2006 Rally Finland

2006 Rally Finland
*56th Neste Oil Rally Finland*
2006 Rally Finland; 56th Neste Oil Rally Finland
Round 10 of 16 in the 2006 World Rally Championship
← Previous event	Next event →
	Sébastien Loeb coming into service.
Host country	Finland
Rally base	Jyväskylä
Dates run	17 – 20 August 2006
Stages	21 (351.61 km; 218.48 miles)
Stage surface	Gravel
Transport distance	1,172.73 km (728.70 miles)
Overall distance	1,524.34 km (947.18 miles)
Statistics
Crews registered	101
Crews	101 at start, 68 at finish
Overall results
Overall winner	Marcus Gronholm; Timo Rautiainen; BP Ford World Rally Team; 2:52:50.3
Support category results
J-WRC winner	Guy Wilks; Phil Pugh; Suzuki Sport Europe; 3:16:05.7

The 2006 Neste Oil Rally Finland was a motor racing event for rally cars that was held over four days between 17 and 20 August 2006. It marked the 56th running of the Rally Finland, and was the tenth round of the 2006 World Rally Championship season.^[2] The event was also the seventh round of the 2006 Junior WRC. The 2006 event was based in the city of Jyväskylä in Finland and was contested over twenty one special stages, covering a total competitive distance of 351.61km (218.48 miles).

Sebastien Loeb, along with Kronos Citroën World Rally Team were the defending rally winners, leading championship rival Marcus Gronholm in the championship by 33 points. Red Bull Škoda Team would miss the event.

Gronholm and co-driver Timo Rautiainen won the rally, their first win since the 2006 Acropolis Rally and their fourth win of the season.^[3]

Background

Entry List

The following crews were set to enter the rally. The event was open to crews competing in the World Rally Championship and its support category, the Junior WRC, as well as privateer entries that were not registered to score points in the manufacturer's championship. Twenty seven were entered under World Rally Car regulations, as were eighteen in the Junior WRC category.^[4]

World Rally Car entries competing in the World Rally Championship
No.	Driver	Co-Driver	Entrant	Car	Tyre
1	Sebastien Loeb	Daniel Elena	Kronos Citroën World Rally Team	Citroën Xsara WRC	BF
2	Dani Sordo	Marc Martí	Kronos Citroën World Rally Team	Citroën Xsara WRC	BF
3	Marcus Gronholm	Timo Rautiainen	BP Ford World Rally Team	Ford Focus RS WRC 06	BF
4	Mikko Hirvonen	Jarmo Lehtinen	BP Ford World Rally Team	Ford Focus RS WRC 06	BF
5	Petter Solberg	Phil Mills	Subaru World Rally Team	Impreza WRC 2006	P
6	Chris Atkinson	Glenn Macneall	Subaru World Rally Team	Impreza WRC 2006	P
7	Manfred Stohl	Ilka Minor	OMV Peugeot Norway World Rally Team	Peugeot 307 WRC	BF
8	Henning Solberg	Cato Menkerud	OMV Peugeot Norway World Rally Team	Peugeot 307 WRC	BF
9	Matthew Wilson	Michael Orr	Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team	Ford Focus RS WRC 04	BF
10	Kosti Katajamäki	Timo Alanne	Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team	Ford Focus RS WRC 04	BF

Super 1600 entries competing in the Junior WRC
No.	Driver	Co-Driver	Entrant	Car
32	Kris Meeke	Glenn Patterson	PH Sport	Citroën C2 S1600
33	Urmo Aava	Kuldar Sikk	Suzuki Sport Europe	Suzuki Swift 1600
35	Per-Gunnar Andersson	Jonas Andersson	Suzuki Sport Europe	Suzuki Swift 1600
37	Pavel Valoušek	Zdeněk Hrůza	Suzuki Sport Europe	Suzuki Swift 1600
39	Conrad Rautenbach	David Senior	Barroso Sport	Renault Clio 1600
41	Patrik Sandell	Emil Axelsson	Renault Sport	Renault Clio 1600
42	Julien Pressac	Jack Boyere	PH Sport	Citroën C2 S1600
43	Jaan Mölder	Katrin Becker	JM Engineering	Suzuki Ignis 1600
44	Michał Kościuszko	Jaroslaw Baran	Suzuki Sport Europe	Suzuki Swift 1600
45	Jozef Béreš	Petr Starý	Styllex Tuning Motorsport	Suzuki Ignis 1600
46	Andrea Cortinovis	Flavio Zanella	Power Car Team	Renault Clio RS
47	Filippo Bordignon	James Bardini	Hawk Racing Club	Opel Astra OPC
48	Guy Wilks	Phil Pugh	Suzuki Sport Europe	Suzuki Swift 1600
49	Martin Prokop	Jan Tománek	Jipocar Czech National Team	Citroën C2 S1600
50	Kalle Pinomäki	Jani Laaksonen	Clio Junior Team	Renault Clio 1600
53	Barry Clark	Scott Martin	Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team	Ford Fiesta ST
55	Fabio Fiandino	Sabrina de Castelli	PH Sport	Citroën C2 R2
59	Matti Rantanen	Jan Lönegren	Motor Stars	Honda Civic Type-R

