The 62nd Arctic Lapland Rally runs around Rovaniemi on 28–30 January 2027. The organisers have already talked to some WRC teams, but nothing is decided.
The 62nd Arctic Lapland Rally, known in Finnish as Tunturiralli, will be driven around Rovaniemi from Thursday 28 to Saturday 30 January 2027. It is the second round of the Finnish Rally Championship, and the route and timetable were published on 15 October.
Heikki Poranen, who chairs the organising committee this year and has been involved with the rally since the 1960s, says the organisers have already held talks with some WRC teams. Where those talks lead is still open. According to Poranen, the top class of the World Rally Championship is changing its cars, so it is too early to say whether WRC teams will come to Rovaniemi to test before Rally Sweden.
Toyota has often used the rally as a test event, and Elfyn Evans and Kalle Rovanperä have both driven it several times. Evans tested at the rally last winter, won Rally Sweden straight after and became world champion at the beginning of October.
Thursday 28 January: shakedown at 13:00 in Kursunki, and the ceremonial start at 19:00 on Lordi Square in the centre of Rovaniemi.
Friday 29 January: six special stages, 100.09 km in total. The first stage, Aittajärvi, starts at 10:43, and the last one of the day, Mäntyvaara, at 18:13.
Saturday 30 January: six special stages, 115.87 km in total, including a short stage in Kemijärvi. The last stage, Mäntyvaara, starts at 18:03.
The times are Finnish time. The special stages add up to 215.96 km, and the organisers call the timetable a draft that may still change.
Aittajärvi will be run in the opposite direction to the past two years, and Ristilampi, a stage of more than 30 km, returns to the route. Saturday’s final stage at Mäntyvaara is the first Power Stage in the history of the Finnish Rally Championship: the five fastest drivers in each class get bonus points. Championship points at this rally are also multiplied by 1.5.
The ceremonial start and the podium are in the city centre, on Lordi Square. The forest stages are outside the city, and the rally’s website has pages for spectators, safety and tickets. Our Rovaniemi guide covers where to stay and what to do in the city in winter.