Räikkönen and Sordo at the Arctic Rally

For many, Rovaniemi is where Santa Claus lives. But for enthusiasts of rally, it is above all the city hosting the opening round of the Finnish Rally Championship. As its name suggests, the Arctic Lapland Rally takes place at the Arctic Circle, in the heart of Lapland. At this time of year, the sun rises at 10 a.m. and sets before 15 p.m. and temperatures can easily cross the -20°C mark!

Two weeks before the Swedish Rally (February 11-14), this event will allow Dani Sordo and Kimi Räikkönen to increase their experience on the ice. For Dani Sordo and Marc Marti, it will be an excellent opportunity to get back into the swing of things after a three-month offseason. “I've started to find the weather long since the end of October and I can't wait to be at the start of a rally again! », admits Dani. “To date, I have only participated in five rounds on snow and ice. Accumulating more kilometers on this surface before Sweden will necessarily be a good thing. I really like driving on ice, but I consider that I still have to go a step further to compete with the best in these conditions. There is only one winter rally on the calendar WRC and I want to prepare it well! »

Kimi Räikkönen will have many more things to discover: “I made contact with the C4 WRC during a test session organized near the Citroën Racing factory. This rally is a great opportunity to work in real conditions with the team and to continue my discovery of the car. I already participated in this event with Kaj last year; as the route is essentially the same, it might be a little easier for me on this point. I really like this rally and the atmosphere of this great classic of the Finnish championship. »

The Arctic Lapland Rally will take place in two stages: the first on Friday January 29 from 12:00 p.m. to 20:53 p.m., the second the next day from 8:00 a.m. to 18:43 p.m. The route includes twelve special stages totaling 214 timed kilometers.