Other major entries
No.	Driver	Co-Driver	Entrant	Car
14	Xavier Pons	Carlos del Barrio	Kronos Racing	Citroën Xsara WRC
15	Daniel Carlsson	Tomas Thorszelius	MMSP LTD	Mitsubishi Lancer WRC 05
16	Jan Kopecký	Filip Schovánek	Czech RT Škoda Kopecký	Škoda Fabia WRC
18	Jussi Välimäki	Jarkko Kalliolepo	MMSP LTD	Mitsubishi Lancer WRC 05
19	Kristian Sohlberg	Risto Pietiläinen	Red Devil Atolye Kazaz	Subaru Impreza S11 WRC 05
20	Janne Tuohino	Mikko Markkula	PH Sport	Citroën Xsara WRC
21	Jari-Matti Latvala	Asko Sairanen	Motoring Club	Toyota Corolla WRC
22	Juho Hänninen	Marko Sallinen	MMSP LTD	Mitsubishi Lancer WRC 05
24	Thomas Schie	Göran Bergsten	Thomas Schie	Ford Focus RS WRC 04
25	Gianluigi Galli	Giovanni Bernacchini	Gianluigi Galli	Peugeot 307 WRC
26	Jukka Ketomäki	Kai Risberg	Jukka Ketomäki	Skoda Octavia WRC
27	Mads Østberg	Ole Kristian Unnerud	Adapta AS	Subaru Impreza S9 WRC 03
79	Fabrizio de Sanctis	Iuri Rosignoli	Fabrizio de Sanctis	Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI
82	Igor Sokolov	Vasily Mirkotan	Syrus Rally Team	Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI
86	Mika Jokela	Tapio Järvinen	Mika Jokela	Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII
87	Pekka Savela	Pasi Lahtinen	Pekka Savela	Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII
94	Tapio Vuokila	Jari Jaakola	Tapio Vuokila	Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI

Itinerary

All dates and times are EEST (UTC+3).

Date	No.	Time span	Stage name	Distance
17 August	—	After 8:00	Laajavouri [Shakedown]	3.76 km
17 August	SS1	After 20:00	Killeri 1	2.06 km
18 August		8:00	Service A, Jyväskylä	—
	SS2	After 9:21	Lankamaa	24.98 km
	SS3	After 10:09	Laukaa	11.82 km
	SS4	After 11:04	Ruuhimäki	7.57 km
		11:58	Service B, Jyväskylä	—
	SS5	After 13:08	Vellipohja 1	36.39 km
	SS6	After 14:17	Mökkiperä 1	12.61 km
		15:26	Service C, Jyväskylä	—
	SS7	After 16:36	Vellipohja 2	36.39 km
	SS8	After 17:45	Mökkiperä 2	12.61 km
	SS9	After 20:00	Killeri 2	2.06 km
		20:27	Service D, Jyväskylä	—
19 August		6:00	Service E, Jyväskylä	—
	SS10	After 7:06	Vaheri	19.91 km
	SS11	After 8:20	Ouninpohja Lansi 1	13.98 km
	SS12	After 8:43	Ouninpohja Ita 1	16.55 km
		10:28	Service F, Jyväskylä	—
	SS13	After 11:44	Urria	10.00 km
	SS14	After 13:07	Ouninpohja Lansi 2	13.98 km
	SS15	After 13:30	Ouninpohja Ita 2	13.98 km
		15:15	Service G, Jyväskylä	—
	SS16	After 16:48	Moksi - Leutsu	40.96 km
	SS17	After 18:04	Himos	12.97 km
		19:49	Service H, Jyväskylä	—
20 August		8:30	Service I, Jyväskylä	—
	SS18	After 9:14	Kuohu 1	7.80 km
	SS19	After 10:27	Jukojärvi 1	22.31 km
	SS20	After 11:45	Kuohu 2	7.80 km
	SS21	After 12:58	Jukojärvi 2	22.31 km
		14:26	Service J, Jyväskylä	—
Source:^[5]

