2003 Rally Finland 53rd Neste Rally Finland
Round 9 of the 2003 World Rally Championship season ← Previous event Next event →
Host country	Finland
Rally base	Jyväskylä
Dates run	August 7, 2003 – August 10, 2003
Stages	23 (409.18 km; 254.25 miles)
Stage surface	Gravel
Overall distance	1,727.60 km (1,073.48 miles)
Statistics
Crews	71 at start, 35 at finish
Overall results
Overall winner	Markko Märtin Michael Park Ford Motor Co. Ltd. Ford Focus RS WRC '03

The 2003 Rally Finland (formally the 53rd Neste Rally Finland) was the ninth round of the 2003 World Rally Championship. The race was held over four days between 7 August and 10 August 2003, and was based in Jyväskylä, Finland. Ford's Markko Märtin won the race, his 2nd win in the World Rally Championship.^[1]

Background

Entry list

No.	Driver	Co-Driver	Entrant	Car	Tyre
World Rally Championship manufacturer entries
1	Marcus Grönholm	Timo Rautiainen	Marlboro Peugeot Total	Peugeot 206 WRC	M
2	Richard Burns	Robert Reid	Marlboro Peugeot Total	Peugeot 206 WRC	M
3	Harri Rovanperä	Risto Pietiläinen	Marlboro Peugeot Total	Peugeot 206 WRC	M
4	Markko Märtin	Michael Park	Ford Motor Co. Ltd.	Ford Focus RS WRC '03	M
5	François Duval	Stéphane Prévot	Ford Motor Co. Ltd.	Ford Focus RS WRC '03	M
6	Mikko Hirvonen	Jarmo Lehtinen	Ford Motor Co. Ltd.	Ford Focus RS WRC '02	M
7	Petter Solberg	Phil Mills	555 Subaru World Rally Team	Subaru Impreza S9 WRC '03	P
8	Tommi Mäkinen	Kaj Lindström	555 Subaru World Rally Team	Subaru Impreza S9 WRC '03	P
10	Armin Schwarz	Manfred Hiemer	Hyundai World Rally Team	Hyundai Accent WRC3	M
11	Freddy Loix	Sven Smeets	Hyundai World Rally Team	Hyundai Accent WRC3	M
12	Jussi Välimäki	Tero Gardemeister	Hyundai World Rally Team	Hyundai Accent WRC3	M
14	Didier Auriol	Denis Giraudet	Škoda Motorsport	Škoda Fabia WRC	M
15	Toni Gardemeister	Paavo Lukander	Škoda Motorsport	Škoda Fabia WRC	M
17	Colin McRae	Derek Ringer	Citroën Total WRT	Citroën Xsara WRC	M
18	Sébastien Loeb	Daniel Elena	Citroën Total WRT	Citroën Xsara WRC	M
19	Carlos Sainz	Marc Martí	Citroën Total WRT	Citroën Xsara WRC	M
World Rally Championship entries
20	Jari-Matti Latvala	Miikka Anttila	Ford Motor Co. Ltd.	Ford Focus RS WRC '02	M
21	Antony Warmbold	Gemma Price	AW Rally Team	Ford Focus RS WRC '02	—
22	Juuso Pykälistö	Esko Mertsalmi	Bozian Racing	Peugeot 206 WRC	M
23	Janne Tuohino	Jukka Aho	Janne Tuohino	Ford Focus RS WRC '02	M
24	Sebastian Lindholm	Timo Hantunen	Peugeot Sport Finland	Peugeot 206 WRC	—
25	Kaj Kuistila	Kari Jokinen	Kaj Kuistila	Ford Focus RS WRC '02	—
26	Ari Vatanen	Juha Repo	Bozian Racing	Peugeot 206 WRC	M
27	Jari Viita	Riku Rousku	Jari Viita	Ford Focus RS WRC '01	—
33	Alistair Ginley	Rory Kennedy	Alistair Ginley	Ford Focus RS WRC '01	—
34	Tobias Johansson	Benny Locander	Tobias Johansson	Toyota Corolla WRC	—
35	Henning Solberg	Cato Menkerud	Henning Solberg	Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6.5	—
117	Gareth Jones	Mark Jones	Gareth Jones	Toyota Corolla WRC	K
JWRC entries
51	Mirco Baldacci	Giovanni Bernacchini	Purity Auto	Fiat Punto S1600	M
52	Daniel Carlsson	Matthias Andersson	Suzuki Sport	Suzuki Ignis S1600	M
54	Kosti Katajamäki	Jani Laaksonen	Volkswagen Racing	Volkswagen Polo S1600	M
57	Dimitar Iliev	Yanaki Yanakiev	Auto Sport Italia	Peugeot 206 S1600	M
58	Marcos Ligato	Rubén Garcia	Top Run SRL	Fiat Punto S1600	M
61	Brice Tirabassi	Jacques-Julien Renucci	Renault Sport	Renault Clio S1600	M
62	Oscar Svedlund	Björn Nilsson	Volkswagen Racing	Volkswagen Polo S1600	M
63	Massimo Ceccato	Mitia Dotta	Top Run SRL	Fiat Punto S1600	M
64	Ville-Pertti Teuronen	Harri Kaapro	Suzuki Sport	Suzuki Ignis S1600	M
65	Abdo Feghali	Joseph Matar	Astra Racing	Ford Puma S1600	M
67	Alessandro Broccoli	Simona Girelli	Sab Motorsport	Opel Corsa S1600	M
69	Salvador Cañellas Jr.	Xavier Amigó	Suzuki Sport	Suzuki Ignis S1600	M
70	Guy Wilks	Phil Pugh	Ford Motor Co. Ltd.	Ford Puma S1600	M
71	Urmo Aava	Kuldar Sikk	Suzuki Sport	Suzuki Ignis S1600	M
74	Kris Meeke	Chris Patterson	Opel Motorsport	Opel Corsa S1600	M
76	Luca Cecchettini	Marco Muzzarelli	Top Run SRL	Fiat Punto S1600	M
78	Vladan Vasiljevic	Sebastian Geipel	Peugeot Dealer Team Sweden	Peugeot 206 S1600	M
Source:[2]

