Quote Originally Posted by AnttiL View Post
Well, actually Harju has a number of similar chicanes which could be touched, causing penalties. Ruuhimäki or any other forest stage won't have any artificial chicanes.

Does this have something to do with the rules FIA presents? In 2014 they did forest stages already on Thursday, now it's not allowed anymore (except MC can do whatever they want)

Maybe they want to divide the people around the stage, instead of everyone packing into the five jumps at the end?

The Average Joe would probably just buy a 20€ single ticket, right?

Super specials have always been a part of rally. Harju was driven already in the 60's. And before that they had these skill tests where you had to brake before a line or weave around cones.

Still, I agree that two super specials is a good number for a WRC rally of the current length, not like Mexico with eigth of them.

I think the whole circus thing and the VIP's etc. are just a way to secure the financial side and continuity of the rally. Us hardcore fans can just go into the forest through our own paths outside official spectating points and forget about the rest.
When I said that I like the Harju street stage, I was meaning that it is not a trailer park stage (like last year Thursday Germay SSS or Mexico City one). I would dare to say that stage is how close as we can get to a proper stage when it comes to SSS. That’s all what I like of it and wanted to say. My judgement was not implying any reference to the presence of chicanes. I should have been more specific.
I’m not aware of any rule forbidding to tackle any proper stage on Thursday. My bad. I know that Rally Monte Carlo benefits from a special status, but it would be quite weird from their side to disregard FIA explicit rules on the matter. Given that I’m not an expert like you on Finnish stages, I guess that it’s not strictly necessarily to add Thursday stages to have 40 kms more when you can have slightly longer SS. Just few kms here and there per stage.
For what it concerns the artificial jump at the end, I really hope that your assumption is right. If that’s been done on safety grounds I’m fine with it, but I still think others are the reasons behind this move as you pointed out in the last part of your post.
Maybe they should sell promotional discounted tickets at SSS. I don’t know. Nowadays, there are so many people out there not even willing to pay 8€ for a cinema ticket that I’m wondering how would be possible for SSS occasional spectators to spend 300€ (in my case: 4 people). It would be more suitable for them to buy stage by stage tickets to start with (It seems I can’t find them on rally Finland website. Maybe you can help me out with that. If they exist, the problem is solved).
At least we agree on the maximum amount of SSS.
Maybe, I should have put this in a more simple way right from the beginning: as a long term rally fan I can’t simply turn my back like that and I would prefer to see all these artificial stuff and non-rally elements restricted to SSS as much as possible, leaving the proper stages untouched. Still I recognise that modern rallying is a compromise and money talks. I know you understand the feelings of hardcore fans at that sight, even though it is just one jump over the entire course of the rally. Still I agree it is not that big a deal by now.
So no reason to argue. You still have the best rally in the world I was just expressing my personal preferences.