Wales Rally GB is a special event on the FIA World Rally Championship calendar and it’s one that Max Vatanen can’t wait to compete on. The Flying Finn will make his debut on the Welsh stages next week, from November 12-15.
Max had a strong year in the Drive DMACK Fiesta Trophy, where he won the opening round in Portugal and fought for the title until the end of the final round of the season in Spain last month. He and co-driver Jacques-Julien Renucci will be reunited in Wales with the Ford Fiesta R2T that they used throughout the season.
Max will focus on learning the tricky Welsh stages in his Fiesta. “It’s very good to do the rally in a car I know,” says Max. “It’s the perfect choice. Last year I did the recce for Rally GB so it will be a good step, it’s a real opportunity to show what I can do.”
And Max is determined to focus on topping the R2 class and mixing it with the drivers in R3 machinery across the three days of the event: “That will be our target. I will focus on learning the rally and also showing our speed. I want to be on top of the podium.”
While he’s not competed on Rally GB before, Max has some experience of the event. “I have spectated on Rally GB a few times, maybe on four or five occasions,” he explains. “The last time was in 2011. The rally has a big story, it’s always been the last on the calendar and the roads are quite special. It’s definitely one of the nicest rallies on the calendar, the scenery is spectacular but we won’t be seeing too much of it!”
After this event, Max will step up to an R5-specification, four-wheel-drive car as he will compete in the MSA British Rally Championship. The opening round, the Mid Wales Stages, will take place in and around the Wales Rally GB route. “There may be some stages that are similar or the same,” says Max, who is supported by MAXRALLY website - which takes an alternative look at the sport of rallying. “Rally GB is good preparation for next year and really, to run on the Welsh roads will be a nice experience.”
Max’s father Ari won Rally GB, or the RAC Rally as is was called, in 1984 aboard a Peugeot 205 T16. “But he’s not given me much advice ahead of next week,” says Max. “He normally gives me some advice, but it’s normally general stuff that’s not so relevant to the car itself, because his experience is from a different era.”
Wales Rally GB begins with a ceremonial start on Thursday November 12 in Llandudno in the north of Wales. The real action gets underway early the next morning when the Hafren 1 stage begins at 09:27. Six stages make up day one, and a further nine take place on day two. Four stages take place on Sunday November 15, including the Great Orme and the Power Stage. Altogether there are 310.15-kilometres of special stages in the final round of the World Rally Championship.
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