Rally of the Thousand Lakes

The rally has been based in Jyväskylä ever since. In the year 1954 the international name Rally of the Thousand Lakes appeared in the events logo for the first time. 1959 was the first year for the event to become a qualifying round of the European Championship. Next step for the event was its inclusion in the Championship for Manufacturers in its first year in 1973. The drivers championship started in 1979 and Rally of the Thousand Lakes immediately became a regular qualifying round. Year 1980 was exeptional, as the event was a qualifying round in the drivers series only. During the 80s the rallys international name was gradually shaped in to 1000 Lakes Rally, although the original logo always held the longer version.

The event signed its first title sponsorship deal and became Neste 1000 Lakes Rally in 1994. The alternation system of World Championship rallies in 1995 caused the event to be a qualifying round in the 2-litre championship only.