Report

Overall

Summary

The first stage of the event would be held on Thursday night, where Loeb would be fastest. Despite this, Loeb was unsure of his ability to keep the lead throughout the rest of the rally.^[6]

Loeb's fears of not being able to manage first were not unfounded; by mid-day on Friday, he would fall to fourth as his championship rival Gronholm took the lead.^[7] In the latter half of the day, Loeb would fight back and move back up to second position, trailing Gronholm by twelve seconds by the end of the day. Hirvonen would take up his typical position in third, with Petter Solberg in fourth. Atkinson would see overheating issues drop him down to seventh, while Stohl would lose his intercom in stage 5 and went off the road in stage 6. Sordo would lose time during the incoming rain towards the end of the day, as his windshield wipers were not working properly.^[8]^[9]

Saturday would be a dominant performance by Gronholm, who would soar into the lead after luckily escaping a collision with a rock. Loeb would not be as lucky, hitting the same rock and suffering a puncture. Petter Solberg would end his rally early in stage 11, going off the road and rolling multiple times. Sordo would also crash out of the leg going over a jump.^[10] By the end of the day, Gronholm would have over a minute in hand over his championship rival. Atkinson, meanwhile, continued to suffer from gear issues and a power steering failure.^[11]

Sunday would see no changes between any of the drivers in the top eight; Gronholm cruised to a win, leaving Loeb in second. Hirvonen was uncontested in third, with Henning Solberg beating his brother and finishing fourth. Privateer entry Gigi Galli would score an impressive fifth despite a twenty second time penalty.^[12]

Classification

Position		No.	Driver	Co-driver	Entrant	Car	Time	Difference	Points
Event	Class	No.	Driver	Co-driver	Entrant	Car	Time	Difference	Points
1	1	3	Marcus Grönholm	Timo Rautiainen	BP Ford World Rally Team	Ford Focus RS WRC 06	2:52:50.3	0.0	10
2	2	1	Sebastien Loeb	Daniel Elena	Kronos Citroën World Rally Team	Citroën Xsara WRC	2:53:57.0	+1:06.7	8
3	3	4	Mikko Hirvonen	Jarmo Lehtinen	BP Ford World Rally Team	Ford Focus RS WRC 06	2:54:24.8	+1:34.5	6
4	4	8	Henning Solberg	Cato Menkerud	OMV Peugeot Norway World Rally Team	Peugeot 307 WRC	2:56:48.1	+3:57.8	5
5	5	25	Gianluigi Galli	Giovanni Bernacchini	Gianluigi Galli	Peugeot 307 WRC	2:58:30.2	+5:39.9	4
6	6	20	Janne Tuohino	Mikko Markkula	PH Sport	Citroën Xsara WRC	2:58:55.3	+6:05.0	3
7	7	18	Jussi Välimäki	Jarkko Kalliolepo	MMSP LTD	Mitsubishi Lancer WRC 05	2:59:45.7	+6:55.4	2
8	8	16	Jan Kopecký	Filip Schovánek	Czech RT Škoda Kopecký	Škoda Fabia WRC	3:03:05.3	+10:15.0	1
9	9	7	Manfred Stohl	Ilka Minor	OMV Peugeot Norway World Rally Team	Peugeot 307 WRC	3:06:18.3	+13:28.0	0
10	10	9	Matthew Wilson	Michael Orr	Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team	Ford Focus RS WRC 04	3:07:37.7	+14:47.4	0
13	11	6	Chris Atkinson	Glenn Macneall	Subaru World Rally Team	Impreza WRC 2006	3:11:50.9	+19:00.6	0
14	12	10	Kosti Katajamäki	Timo Alanne	Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team	Ford Focus RS WRC 04	3:13:56.1	+21:05.8	0
17	13	21	Jari-Matti Latvala	Asko Sairanen	Motoring Club	Toyota Corolla WRC	3:18:24.3	+25:34.0	0
58	14	94	Tapio Vuokila	Jari Jaakola	Tapio Vuokila	Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI	4:00:18.5	+1:07:28.2	0
60	15	79	Fabrizio de Sanctis	Iuri Rosignoli	Fabrizio de Sanctis	Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI	4:02:21.5	+1:09:31.2	0
Retired SS21		87	Pekka Savela	Pasi Lahtinen	Pekka Savela	Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII	Mechanical		0
Retired SS19		27	Mads Østberg	Ole Kristian Unnerud	Adapta AS	Subaru Impreza S9 WRC 03	Gearbox		0
Retired SS14		2	Dani Sordo	Marc Martí	Kronos Citroën World Rally Team	Citroën Xsara WRC	Accident		0
Retired SS12		82	Igor Sokolov	Vasily Mirkotan	Syrus Rally Team	Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI	Excluded		0
Retired SS11		5	Petter Solberg	Phil Mills	Subaru World Rally Team	Impreza WRC 2006	Accident		0
Retired SS11		14	Xavier Pons	Carlos del Barrio	Kronos Racing	Citroën Xsara WRC	Accident		0
Retired SS11		86	Mika Jokela	Tapio Järvinen	Mika Jokela	Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII	Mechanical		0
Retired SS10		15	Daniel Carlsson	Tomas Thorszelius	MMSP LTD	Mitsubishi Lancer WRC 05	Mechanical		0
Retired SS10		22	Juho Hänninen	Marko Sallinen	MMSP LTD	Mitsubishi Lancer WRC 05	Excluded		0
Retired SS10		26	Jukka Ketomäki	Kai Risberg	Jukka Ketomäki	Skoda Octavia WRC	Mechanical		0
Retired SS7		19	Kristian Sohlberg	Risto Pietiläinen	Red Devil Atolye Kazaz	Subaru Impreza S11 WRC 05	Mechanical		0
Retired SS2		24	Thomas Schie	Göran Bergsten	Thomas Schie	Ford Focus RS WRC 04	Accident		0

