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Secto Rally Finland, one of the most highly anticipated events on the FIA World Rally Championship calendar, has announced an exciting new route for this year’s edition.  Billed as the ‘Finnish Grand Prix,’ the highly acclaimed high-speed gravel event was one of the WRC’s founding fixtures in 1973 and is scheduled to take place between August 3 and 6. The event features new stages for 2023 whilst still remaining faithful to its rich history and long-standing traditions.

A wider geographical spread enables some classic roads to return and a larger variety of Finnish terrain to be showcased, making it easier for fans to see the thrilling hybrid-powered Rally1 cars at full tilt.

Over half of the route has changed since last time out, with 27 per cent of the mileage being totally new for this year’s fixture. In total, 320.56 competitive kilometres are traversed over 22 speed tests.

The rally will kick off with a ceremonial start at the harbourside in Jyväskylä on Wednesday (2 August) evening, followed by Thursday (3 August) morning’s shakedown and the usual Harju City super special later in the day.

The biggest changes to the route come on Friday (4 August), where nine stages and 104.76 competitive kilometres are on offer to the north-east of Jyväskylä.

The first test, Laukaa, is a familiar name, but features a new start and some epic jumps, while the legendary Myhinpää returns as SS4 for the first time since 2015. Lankamaa also adopts a new format this year, being shorter but every bit as challenging, while Halttula is brand-new for 2023.

Saturday (5 August) hosts the rally’s longest leg, taking in eight stages which add up to 160.68km. Included on the itinerary is the all-new Västilä, while Vekkula is the longest stage of the rally at 20.65km.

The event concludes with four stages on Sunday (6 August), which, for the first time, includes a tyre fitting zone, Wolf Power Stage, and podium ceremony all within the same area in Himos-Jämsä – bringing a thrilling end to the four-day counter.

Clerk of the Course Kai Tarkiainen expressed excitement about the route, saying: “With an expanded route, we’re able to make it easier to attract yet more spectators and volunteers to the rally, while keeping the traditional character of the roads that drivers love.                                                       -WRC

“This is a significant event as it’s the first time in many years that we are reaching out to new territories and covering such a wide geographical spread, underlining the enduring popularity of rallying in our country.”