The 5^th round of the P-WRC (Production car World Rally Championships), "Neste Oil Rally Finland” was held in Jyväskylä located in central Finland. The P-WRC is already in its 5^th rally and heading into the second half of the season.

 

The rally was held from July 31^st to August 3^rd and consisted of courses blistering through the woodlands of Finland at high speeds. The many huge jumps, over 10m long and 1m high, make the course very treacherous for the drivers and cars. Settings were based on TEIN’s huge database accumulated from countless number of previous outings to provide maximum stability during the high speed corners and handling the huge jumps. Tests were performed together for both TYPE Gr.N equipped drivers, P.Flodin (Lancer Evo. IX) and E.Vertunov (Impreza) to find optimal settings. J.Salo did not take part in the tests because he currently participates in the Finland Rally Championships and his Lancer Evo. IX was already set up perfectly for the course.

 

The Super SS took place on the night before opening day, and the crowds gathered all excited, voicing their enthusiasm. Day 1 consisted of 10SS amounting to a total of 132km. TYPE Gr.N equipped J.Salo and P.Flodin continually made minor adjustments to their ride heights during the service times, aiming to improve their times. J.Salo set the best time in 7 out of the 11SS during day 1 and finished the day in 1^st place. P.Flodin performed consistently throughout the day to finish in 3^rd place. E.Vertunov was also performing well until suffering from engine trouble and unfortunately had to retire from the rally.

 

The 2^nd day consisted of 10SS covering 168.3km, which included the 21.1km SS, the longest in the rally. J.Salo started the day in 1^st place, and set numerous best times throughout the day until SS16 where he drove off course, ending his rally. P.Flodin was able to take advantage and rose up to 2^nd place. With a minute separating 1^st and 3^rd place, he drove consistently, looking to finish safely in 2^nd place. Day 3 consisted of only 3SS covering 40.5km. P.Flodin had some bad luck and lost 30seconds due to a blown tire. But he had already built enough lead during the previous day to finish the rally on the podium in 2^nd place. Unfortunately during the vehicle re-inspection session, after the rally, an infringement was found and he was unfortunately disqualified.

The next round of the P-WRC will take place in New Zealand, and we hope for the best for all TEIN users and look forward to seeing the TYPE Gr.N in action!