Special Stages

All dates and times are EEST (UTC+3).

Day	Stage	Time	Name	Length (km)	Winner	Time	Rally leader
1 (17/18 Aug)	SS1	20:00	Killeri 1	2.00	Sébastien Loeb	1:21.4	Sébastien Loeb
	SS2	09:21	Lankamaa	24.97	Marcus Grönholm	11:59.7	Marcus Grönholm
	SS3	10:09	Laukaa	11.81	Marcus Grönholm	5:40.8
	SS4	11:04	Ruuhimaki	7.57	Marcus Grönholm	3:57.2
	SS5	13:08	Vellipohja 1	36.38	Sébastien Loeb	17:51.9
	SS6	14:17	Mokkipera 1	12.60	Sébastien Loeb	6:11.2
	SS7	16:36	Vellipohja 2	36.38	Marcus Grönholm	18:05.8
	SS8	17:45	Mokkipera 2	12.60	Sébastien Loeb	6:20.1
	SS9	20:00	Killeri 2	2.00	Marcus Grönholm	1:21.6
2 (19 Aug)	SS10	07:06	Vaheri	19.90	Marcus Grönholm	9:47.6
	SS11	08:20	Ouninpohja Lansi 1	13.97	Sébastien Loeb	6:33.0
	SS12	08:43	Ouninpohja Ita 1	16.54	Marcus Grönholm	7:51.7
	SS13	11:44	Urria	10.00	Marcus Grönholm	4:40.8
	SS14	13:07	Ouninpohja Lansi 2	13.97	Marcus Grönholm	6:30.7
	SS15	13:30	Ouninpohja Ita 2	16.54	Marcus Grönholm	7:51.8
	SS16	16:48	Moksi-Leustu	40.95	Marcus Grönholm	20:25.6
	SS17	18:04	Himos	12.97	Marcus Grönholm	7:09.1
3 (20 Aug)	SS18	09:14	Kuohu 1	7.80	Mikko Hirvonen	3:42.4
	SS19	10:27	Jukojarvi 1	22.30	Mikko Hirvonen	10:46.6
	SS20	11:45	Kuohu 2	7.80	Mikko Hirvonen	3:42.6
	SS21	12:58	Jukojarvi 2	22.30	Mikko Hirvonen	10:39.5

Championship Standings

Pos.	Drivers' Championship			Manufacturers' Championship
Pos.	Move	Driver	Points	Move	Manufacturer	Points
1		Sébastien Loeb	92		Kronos Citroën World Rally Team	122
2		Marcus Gronholm	61		BP Ford World Rally Team	107
3		Dani Sordo	41		Subaru World Rally Team	65
4	1	Mikko Hirvonen	27		OMV Peugeot Norway World Rally Team	50
5	1	Manfred Stohl	24	1	Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team	24

