally Finland winner. “Everyone knows just how fast and difficult it is though. It’s the sort of rally where you have to be perfect all the time. Just one small mistake can mean your rally is over in less than a second. So the concentration required is just phenomenal and the adrenaline flows like nowhere else on earth: there is no other way to describe it.”
In the Drive DMACK Fiesta Trophy, there is nowhere to hide. The state-of-the-art one-litre turbocharged cars, along with the tyres, are absolutely identical for everybody – meaning that it’s just the driving talent that makes a difference. The 11 young drivers from nine different countries contesting the series are all supremely talented, with an insatiable appetite for victory.
“The atmosphere is incredibly competitive, and this year it’s gone up another level again,” adds Max. “You can’t afford to let up for a second with any of these guys, otherwise they will be all over you. We had an intelligent rally when we won in Portugal, so as always it’s a question of adapting the speed to the conditions, while keeping an eye on what everyone else is doing as well.
Rally Finland starts with a 2.27-kilometre superspecial stage tomorrow night at 19:00, before the finish at 16:00 on Sunday back in Jyvaskyla after a total of 20 gravel stages. Rally Finland is characterised by rapid crests, many of which are completely blind, so the driver needs to have absolute trust in his pace notes. Not for nothing is the event known as the ‘Finnish Grand Prix’.
Max is backed by MAXRALLY.com – which takes an alternative look at the sport of rallying – and his adventures this weekend will be covered in full detail on the pioneering website. Max currently has just a two-point deficit to make up in order to regain the championship lead – and he’s determined to do it.
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