Itinerary

All dates and times are EEST (UTC+3).

Results

Overall

Pos.	No.	Driver	Co-driver	Team	Car	Time	Difference	Points
1	4	Markko Märtin	Michael Park	Ford Motor Co. Ltd.	Ford Focus RS WRC '03	3:21:51.7		10
2	7	Petter Solberg	Phil Mills	555 Subaru World Rally Team	Subaru Impreza S9 WRC '03	3:22:50.6	+58.9	8
3	2	Richard Burns	Robert Reid	Marlboro Peugeot Total	Peugeot 206 WRC	3:22:51.8	+1:00.1	6
4	19	Carlos Sainz	Marc Martí	Citroën Total WRT	Citroën Xsara WRC	3:23:50.7	+1:59.0	5
5	18	Sébastien Loeb	Daniel Elena	Citroën Total WRT	Citroën Xsara WRC	3:24:40.4	+2:48.7	4
6	8	Tommi Mäkinen	Kaj Lindström	555 Subaru World Rally Team	Subaru Impreza S9 WRC '03	3:25:16.9	+3:25.2	3
7	23	Janne Tuohino	Jukka Aho	Janne Tuohino	Ford Focus RS WRC '02	3:26:14.6	+4:22.9	2
8	24	Sebastian Lindholm	Timo Hantunen	Peugeot Sport Finland	Peugeot 206 WRC	3:26:31.2	+4:39.5	1

