Finland's Motorsport talent system

[A.F.F.]

AKK has training for karting and racinng series plus rallying. It doesn't make champions but surely help those who have the talent to move forward. I think getting in AKK's junior training is a big step in one's early career.

[I am evil Homer]

But then in the UK track racing is more of a tradition than rally and look how we do at that...Hamilton, DC, Button , Davidson in F1, Priaulx and Thompson in WTCC, Jarvis and others in lower formula, Toseland champion in WSBK.

The BRC has been dying for a while and sadly the guys who seem to have the most natural talent - Wilks and Meeke - don't have the backers to make the most of it.

[Josti]

Our national motorsport federation (KNAF) finally took initiative this year with their own Group N team in the World Rally Championship. I hope it will be even more serious next year, and do PWRC (with at least one driver).

[Tomi]

Our national motorsport federation (KNAF) finally took initiative this year with their own Group N team in the World Rally Championship. I hope it will be even more serious next year, and do PWRC (with at least one driver).

this sounds like a good idea, also if the funds are limited its better to support 1 guy properly than 2 a little bit, here is where i think the swedes has done wrong.

[Sami]

Well, the same old subject brought up again.

I don't think it is about coaching. The national level coaching system has not brought anyone to the absolute top level.

Hänninen and Pinomäki are in, but both have be coached also by an italian driver. So is Matti Rantanen, but his breakthrough hasn't come yet, and I would say, is not gonna happen. Fourth driver in the coaching team is the most talented one, Jarkko Nikara, but he is driving mostly on national level next year as far as I know.

Then we have other local coaching teams in the system, and that has an influence I guess, but mostly on national motorsport level.

I think the key word is national competition, we had 1457 drivers and 1417 rally cars entering a rally in 2007, and the average entries were 136 per rally (34 rallies aranged in 2007). All the rallies are really fast (average speed of national championship was 115km/h), even on the F-cup blind rallies (driven without any notes whatsoever) the average speed was 110km/h (driven with 2wd, rwd old cars), driven on snow (50%) and gravel (50%).

The only approach in Finnish rallies is to go flat out from the beginning, one stage taken easy drops you several places down in the results.

I would say again that one of the most important things is the blindness of most of the rallies. Of the 34 rallies 25 was driven without no notes. That combined with the tough competition and extremely fast roads means that everyone has to learn to control the car in extreme conditions and save close calls in order to stay alive. The school is hard, I thing that all the Finnish drivers entering the World Series has more experience in rolling cars than the drivers coming from reccerally cultures.

Here is a typical example of a F-cup junior driving, in car of a complete stage of the last round of F-cup, driven by Antti Tawast (Opel Kadett GSi) who finished second in junior class in that competition

SS1: http://www.toofastracing.net/video-lapua2007-ek1.php
SS5: http://www.toofastracing.net/video-lapua2007-ek5.php
see http://www.toofastracing.net

Another good example, by Seppo Kopra (BMW M3)
SS2: http://www.koskelo.fi/koskelo-kauhava2007-ek2.mpg
SS1: http://www.koskelo.fi/koskelo-kauhava2007-ek1.mpg

In blind competitions there tend to be one two close calls per a special stage, that is the most important coaching!

[DonJippo]

I would say again that one of the most important things is the blindness of most of the rallies. Of the 34 rallies 25 was driven without no notes. That combined with the tough competition and extremely fast roads means that everyone has to learn to control the car in extreme conditions and save close calls in order to stay alive. The school is hard, I thing that all the Finnish drivers entering the World Series has more experience in rolling cars than the drivers coming from reccerally cultures.

I totally agree with this one

[shurik]

I would say again that one of the most important things is the blindness of most of the rallies. Of the 34 rallies 25 was driven without no notes. That combined with the tough competition and extremely fast roads means that everyone has to learn to control the car in extreme conditions and save close calls in order to stay alive. The school is hard, I thing that all the Finnish drivers entering the World Series has more experience in rolling cars than the drivers coming from reccerally cultures.

Wish we had thi sort of events

[COD]

As what sami says can be true in many ways, we have one example that destroys the theory: Jari-Matti Latvala. He has not done a single blind rally in Finland or anywhere else, so this can not be the only reason.

[Finni]

As what sami says can be true in many ways, we have one example that destroys the theory: Jari-Matti Latvala. He has not done a single blind rally in Finland or anywhere else, so this can not be the only reason.

You nailed it. I think that tough and wide competition in all levels is rather the key.

For Sami, are you sure that Nikara is more talented than Hänninen? Hänninen's results from group N has been slender but in terms of raw pace he has been perhaps most convincing pwrc driver in five year. Also his stage times with Mitsu wrc in Finland were improving to very high level before technical problems. I remember especially Lautaperä where he was fourth with Mitsu wrc.

[DonJippo]

As what sami says can be true in many ways, we have one example that destroys the theory: Jari-Matti Latvala. He has not done a single blind rally in Finland or anywhere else, so this can not be the only reason.

There is always an exception to any rule...even to the rule #1