31.7.2010 - Sixth in Finland After Tuohino Battles Against Problems

Rally Finland proved to be a tough home event for Janne Tuohino after he battled against mechanical problems on both days of the event to finish sixth in the FIA Super 2000 World Rally Championship. His points scoring finish came after small issues with the car, and time penalties, dropped him back down the order on the tough two-day event.

This was Rally Finland¹s 60th anniversary and the fast-paced action took place over a shortened period of two, rather than the usual three, days. But the event was no less tough. In fact the high-speed gravel stages with their flat-out crests and jumps proved to be a major challenge for most competitors.

Tuohino, however, was well prepared and had tested the week before the rally to perfect his driving style and ensure the best possible performance from his Ford Fiesta S2000 rally car.

The battle in the Super 2000 WRC was always going to be intense. Take the top drivers in the world, throw in some talented local crews and the fight was as hot as the Finnish summer weather. With temperatures topping the mid-thirties as the rally kicked off with a short blast round the rally¹s opening stage at Laajavuori on Thursday night, concentration and endurance was the order of the day. The Laajavuori stage was a popular choice for the rally-mad fans as the stage was lined with thousands of spectators ready to cheer on their heroes.

Tuohino and co-driver Marko Sallinen got off to a steady start when the rally kicked off for real yesterday. However, the morning was full of small problems which cost the pair time and dropped them down the standings.

On the day¹s first stage an electrical problem caused the engine to cut out and the pair lost some valuable time. Then on SS3 Jukojärvi the steering column on his JanPro team car became loose after a heavy landing over a jump. Worse was to come when the rear window of his Fiesta fell out on SS4 and dust from the loose gravel roads came flowing into the car.

But the busy afternoon continued to provide mixed fortunes. When a rear drive-shaft joint became damaged, Tuohino had to effectively Œnurse¹ the car and limit the loss of time due to the problem. He did this well, though, and was able to push on the last couple of stages to finish the day fifth and top Fiesta S2000 in the series.

Problems continued today when the final day¹s action re-started early this morning from Service at Jyväskylä Paviljonki. Tuohino was 12 minutes late out of Service this morning after the JanPro team experienced complications during the repair of the drive-shaft. This resulted in two minutes of time penalties and effectively dropped the Finn back from fourth to sixth in SWRC.

Generally, though, today¹s performance was much better and Tuohino put the problems behind him to set a string of fourth and fifth fastest times on some classic stages such as Himos and Leustu. The pace at the top was intense and had it not been for the series of unfortunate issues then the Finns would have been challenging for a podium spot on their home event.

With the sixth place finish, Tuohino remains in ninth position in the Super 2000 championship and the JanPro team sits in sixth. The team¹s next event is on asphalt at Rally Germany on 20-22 August.

Janne Tuohino said: ³It¹s been a tough rally. We came here on high spirits to try and get a good finish but there has just been too many problems. When things were fine we were able to do some good times but there has just been too many small things that have gone wrong. But I have enjoyed the rally, the stages are just fantastic here and it¹s a great feeling to be driving on them. We tried hard but it just wasn¹t to be.²

Final Results
1. J Hanninen/M Markkula FIN Skoda Fabia S2000, 2h40m34.6s
2. P-G Andersson/A Fredriksson SWE Skoda Fabia S2000, +1m10.7s
3. P Sandell/E Axelsson SWE Skoda Fabia S2000, +1m30.0s
4. M Prokop/J Tomanek CZ Ford Fiesta S2000, +4m07.2s
5. M Kosciuszko/M Szczepaniak PL Ford Fiesta S2000, +5m55.1s
6. J Tuohino/M Sallinen FIN Ford Fiesta S2000, +6m09.7s

Super2000 WRC standings after WRC Finland:
1. Xavi Pons, Ford Fiesta S2000, 86 points
2. Per-Gunnar Andersson, Skoda Fabia S2000, 68 points
3. Martin Prokop, Ford Fiesta S2000, 60 points
4. Jari Ketomaa, Ford Fiesta S2000, 58 points
5. Patrik Sandell, Skoda Fabia S2000, 49 points
6. Eyvind Brynildsen, Skoda Fabia S2000, 42 points
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9. Janne Tuohino, Ford Fiesta S2000, 30 points

Teams Cup standings:
1. Nupel Global Racing, Xavi Pons, Ford Fiesta S2000, 86 points
2. Czech Ford National Team: Martin Prokop, Ford Fiesta S2000, 69 points
3. Red Bull Rally Team: Patrik Sandell, Skoda Fabia S2000, 64 points
4. Shanghai FCACA Team: Jari Ketomaa, Ford Fiesta S2000, 60 points
5. Skoda Rene Georges Rally Sport: Eyvind Brynildsen, Skoda Fabia S2000, 48 points
6. JanPro: Janne Tuohino, Ford Fiesta S2000, 45 points

Newsarchive:
- 30.07.2010 - Problems For Tuohino On Finland¹s First Day
- 27.07.2010 - Tuohino Hopes Local Knowledge Will Help Him Fight in Finland
- 30.05.2010 - Mixed Fortunes for Tuohino on Rally Portugal
- 29.05.2010 - Tuohino Steers Into Trouble in Portugal¹s Second Day
- 28.05.2010 - Tuohino Starts Well in Tough Rally Portugal
- 20.05.2010 - Tuohino Aims to Get S2000 Challenge Back on Track
- 09.05.2010 - Final Stage Drama For Tuohino On Tough Rally New Zealand
- 08.05.2010 - Tuohino Consistent During Day Two New Zealand Action
- 07.05.2010 - First Day Retirement for Tuohino in New Zealand
- 01.05.2010 - Tuohino Searches for New Luck with New Co-Driver in New Zealand
- 03.04.2010 - Tough Jordan Rally proves troublesome for Tuohino
- 02.04.2010 - Tuohino Doesn¹t Have a Good Friday in Jordan
- 01.04.2010 - Tuohino slides off on Jordan Rally¹s tough first day
- 29.03.2010 - Tuohino’s S2000 Challenge Continues in Jordan
- 14.02.2010 - Janne Tuohino second fastest in Sweden - JanPro Rally Team leads Teams' Cup
- 23.11.2009 - Janne Tuohino returns to World Rally Championship with new Ford Fiesta S2000
- Season 2009 - Bronze medal in Finnish Rally Championship series
- Season 2008 - Selected Finnish Rally Championship events