Asunmaa out to win his fourth Arctic Lapland Rally
Teemu Asunmaa aims to win his fourth Arctic Lapland Rally this weekend, when the Finnish Rally Championship begins with the classic two-day event.
Teemu Asunmaa, 35, and his co-driver Ville Mannisenmäki, 27, are aiming for the win in the Finnish Rally Championship season opener Arctic Lapland Rally. Pair Asunmaa – Mannisenmäki compete with number two in the two-day event. The first round of the championship yields 1,5 times the amount of championship points, which are also the focus of Asunmaa.
-Our goals are the same as in the previous years, which is winning the season opener. Of course championship points are also in our minds, so a clean and solid rally is important for us too. It feels good to get to drive after a longer winter break.
Winter break hasn’t been time for leasure for the three-time premier SM1 category champion, and preparations for the upcoming season started right after the last season ended.
-All the work and effort we put during the winter break culminates on the first event of the year. We’ve been working overtime for the last three months. Usually, preparations before the events take about three weeks, but for Arctic it’s three months. A big thank you to our cooperation partners for making the upcoming season happen.
Preparation for the first event of the year has included plenty of testing kilometres as well.
-We’ve driven 70 to 80 kilometres of testing last week, and some tire tests before that. We’re ready for the new season.
Arctic Lapland Rally begins on the Friday 13th of January at 11:00 and the first special stage starts at 12:03. The rally consists of 11 special stages and 245,60 special stage kilometres. The two-day rally ends in Lordi Square in Rovaniemi on Saturday the 14th at 18:53. The rally is streamed live to YouTube via Moottoriurheilu.tv’s channel, and live timing can be found from rallism.fi.
Arctic Lapland Rally Schedule
Friday 13.1. – 105,71 km:
|
11:00 |
Ceremonial Start |
Rovaniemi – Lordi Square |
|
12:03 |
SS1 – Jyrhämäjärvi |
33,38 km |
|
13:26 |
SS2 – Mäntyvaara 1 |
3,50 km |
|
15:59 |
SS3 – Kaihuavaara |
27,93 km |
|
17:02 |
SS4 – Kivalo Siikakämä |
37,40 km |
|
18:45 |
SS5 – Mäntyvaara 2 |
3,50 km |
Saturday 14.1. – 139,89 km:
|
08:53 |
SS6 – Siikakämä |
26,60 km |
|
09:56 |
SS7 – Aittajärvi |
22,69 km |
|
10:59 |
SS8 – Ounasvaara |
1,65 km |
|
13:42 |
SS9 – Heinunkierto |
24,96 km |
|
15:05 |
SS10 – Sarriojärvi |
32,48 km |
|
16:38 |
SS11 – Ristilampi |
31,51 km |
|
18:53 |
Podium |
Rovaniemi – Lordi Square
|
Photo: Hannu Rainamo