World Rally Cars

Classification

Position		No.	Driver	Co-driver	Entrant	Car	Time	Difference	Points
Event	Class
1	1	4	Markko Märtin	Michael Park	Ford Motor Co. Ltd.	Ford Focus RS WRC '03	3:21:51.7		10
2	2	7	Petter Solberg	Phil Mills	555 Subaru World Rally Team	Subaru Impreza S9 WRC '03	3:22:50.6	+58.9	8
3	3	2	Richard Burns	Robert Reid	Marlboro Peugeot Total	Peugeot 206 WRC	3:22:51.8	+1:00.1	6
4	4	19	Carlos Sainz	Marc Martí	Citroën Total WRT	Citroën Xsara WRC	3:23:50.7	+1:59.0	5
5	5	18	Sébastien Loeb	Daniel Elena	Citroën Total WRT	Citroën Xsara WRC	3:24:40.4	+2:48.7	4
6	6	8	Tommi Mäkinen	Kaj Lindström	555 Subaru World Rally Team	Subaru Impreza S9 WRC '03	3:25:16.9	+3:25.2	3
10	7	11	Freddy Loix	Sven Smeets	Hyundai World Rally Team	Hyundai Accent WRC3	3:30:11.6	+8:19.9	0
12	8	10	Armin Schwarz	Manfred Hiemer	Hyundai World Rally Team	Hyundai Accent WRC3	3:34:43.2	+12:51.5	0
Retired SS19		5	François Duval	Stéphane Prévot	Ford Motor Co. Ltd.	Ford Focus RS WRC '03	Accident		0
Retired SS19		12	Jussi Välimäki	Tero Gardemeister	Hyundai World Rally Team	Hyundai Accent WRC3	Accident		0
Retired SS16		17	Colin McRae	Derek Ringer	Citroën Total WRT	Citroën Xsara WRC	Accident		0
Retired SS15		1	Marcus Grönholm	Timo Rautiainen	Marlboro Peugeot Total	Peugeot 206 WRC	Lost wheel		0
Retired SS13		15	Toni Gardemeister	Paavo Lukander	Škoda Motorsport	Škoda Fabia WRC	Engine		0
Retired SS12		3	Harri Rovanperä	Risto Pietiläinen	Marlboro Peugeot Total	Peugeot 206 WRC	Accident		0
Retired SS12		6	Mikko Hirvonen	Jarmo Lehtinen	Ford Motor Co. Ltd.	Ford Focus RS WRC '02	Engine		0
Retired SS2		14	Didier Auriol	Denis Giraudet	Škoda Motorsport	Škoda Fabia WRC	Driver injury		0

Special stages

Day	Stage	Stage name	Length	Winner	Car	Time	Class leaders
Leg 1 (7 Aug)	SS1	Killeri 1	2.06 km	Markko Märtin	Ford Focus RS WRC '03	1:18.6	Markko Märtin
Leg 1 (8 Aug)	SS2	Jukojärvi 1	22.31 km	Marcus Grönholm Markko Märtin	Peugeot 206 WRC Ford Focus RS WRC '03	10:50.8
	SS3	Kruununperä 1	20.17 km	Markko Märtin	Ford Focus RS WRC '03	9:12.4
	SS4	Valkola	8.42 km	Marcus Grönholm	Peugeot 206 WRC	4:25.4
	SS5	Lankamaa	23.47 km	Marcus Grönholm	Peugeot 206 WRC	11:26.0	Marcus Grönholm
	SS6	Laukaa	11.82 km	Markko Märtin	Ford Focus RS WRC '03	5:46.1
	SS7	Ruuhimäki	7.57 km	Richard Burns	Peugeot 206 WRC	4:03.4
	SS8	Jukojärvi 2	22.31 km	Markko Märtin	Ford Focus RS WRC '03	10:40.1
	SS9	Kruununperä 2	20.17 km	Markko Märtin	Ford Focus RS WRC '03	9:03.0	Markko Märtin
	SS10	Killeri 2	2.06 km	Marcus Grönholm	Peugeot 206 WRC	1:19.1
Leg 2 (9 Aug)	SS11	Päijälä	21.95 km	Marcus Grönholm	Peugeot 206 WRC	11:21.4
	SS12	Ouninpohja 1	33.24 km	Marcus Grönholm	Peugeot 206 WRC	15:31.0	Marcus Grönholm
	SS13	Urria	10.00 km	Richard Burns	Peugeot 206 WRC	4:48.4
	SS14	Ouninpohja 2	33.24 km	Colin McRae	Citroën Xsara WRC	15:25.1	Markko Märtin
	SS15	Ehikki	14.91 km	Richard Burns	Peugeot 206 WRC	6:52.6
	SS16	Moksi — Leustu	40.96 km	Markko Märtin	Ford Focus RS WRC '03	20:39.2
	SS17	Himos	13.62 km	Petter Solberg	Subaru Impreza S9 WRC '03	7:30.1
Leg 3 (10 Aug)	SS18	Parkkola 1	19.88 km	Markko Märtin	Ford Focus RS WRC '03	9:53.0
	SS19	Mökkiperä 1	13.96 km	Richard Burns	Peugeot 206 WRC	6:56.0
	SS20	Palsankylä	25.46 km	Richard Burns	Peugeot 206 WRC	13:31.2
	SS21	Kuohu	7.76 km	Richard Burns	Peugeot 206 WRC	3:45.3
	SS22	Parkkola 2	19.88 km	Petter Solberg	Subaru Impreza S9 WRC '03	9:39.7
	SS23	Mökkiperä 2	13.96 km	Petter Solberg	Subaru Impreza S9 WRC '03	6:47.8

