DD - Flipbook - Page 10
28 June to 10 July 2026
Day 5
Jyväskylä to Umeå (345km)
3 July 2026
Text & photos: gerardbrown.co.uk
As time and tide wait for no man, we
enjoyed a shorter day today as we
said näkemiin ja kiitos to Finland - the
world’s happiest country and one with
more saunas than cars. The route led
us from the 1,000 Lakes to another
ferry bound for our Swedish reprise.
Design: K-Design
From Jyväskylä we set a course to a
Regularity at Humalamäki which followed
the route of another famous 1,000 Lakes
stage, known for being fast, and packed
with tricky jumps. This was quickly followed
by a second Regularity at Jukojärvi which
continued the theme of using top-class rally
roads requiring precise navigation but, this
time, with a vicious squall thrown in that hit
the last quarter of the field.
Joe and Maggie Hayes, 1973 Porsche 911
This was a very localised downpour,
however, and by the time we saw the Route
Check in Liesjärvi our tyres were kicking up the
dust once again. This made the refreshments
at the morning Time Control in Tuuri all the
more welcome and gave us the chance to join
with the Finns - the world’s biggest consumers
of coffee - in taking a welcome cup of Joe in
the JM-Rally Parc Fermé. A small motorsport
museum, housed at the HQ of the Jari-Matti
Latvala rally team, gave the crews something
extra to chew over with cinnamon buns and
pastries.
A Route Check in Läntisranta swept the Rally
out of the Lake District and into the Test at
the Ala-Talkkari Areena for two laps of an
all-tarmac circuit combining a wide hill climb
piste and a narrow cart track section.
The honour of being the final Finnish
Regularity went to the Kyrönjoki section which
used a variety of surfaces including tarmac,
Nigel and Sally Woof, 1961 Volvo PV544
www.rallytheglobe.com
