The 2006 Neste Oil Rally Finland was a motor racing event for rally cars that was held over four days between 17 and 20 August 2006. It marked the 56th running of the Rally Finland, and was the tenth round of the 2006 World Rally Championship season.[2] The event was also the seventh round of the 2006 Junior WRC. The 2006 event was based in the city of Jyväskylä in Finland and was contested over twenty one special stages, covering a total competitive distance of 351.61km (218.48 miles).
The following crews were set to enter the rally. The event was open to crews competing in the World Rally Championship and its support category, the Junior WRC, as well as privateer entries that were not registered to score points in the manufacturer's championship. Twenty seven were entered under World Rally Car regulations, as were eighteen in the Junior WRC category.[4]
The first stage of the event would be held on Thursday night, where Loeb would be fastest. Depite this, Loeb was unsure of his ability to keep the lead throughout the rest of the rally.[6]
Loeb's fears of not being able to manage first were not unfounded; by mid-day on Friday, he would fall to fourth as his championship rival Gronholm took the lead.[7] In the latter half of the day, Loeb would fight back and move back up to second position, trailing Gronholm by twelve seconds by the end of the day. Hirvonen would take up his typical position in third, with Petter Solberg in fourth. Atkinson would see overheating issues drop him down to seventh, while Stohl would lose his intercom in stage 5 and went off the road in stage 6. Sordo would lose time during the incoming rain towards the end of the day, as his windshield wipers were not working properly.[8][9]
Saturday would be a dominant performance by Gronholm, who would soar into the lead after luckily escaping a collision with a rock. Loeb would not be as lucky, hitting the same rock and suffering a puncture. Petter Solberg would end his rally early in stage 11, going off the road and rolling multiple times. Sordo would also crash out of the leg going over a jump.[10] By the end of the day, Gronholm would have over a minute in hand over his championship rival. Atkinson, meanwhile, continued to suffer from gear issues and a power steering failure.[11]
Sunday would see no changes between any of the drivers in the top eight; Gronholm cruised to a win, leaving Loeb in second. Hirvonen was uncontested in third, with Henning Solberg beating his brother and finishing fourth. Privateer entry Gigi Galli would score an impressive fifth despite a twenty second time penalty.[12]
