Faced with the financial difficulties that resulted in the cancellation of Rally Sweden, WRC promoters came up with a novel idea. 

An unprecedented venue in the history of the championship was chosen as a substitute for the only true winter round in the calendar: Rovaniemi. Santa Claus’ home provided the emergency solution: The Arctic Lapland Rally WRC. 

A land which has been the cradle of many great pilots and with a passionate rally following was sure to be a very safe bet. On top of that, its spectacular setting, with its extensive and guaranteed white landscapes seemed the perfect alternative for the Swedish event, which in 2020 almost had to be cancelled due to lack of snow. 

Moreover, locals have a wealth of experience organising this type of event as every year they host a Finnish National Rally event with the participation of young stars as Kalle Rovanperä or Oliver Solberg, which raced recently at the Monte-Carlo.

If those were not enough reasons, its remoteness from any big urban centre was ideal to prevent the attendance of fans in mass, a happy occurrence in this worldwide pandemic. 

No public

Preparations for the rally, which is due to take place in a month’s time had until now proceeded at a normal rhythm. This week, however, things have taken a turn for the worst, and of course, the culprit is the omnipresent coronavirus pandemic.

The alarming increase in the infection rate in Lapland over recent days has prompted local authorities to take drastic measures. 

The Regional Administrative Agency has thus announced the cancellation of all public events involving more than fifty people until the end of February. 

The Arctic Rally Lapland WRC, which is scheduled to take place from the 26th to the 28th of that month, is, therefore to proceed with no public whatsoever along the 260 timed kilometres and ten specials that make up its route. 

Same difficulties that in Sweden

Paradoxically, the Finnish event is now facing the same difficulties that led to the cancellation of Rally Sweden; the inability to generate any income at an event which carries great expenses. 

Despite the challenges, rally promoters are hoping to be able to celebrate the event even after the large financial setback that this will mean.

Organizing a World Championship event in such a short space of time and after having entered the calendar as a desperate wild card, is in itself a challenge. But doing so at a negligible financial gain becomes a Herculean task. 

Finland plans to ban Schengen arrivals

But that is not all for the Arctic Lapland Rally WRC, there could still be further complications in the horizon for Rovaniemi. Their Norwegian neighbours have already announced the closure of their borders for all non-essential travel as a way of preventing new variants of COVID-19 from spreading through their territory. 

Finland is now also planning to ban the arrival of people from the Schengen area, until at least February 25. Considering that the Lapland Arctic Rally WRC is due to start one day after that, the measure would most certainly be the final nail on the coffin of the event. 

Teams and all of their equipment and entourage usually need to arrive in the country at least one week in advance of the start of the race. Those days are also key for competitors to carry out their first reconnaissance expeditions along the route and to undergo technical verifications and final checks on their vehicles. 

Images of Arctic Lapland Rally WRC: Oliver Solberg.