Championship standings

Pos.		Drivers' championships				Co-drivers' championships				Manufacturers' championships
		Move	Driver	Points		Move	Co-driver	Points		Move	Manufacturer	Points
1			Richard Burns	49			Robert Reid	49			Marlboro Peugeot Total	101
2			Carlos Sainz	44			Marc Martí	44			Citroën Total WRT	97
3			Marcus Grönholm	38			Timo Rautiainen	38			Ford Motor Co. Ltd.	60
4		1	Petter Solberg	38		1	Phil Mills	38			555 Subaru World Rally Team	60
5		1	Sébastien Loeb	37		1	Daniel Elena	37			Škoda Motorsport	20

Junior World Rally Championship

Classification

Position		No.	Driver	Co-driver	Entrant	Car	Time	Difference	Points
Event	Class
19	1	52	Daniel Carlsson	Matthias Andersson	Suzuki Sport	Suzuki Ignis S1600	3:52:22.9		10
20	2	61	Brice Tirabassi	Jacques-Julien Renucci	Renault Sport	Renault Clio S1600	3:53:19.8	+56.9	8
24	3	70	Guy Wilks	Phil Pugh	Ford Motor Co. Ltd.	Ford Puma S1600	3:58:05.9	+5:43.0	6
25	4	71	Urmo Aava	Kuldar Sikk	Suzuki Sport	Suzuki Ignis S1600	4:01:04.6	+8:41.7	5
26	5	69	Salvador Cañellas Jr.	Xavier Amigó	Suzuki Sport	Suzuki Ignis S1600	4:01:09.8	+8:46.9	4
27	6	67	Alessandro Broccoli	Simona Girelli	Sab Motorsport	Opel Corsa S1600	4:03:31.3	+11:08.4	3
30	7	58	Marcos Ligato	Rubén Garcia	Top Run SRL	Fiat Punto S1600	4:09:29.5	+17:06.6	2
33	8	62	Oscar Svedlund	Björn Nilsson	Volkswagen Racing	Volkswagen Polo S1600	4:12:50.9	+20:28.0	1
Retired SS22		63	Massimo Ceccato	Mitia Dotta	Top Run SRL	Fiat Punto S1600	Accident		0
Retired SS19		74	Kris Meeke	Chris Patterson	Opel Motorsport	Opel Corsa S1600	Electrical		0
Retired SS14		54	Kosti Katajamäki	Jani Laaksonen	Volkswagen Racing	Volkswagen Polo S1600	Accident		0
Retired SS12		64	Ville-Pertti Teuronen	Harri Kaapro	Suzuki Sport	Suzuki Ignis S1600	Accident		0
Retired SS6		51	Mirco Baldacci	Giovanni Bernacchini	Purity Auto	Fiat Punto S1600	Driveshaft		0
Retired SS6		57	Dimitar Iliev	Yanaki Yanakiev	Auto Sport Italia	Peugeot 206 S1600	Mechanical		0
Retired SS5		76	Luca Cecchettini	Marco Muzzarelli	Top Run SRL	Fiat Punto S1600	Accident		0
Retired SS1		65	Abdo Feghali	Joseph Matar	Astra Racing	Ford Puma S1600	Accident		0
Retired SS1		78	Vladan Vasiljevic	Sebastian Geipel	Peugeot Dealer Team Sweden	Peugeot 206 S1600	Mechanical		0