Junior WRC

Classification

Position		No.	Driver	Co-driver	Entrant	Car	Time	Difference	Points
Event	Class	No.	Driver	Co-driver	Entrant	Car	Time	Difference	Points
15	1	48	Guy Wilks	Phil Pugh	Suzuki Sport Europe	Suzuki Swift 1600	3:16:05.7	0.0	10
18	2	35	Per-Gunnar Andersson	Jonas Andersson	Suzuki Sport Europe	Suzuki Swift 1600	3:18:43.2	+2:37.5	8
21	3	59	Matti Rantanen	Jan Lönegren	Motor Stars	Honda Civic Type-R	3:24:51.6	+8:45.9	6
22	4	42	Julien Pressac	Jack Boyere	PH Sport	Citroën C2 S1600	3:25:30.1	+9:24.4	5
25	5	45	Jozef Béreš	Petr Starý	Styllex Tuning Motorsport	Suzuki Ignis 1600	3:29:25.5	+13:19.8	4
28	6	43	Jaan Mölder	Katrin Becker	JM Engineering	Suzuki Ignis 1600	3:30:54.2	+14:48.5	3
34	7	41	Patrik Sandell	Emil Axelsson	Renault Sport	Renault Clio 1600	3:32:46.5	+16:40.8	2
35	8	49	Martin Prokop	Jan Tománek	Jipocar Czech National Team	Citroën C2 S1600	3:34:59.9	+18:54.2	1
37	9	53	Barry Clark	Scott Martin	Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team	Ford Fiesta ST	3:36:38.9	+20:33.2	0
39	10	46	Andrea Cortinovis	Flavio Zanella	Power Car Team	Renault Clio RS	3:42:23.5	+26:17.8	0
43	11	39	Conrad Rautenbach	David Senior	Barroso Sport	Renault Clio 1600	3:44:52.1	+28:46.4	0
48	12	37	Pavel Valoušek	Zdeněk Hrůza	Suzuki Sport Europe	Suzuki Swift 1600	3:49:49.3	+33:43.6	0
50	13	50	Kalle Pinomäki	Jani Laaksonen	Clio Junior Team	Renault Clio 1600	3:51:28.9	+35:23.2	0
Retired SS21		55	Fabio Fiandino	Sabrina de Castelli	PH Sport	Citroën C2 R2	Mechanical		0
Retired SS15		32	Kris Meeke	Glenn Patterson	PH Sport	Citroën C2 S1600	Engine		0
Retired SS10		33	Urmo Aava	Kuldar Sikk	Suzuki Sport Europe	Suzuki Swift 1600	Excluded		0
Retired SS10		44	Michał Kościuszko	Jaroslaw Baran	Suzuki Sport Europe	Suzuki Swift 1600	Accident		0
Retired SS10		47	Filippo Bordignon	James Bardini	Hawk Racing Club	Opel Astra OPC	Excluded		0

Championship Standings

Pos.	Drivers' Championship
Pos.	Move	Driver	Points
1	1	Per-Gunnar Andersson	29
2	1	Patrik Sandell	28
3	6	Guy Wilks	21
4	1	Urmo Aava	20
5	1	Conrad Rautenbach	17

References

External links

Results at eWRC.com
Results at Jonkka's World Rally Archive

[1] ttps://www.ewrc-results.com/timetable/10-neste-rally-finland-2006/

[2] ttps://www.ewrc-results.com/season/2006/

[3] ttps://www.ewrc-results.com/final/10-neste-rally-finland-2006/

[4] ttps://www.ewrc-results.com/entries/10-neste-rally-finland-2006/

[5] ttps://www.ewrc-results.com/timetable/10-neste-rally-finland-2006/

[6] ttps://www.autosport.com/wrc/news/loeb-takes-early-lead-in-finland-4404191/4404191/

[7] ttps://www.autosport.com/wrc/news/gronholm-moves-into-the-lead-4404195/4404195/

[8] ttps://www.autosport.com/wrc/news/loeb-fights-back-in-finland-4404197/4404197/

[9] ttps://www.autosport.com/wrc/news/gronholm-just-holds-overnight-lead-4404198/4404198/

[10] ttps://www.autosport.com/wrc/news/gronholm-in-comfortable-lead-4404201/4404201/

[11] ttps://www.autosport.com/wrc/news/gronholm-a-step-closer-to-win-4404167/4404167/

[12] ttps://www.autosport.com/wrc/news/gronholm-cruises-to-sixth-home-win-4404170/4404170/

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]