Ouninpohja: Finland’s roller-coaster stage

Engine at maximum revs in top gear, the nose of the car pointed directly towards a yellow house. A slight turn to the right follows and, suddenly, one of the most spectacular jumps in rallying opens up ahead. Welcome to Ouninpohja, one of the most famous special stages in the world.

27. 8. 2026 Lifestyle

Ouninpohjantie is a solid gravel road in southern Finland used daily by local residents. Drivers simply need to watch out for fine gravel along the shoulders, the countless crests and, of course, the speed limit. Once a year, however, those limits no longer apply. During Rally Finland, crowds of spectators line the roadside and what appears to be an ordinary country road is transformed into the special stage known as Ouninpohja.

Like the Col de Turini at Rallye Monte-Carlo or Fafe in Portugal, Ouninpohja is one of the special stages of motorsport culture. Enthusiasts visit throughout the year simply to drive the iconic gravel road themselves and experience at least a small part of what their favourite drivers feel while tackling sections at speeds exceeding 180 km/h. Rally Finland remains the fastest event on the FIA World Rally Championship calendar despite being contested entirely on gravel.

Not only is Rally Finland the fastest event of the season, it is also the one featuring the greatest number of jumps. That is why it is often referred to as the “Rally of a Thousand Jumps”, a variation of its original nickname, the “Rally of a Thousand Lakes”. Over the course of a rally weekend, crews experience hundreds of moments with all four wheels off the ground, and dozens of those jumps can be found on the most famous special stage at Ouninpohja alone. The stage’s most famous jump is located immediately beyond a family house clad in yellow-painted timber. It takes its name directly from the building beside it – the “Yellow House Jump”.

The spectator experience is also different. Portugal’s Fafe stage runs largely through open countryside, allowing fans to watch the action almost as if the drivers were gladiators in the Roman Colosseum. Ouninpohja offers something far more intimate. The dense Finnish forests restrict visibility, leaving spectators with little more than the growing sound of an approaching rally car. Then, in an instant, the car bursts from between the trees, flashes past and disappears from sight again within seconds. Both experiences have their own unique appeal, and both deserve a place on every rally fan’s bucket list.

Even behind the wheel of a road car, travelling at legal speeds, Ouninpohja remains a memorable experience. The road profile resembles a roller-coaster, with dramatic climbs and descents leading into successive jumps. At times, drivers can see only two or three crests ahead and must trust that the road continues somewhere beyond the horizon.