61st Arctic Lapland Rally Invites Competitors with Fresh Challenges and Icy Classics
The 61st running of the Arctic Lapland Rally at the end of next January promises once again to serve up an irresistible blend of almost mythical rallying legends against the enticing backdrop of Lapland’s winter wilderness. Across two days of competition, drivers will face 12 special stages covering more than 200 kilometres of ice-bound special stages.
To mark the dawn of a new decade for the event, the ceremonial start will take place already on Thursday evening in the very heart of Rovaniemi – a day earlier than has been customary. On Friday morning the rally then first sets its sights southward along the road to Ranua, before turning eastward on Saturday in the direction of Kemijärvi.
Among the fresh additions to the itinerary, Friday evening brings back the Kellolampi stage after a hiatus of 20 years, a twilight challenge that will be unfamiliar to every competitor – and a first true opportunity to tear open gaps in the leaderboard as darkness swiftly descends. Saturday’s route in turn delivers a rare twist: a detour through Vanttauskoski en route to Kemijärvi, featuring the merciless stage of Murtotunturi, which drew admiration last year, alongside the eagerly awaited return of Hanhikoski after an absence of nearly a decade.
The rally’s beating heart, however, remains the evergreen classics. The ever powerful Aittajärvi will once again be tackled twice on Friday, while the legendary Sarriojärvi – at 32 kilometres, the longest stage of the rally – brings proceedings to their climax late on Saturday in true epic Lappish style.
“Next year’s route has been shaped since early spring on the basis of feedback from competitors and other stakeholders alike,” explains route director Katriina Keskiniva. “We have long wanted to reintroduce the name Hanhikoski and I am delighted we were able to combine it with the return of Kalliolampi from even further back. The unwavering support of local communities and landowners has once again been instrumental in bringing this plan to life.”
That community spirit is most evident in the region of Siikakämä, which will host three stages thanks to the local residents not only providing services for spectators but also lending their helping hands to the organisers. Alongside the new Kellolampi, the traditional Siikakämä roads will be run in two different formats. Meanwhile, the revamped Murtotunturi stage sweeps competitors past the flanks of four fells – Murtotunturi, Lemmontunturi, Vitikkotunturi and Kuovitunturi – while this time offering the public a variety of vantage points. In this remote corner of southern Lapland, the involvement of Posio’s joint forest cooperative, from route planning to snow clearing, has been pivotal in making the stage a reality.
While the rally’s most remote forest stages may lie up to 90 minutes from the nearest city, accessibility remains among the top priorities for the event organizer. The fan-favourite Mäntyvaara spectator stage near Rovaniemi will run twice on Friday and Kemijärvi’s lakeside city stage is again scheduled for Saturday afternoon. Even if easily accessible, both stages provide a warm and convivial setting to sample the rally’s unique northern spirit. Both locations will also allow fans to watch teams and cars prepared up close, with service areas nestled alongside the stages.
At the end of the two-day arctic odyssey, crews will return from Sarriojärvi’s untamed landscapes to Rovaniemi, where a jubilant celebration awaits in Lordi Square – a fitting finale to the 61st consecutive running of this icy epic. The Arctic Lapland Rally, the second round of the Finnish Rally Championship, takes place 29–31 January 2025 across the regions of Rovaniemi, Kemijärvi and Posio, straddling the Arctic Circle.
Itinerary
Thursday 29.1.2026
13:00 Shakedown
19:00 Ceremonial start, Lordi Square
Friday 30.1.2026
10:53 SS1 Aittajärvi 1 – 22.58 km
12:06 SS2 Venni–Mäntyvaara – 12.42 km
14:54 SS3 Kellolampi – 9.90 km
15:27 SS4 Siikakämä – 26.00 km
16:40 SS5 Aittajärvi 2 – 22.58 km
18:23 SS6 Mäntyvaara – 3.99 km
Saturday 31.1.2026
09:13 SS7 Veittivaara – 26.00 km
10:46 SS8 Jyrhämäjärvi – 22.46 km
12:49 SS9 Murtotunturi – 24.00 km
14:02 SS10 Hanhikoski – 15.00 km
15:25 SS11 Kemijärvi – 2.24 km
15:53 SS12 Sarriojärvi – 32.05 km
18:13 Podium, Lordi Square
Friday special stages: 97,47 km
Saturday special stages: 121,75 km
Total competitive distance: 219.22 km
Route total: 722,22 km
Photo: Taneli Niinimäki / AKK
