The super weekend of rallying in Lahti again this August
The rally super weekend, Lahti Historic Rally, and the Future SM Rally, round of the Finnish Championship will once again take place in Lahti on August 23-24 2024. Past and present will meet on the magnificent gravel roads of southern Finland as rally cars speed through corners and jumps, playing the bold symphony of engines.
Lahti Historic Rally was first held in 2002, and has always included competition with modern cars alongside the historic jewels. Lahti has been a round of the European Historic Rally Championship since 2003.
Similar to last year, Lahti will also be the host of competition for the Finnish Historic Rally Trophy and Finnish Rally Championship competitors. The rally has secured the same headline partner as last year, and it will once again be run under the name Future SM Rally. Construction company Future Ltd has been delivering quality services in the construction industry for 35 years and has been involved in motorsport in various capacities for a long time.
It is a globally renowned fact that in Finland rallying and scenic forests and lakesides always go hand in hand, and this year they will be even more present at the Lahti based event. The central functions of the event will now be entirely in the "living room" of the people of Lahti, in the area of the beautiful harbor and Sibelius Hall. The esteemed Sibelius Hall, home to the Lahti Symphony Orchestra and recognized as a modern pinnacle of Finnish wood construction, along with the harbor's old buildings and traditional restaurant boats, attest to the importance of lakes and forests in Finland.
The two-day rally follows the familiar pattern of six special stages run twice, totaling twelve special stages, with the contenders for the Finnish championship racing the final nine. The special stages are run in clusters of three. On Friday, the route heads east from Lahti, then north and northwest, passing through Nastola and Vuolenkoski to Vierumäki, then via Urajärvi to the areas of Asikkala and Lammi, and finally back to Lahti through Hämeenkoski.
On Saturday, the route heads south and west, passing through Mäntsälä, then through the areas of Kärkölä and Hausjärvi, and again through Hämeenkoski back to Lahti. The familiar ceremonial finish party will be held at Lahti's idyllic harbor, where perhaps the national composer Jean Sibelius' spirit nods approvingly at the composers of the gravel symphonies.
Photo: Merita Mäkinen
