jonlint
17th June 2009, 12:25
The Kickastra Rally Team will take on a new challenge - widely considered the holy grail of rallying - Neste Oil Rally Finland.
The Neste Oil Rally Finland (formerly known as the 1000 Lakes Rally) is based in the Jyvaskyla area in Central Finland and will be held on July 30 - August 02, 2009. The rally has been held since 1951, first as a national competition, then from 1959 on as a European Rally Championship event and since the introduction of the World Rally Championship in 1973, as Finland's WRC event. The rally is known colloquially in Finland as Jyvaskylan Suurajot (the "Jyvaskyla Great Race"). The international name "Rally of the Thousand Lakes" was introduced in 1954. The rally was renamed in 1994 when Neste Oil became the main sponsor. It is the biggest annually organized public event in the Nordic countries, gathering over 500,000 spectators every year.
Team had already completed Wales Rally GB in 2006 and 2007, and were set to do the same in 2008, but personal commitments intervened. Being that 2009 is the last year of homologation of the Opel Astra OPC, through the fantastic support of sponsors Ravensden, German support team Tobias Scharf from Team AutoScharf and team friend Jouni Kunnas in Finland, the team was able to pull together the resources and budget to enter the rally.
Preparations are well underway for the rally. The entry has been completed, the car completed a "shakedown" Sachsen Rally in May in Germany with no problems, the team has secured and become accustomed to HANS (Head and Neck Restraint) devices which are mandatory for all teams in the WRC in 2009, all travel plans have been made, and the car is undergoing final preparations for the rally by Team AutoScharf. Rally Finland is well known for its high speed and huge jumps. Indeed on one of the most famous stages, Ouninpohja, featured over 40 jumps for the top teams! The team is preparing for these conditions by upgrading the suspension and renewing some suspension/drivetrain components.
The team will post regular updates on our preparation plans leading up to the rally and will give regular updates from Finland on http://www.kickastra.com.
Kickastra Rally Team
The Neste Oil Rally Finland (formerly known as the 1000 Lakes Rally) is based in the Jyvaskyla area in Central Finland and will be held on July 30 - August 02, 2009. The rally has been held since 1951, first as a national competition, then from 1959 on as a European Rally Championship event and since the introduction of the World Rally Championship in 1973, as Finland's WRC event. The rally is known colloquially in Finland as Jyvaskylan Suurajot (the "Jyvaskyla Great Race"). The international name "Rally of the Thousand Lakes" was introduced in 1954. The rally was renamed in 1994 when Neste Oil became the main sponsor. It is the biggest annually organized public event in the Nordic countries, gathering over 500,000 spectators every year.
Team had already completed Wales Rally GB in 2006 and 2007, and were set to do the same in 2008, but personal commitments intervened. Being that 2009 is the last year of homologation of the Opel Astra OPC, through the fantastic support of sponsors Ravensden, German support team Tobias Scharf from Team AutoScharf and team friend Jouni Kunnas in Finland, the team was able to pull together the resources and budget to enter the rally.
Preparations are well underway for the rally. The entry has been completed, the car completed a "shakedown" Sachsen Rally in May in Germany with no problems, the team has secured and become accustomed to HANS (Head and Neck Restraint) devices which are mandatory for all teams in the WRC in 2009, all travel plans have been made, and the car is undergoing final preparations for the rally by Team AutoScharf. Rally Finland is well known for its high speed and huge jumps. Indeed on one of the most famous stages, Ouninpohja, featured over 40 jumps for the top teams! The team is preparing for these conditions by upgrading the suspension and renewing some suspension/drivetrain components.
The team will post regular updates on our preparation plans leading up to the rally and will give regular updates from Finland on http://www.kickastra.com.
Kickastra Rally Team