Sport on the Internet

IN FINLAND 67 per cent of the adult male population are reported to follow motor sport via the media. The most popular event is the Neste Rally Finland, more colourfully known as the 1,000 Lakes Rally. Last year Finnish TV had audiences of two million for the race, which is good for a country with a population of about five million. More than half a million watched part of a stage live, while the official Internet site had three million visitors, half of them from Finland, half from overseas.

This year's race starts on Friday, but, unless you had an odd desire to brush up on the event's official suppliers, there was not a great deal to see at the official Website less than a week ahead of the start. There was the route, and a scant paragraph grandly labelled "nearly fifty years of tradition", but no news feeds. No news come to that.

However, once the wheels start spinning, this is the place for up-to- date and comprehensive results. Also promised are the bulletin pages which last year contained drivers comments ranging from the incomprehensibly technical, through the generally interesting, to the inconsequential. The site was keen to get a soundbite from an all-female crew, but the best they could manage was a less than insightful: "There are great jumps and the roads have fantastic character."

RallySport.com, which is strong on post-event reports, was also silent on the news front. Information on the Finland Rally was supposed to have been on site two weeks before the race. With five days to go, it still wasn't there. However, the site does contain links to official team sites. Some, such as the Ford page are for media people only and require registration and accreditation with a two-day wait before they can be accessed. Others, such as the Peugeot site, are set up to give those interested immediate access to follow the team's progress through the rally. No shortage of news and information there.

RallySport.com also has links to biographical data on a selection of the leading drivers, such as Colin McRae, Carlos Sainz and Tommi Makinen. World Rallying, has a slightly wider selection of drivers profiled, it also has the current standings easily available from its home page. The best single stop-off point for details about rankings, results, who is driving for whom, and links to past and future rallies is probably found on the FIA calendar pages.

For a little more colour, fan sites can be tracked down. Colin McRae crops up often, in no small measure because of the computer game that carries his name. Other than the games sites, Colin McRae and the WRC stands out for its attention to detail. It is information- and news-rich enough to shame the bigger sites. Its photo gallery is more than comparable, too. As would be expected, its profile of the driver is comprehensive - a nice quotes section, too. Site Addresses

Neste Rally Finland http://www.akkry.fi/nesterallyfinland/In_wrc.htm RallySport.com http://www.rallysport.com/ World Rallying http://www.worldrally.net/ FIA Calendar http://rally.sanremo.it/wrc/index.html Colin McRae and the WRC http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/benmulkern/