The rally has been held since 1951, first as a national competition, then from 1959 on as a European Rally Championship event and since the introduction of the World Rally Championship in 1973, as Finland's WRC event.
Rally Finland
The Neste Oil Rally Finland (formerly known as 1000 Lakes Rally) is a rally event driven in the Jyväskylä area in Central Finland. It is the biggest annually organised public event in the Nordic countries, gathering over 500,000 spectators every year. Rally Finland is known as the "Gravel Grand Prix", since it is the highest-speed rally in the championship. The most famous special stage is Ouninpohja, with its spectacular high speed jumps. The rally has also been known for being very difficult for non-Nordic drivers. Only four drivers outside Finland and Sweden have won the rally. The WRC teams voted Neste Rally Finland "Rally of the Year" in 1998, 2002, 2003 and 2004.