Stages 43 (517 km; 321 mi) Overall distance 2,079 km (1,292 mi) | Rally base Jyväskylä, Finland Stage surface Gravel | |
Dates run 3 August 1973 – 5 August 1973 | ||
The 1973 1000 Lakes Rally was the 23rd running of the 1000 Lakes Rally (currently known as the Rally Finland), and the eighth round of the inaugural World Rally Championship season. Run in early August in central Finland, this rally marked a distinct change from the previous event in the series, the 33 Rajd Polski. Unlike that event, in which only three teams survived to the finish, Finland saw 55 teams finish the rally, a success rate of almost exactly 50% of the total entries.
In 1973, and for several years afterward, only manufacturers were given points for finishes in WRC events. Finland hosted Ford Motor Company's first ever win of the World Rally Championship. Championship front runners Alpine Renault and Fiat were conspicuous by their absence, with neither gaining points during the round.