Ketomaa hoping for more Finnish heroics

Privateer Jari Ketomaa, who heroically led Neste Oil Rally Finland last season, will be back in action on his home round of the FIA World Rally Championship boosted by a two-day test in his Autotek Motorsport Ford Fiesta RS WRC.

Ketomaa shot into first place when he edged Sebastien Ogier by 0.2s through the opening stage of the Jyvaskyla-based round in 2011. Although he ultimately failed to finish, his performance 12 months ago will make him a contender for a strong result when the high-speed rally begins with the Qualifying Stage on Wednesday evening.

Following his test, the 33-year-old Finn said: “The first day of the test was really good and we’ve worked hard to try different suspension, ride height and differential settings. We tested on some softer roads with jumps and we have a very good feeling with the car and tyres. We then moved to a fast, wide road to finish off the preparations for the rally.”

Ketomaa will use DMACK’s DMG+2 gravel tyre in a soft compound, which has been designed for performance as well as providing the necessary grip and traction.

“Rally Finland is one of the fastest events and that demands excellent high-speed stability from our tyres,” said DMACK’s Dick Cormack. “We believe our new DMG+2 should be well suited and we already know the compound works well after last year’s event. We’ve had a really positive two-day test with Jari and hopefully we can help him deliver a strong performance on his home event.”