| 1997 Rally Finland 47th Neste Rally Finland | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Part of the1997 World Rally Championship season
| |||
| Host country |  Finland | ||
| Rally base | Jyväskylä | ||
| Dates run | August 29 1997 – August 31 1997 | ||
| Length | 381.55 km (237.08 miles) | ||
| Stage surface | Gravel | ||
| Overall distance | 1,171.79 km (728.12 miles) | ||
| Statistics | |||
| Crews | 103 at start, 50 at finish | ||
| Overall results | |||
| Overall winner | Tommi MakinenSeppo Harjanne Marlboro Mitsubishi RalliartMitsubishi Lancer Evo IV | ||
The1997 Rally Finland (also known as the47th Neste Rally Finland) event was held from 29 to 31 August 1997.[1] The rally took place inJyväskylä, Finland.[2] The winner wasTommi Makinen, withSeppo Harjanne as co-driver, driving aMitsubishi Lancer Evolution 4.
The total length of the race was 1171.79km, which included road sections.[3] The total liaison distance was 790.24km and the total special stage distance was 381.55km over gravel.[4]
AKK Sports, the marketing company of the Finnish ASN,AKK-Motorsport, took over organizing the event, earning praise from WRC teams for safety.[5] This change culminated in the changing of its name to Neste Rally Finland. The company's target was to develop a clearly defined brand for the rally. A new special stage was added at Hippos, along with a VIP area for 1,600 guests.[6] The following year, teams voted it Rally of the Year.[5] Mäkinen, on his way to a third consecutive title, set a record with his fifth straight Rally Finland win.[7] Ice hockey star and auto racing enthusiastTeemu Selänne, also competed, finishing 33rd in 1997 and 24th in 1998.[8][9] Despite some environmental protests, a 1997 study by theUniversity of Jyväskylä found the impact to be minimal, with noise pollution being the main concern.[10][11][12] There were 105 participant entries.
All dates and times areEEST (UTC+3)
| Date | Time | No. | Stage name | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leg 1 — 70.45 km | ||||
| 29 August | 14:53 | SS1 | Parkkola | 33.43 km |
| 16:31 | SS2 | Keuruu | 11.86 km | |
| 16:58 | SS3 | Jukojarvi | 23.47 km | |
| 1:69 | SS4 | Hippos | 18.55 km | |
| Leg 2 — 186.81 km | ||||
| 30 August | 06:54 | SS5 | Leustu | 23.57 km |
| 08:19 | SS6 | Rapsula | 18.47 km | |
| 09:16 | SS7 | Päijälä | 23.40 km | |
| 11:08 | SS8 | Sahalahti | 20.50 km | |
| 12:06 | SS9 | Siitama | 14.70 km | |
| 13:34 | SS10 | Vastila | 17.46 km | |
| 14:24 | SS11 | Ouninpohja | 32.82 km | |
| 15:56 | SS12 | Vaheri | 31.32 km | |
| 16:40 | SS13 | Himos | 2 km | |
| 18:50 | SS14 | Harju | 2.57 km | |
| Leg 3 — 124.29 km | ||||
| 31 August | 09:01 | SS15 | Lempaa 1 | 28.40 km |
| 10:04 | SS16 | Vartiamaki 1 | 12.60 km | |
| 10:33 | SS17 | Hauhanpohja 1 | 11.34 km | |
| 11:31 | SS18 | Lempaa 2 | 28.40 km | |
| 12:34 | SS19 | Vartiamaki 2 | 12.60 km | |
| 13:03 | SS20 | Hauhanpohja 2 | 11.34 km | |
| 14:55 | SS21 | Ruuhimaki | 7.28 km | |
| 15:43 | SS22 | Laukaa | 12.33 km | |
| Source:[13] | ||||
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Co-driver | Team | Car | Time | Difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Tommi Mäkinen | Seppo Harjanne | Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV | 3:16:18 | 10 | |
| 2 | 6 | Juha Kankkunen | Juha Repo |  Ford Motor Co. Ltd. | Ford Escort WRC | 3:16:25 | +0:07 | 6 |
| 3 | 9 | Jarmo Kytölehto | Arto Kapanen | Ford Motor Co. Ltd. | Ford Escort WRC | 3:18:18 | +2:00 | 4 |
| 4 | 11 | Sebastian Lindholm | Timo Hantunen | Ford Motor Co. Ltd. | Ford Escort WRC | 3:18:53 | +2:35 | 3 |
| 5 | 13 |  Tomas Jansson | Pecka Svensson | Toyota | Toyota Celica GT-Four | 3:21:12 | +4:54 | 2 |
| 6 | 12 | Pasi Hagström | Tero Gardemeister | Toyota | Toyota Celica GT-Four | 3:22:48 | +6:30 | 1 |
| Source:[14] | ||||||||
The Finland Rally 1997 event won the Award of Excellence. It also won an Outstanding Safety Effort, which awarded to them by the FIA registered teams.
| Previous rally: 1997 Rally New Zealand | 1997 FIA World Rally Championship | Next rally: 1997 Rally Indonesia |
| Previous rally: 1996 Rally Finland | 1997 Rally Finland | Next rally: 1998 Rally Finland |