Special stages

Day	Stage	Stage name	Length	Winner	Car	Time	Class leaders
Leg 1 (7 Aug)	SS1	Killeri 1	2.06 km	Daniel Carlsson	Suzuki Ignis S1600	1:27.3	Daniel Carlsson
Leg 1 (8 Aug)	SS2	Jukojärvi 1	22.31 km	Ville-Pertti Teuronen	Suzuki Ignis S1600	12:12.7
	SS3	Kruununperä 1	20.17 km	Daniel Carlsson	Suzuki Ignis S1600	10:26.9
	SS4	Valkola	8.42 km	Guy Wilks	Ford Puma S1600	5:08.8
	SS5	Lankamaa	23.47 km	Daniel Carlsson	Suzuki Ignis S1600	13:10.5
	SS6	Laukaa	11.82 km	Ville-Pertti Teuronen	Suzuki Ignis S1600	6:40.6
	SS7	Ruuhimäki	7.57 km	Daniel Carlsson	Suzuki Ignis S1600	4:41.7
	SS8	Jukojärvi 2	22.31 km	Brice Tirabassi	Renault Clio S1600	12:31.8	Brice Tirabassi
	SS9	Kruununperä 2	20.17 km	Daniel Carlsson	Suzuki Ignis S1600	10:30.3
	SS10	Killeri 2	2.06 km	Daniel Carlsson	Suzuki Ignis S1600	1:30.1
Leg 2 (9 Aug)	SS11	Päijälä	21.95 km	Guy Wilks	Ford Puma S1600	12:55.6
	SS12	Ouninpohja 1	33.24 km	Daniel Carlsson Kosti Katajamäki	Suzuki Ignis S1600 Volkswagen Polo S1600	17:39.2
	SS13	Urria	10.00 km	Daniel Carlsson	Suzuki Ignis S1600	5:25.3
	SS14	Ouninpohja 2	33.24 km	Daniel Carlsson	Suzuki Ignis S1600	17:30.6	Daniel Carlsson
	SS15	Ehikki	14.91 km	Daniel Carlsson	Suzuki Ignis S1600	7:49.6
	SS16	Moksi — Leustu	40.96 km	Daniel Carlsson Guy Wilks	Suzuki Ignis S1600 Ford Puma S1600	23:53.5
	SS17	Himos	13.62 km	Daniel Carlsson	Suzuki Ignis S1600	8:35.2
Leg 3 (10 Aug)	SS18	Parkkola 1	19.88 km	Guy Wilks	Ford Puma S1600	11:14.1
	SS19	Mökkiperä 1	13.96 km	Daniel Carlsson	Suzuki Ignis S1600	7:57.0
	SS20	Palsankylä	25.46 km	Brice Tirabassi	Renault Clio S1600	15:42.5
	SS21	Kuohu	7.76 km	Oscar Svedlund	Volkswagen Polo S1600	4:16.7
	SS22	Parkkola 2	19.88 km	Daniel Carlsson	Suzuki Ignis S1600	11:07.1
	SS23	Mökkiperä 2	13.96 km	Daniel Carlsson	Suzuki Ignis S1600	7:51.2

Championship standings

Pos.	Drivers' championships
	Move	Driver	Points
1		Brice Tirabassi	28
2	5	Daniel Carlsson	18
3	1	Salvador Cañellas Jr.	17
4	1	Urmo Aava	16
5		Guy Wilks	15