Kai Tarkiainen: “Not opposed to the possibility of returning to the calendar”

After having introduced Rovaniemi and its surroundings to WRC, what assessment do you draw from this first global version of Arctic Rally Finland?

It is true that we have allowed many people to locate the city on a map while providing an overview of the region. More seriously, the results are excellent given the very short time frame we had. While the racing was interesting, its control was almost boring. I'm absolutely not complaining about it, but there was nothing stupid to deal with, no accidents, no interruptions... Everything went perfectly and the comments at the end of the weekend were all were excellent.

And you even had a visit from Jean Todt!

For those involved in this event, it was very nice to have him with us during this premiere.

Where did the idea of ​​integrating the world calendar come from when you already had a rally national scheduled for January (January 15-16)?

As soon as it was certain that Sweden could not take place, the WRC promoter contacted us to see if we might be interested.

Did it take you long to decide?

Organizing two races so close to each other (January 15-16 and February 26-28. Editor’s note) was not easy. We first had to be sure we had sufficient staff to meet all the requirements of the WRC. Even if there were no spectators to manage, it required a large workforce. By joining the staff who work on the Finland rally with that of the Arctic, we have resolved this question. Our local volunteers were very motivated, it was an honor for them to host the WRC. This has also led to the arrival of many newcomers wanting to be part of this project.

Find the entire interview with Daniel Elena in issue 2304 of AUTOhebdo available in digital version.