Jari Huttunen’s first steps in Rally1

Born on February 28, 1994 in Kiuruvesi, 220 km north of Jyväskylä, Jari Huttunen played his first rally in 2013 on a Suzuki Swift N2. He hasn't stopped since. Choosing to go racing in Germany (winner of the ADAC Opel Rallye Cup in 2016) then in ERC, he climbed the ranks until reaching the world championship. It is through Hyundai that Huttunen was gradually able to demonstrate his peak speed throughout the 2018 season. The following year, while he continued to stand out in R5, Andrea Adamo allowed him to compete in two rallies in Finland with an i20 WRC. After completing 2^e behind Takamoto Katsuta during his first appearance (Riihimäki-Ralli), he then won at Pohjanmaa. It was in 2020 that the consecration came with the WRC3 title. The Finn then moved to WRC2 in 2021 with a mixed record and uncertain future prospects at Hyundai, hence his choice to join M-Sport in place of Teemu Suninen even before the end of the calendar. With 2 podiums (Sweden, Sardinia) in 2022, the Finn remains among the fastest, but the competition is tough. Having succeeded with his partners in bringing together the budget to field a Puma to compete in his national round, Huttunen will set off without too many guidelines.

Photo: Janne Veetousme for M-Sport

The 28-year-old Nordic has only completed a test session in Estonia. “ The car is incredible, it's fast and above all the aerodynamic package makes a big difference compared to the Rally2, did he declare. We covered about 170 kilometers and I loved every minute. » With a single day of testing in the cockpit of the Rally1, Huttunen will undoubtedly have difficulty competing with drivers who have more practice, particularly in handling the hybrid. However, he can count on his 5 previous participations in the event to aim for a good result. Having 4 teammates, he will also have several interesting points of comparison. The rally will begin Thursday August 4 with 22 special stages and 322,61 timed kilometers.