Technical talk - 'Yumping' in Finland.

Leg 2 of Rally Finland yesterday included one of the most famous stages in the World Championship - the epic 34km Ouninpohja course.

Renowned for its tricky crests, blind corners and stomach churning jumps (or 'yumps' as they are known in Finland), rally drivers charge flat-out at speeds of up to 200kph, never knowing exactly what's around the corner.

Here's some more information about how the drivers cope with the yumps:

- Drivers aim to keep their WRC cars as level as possible when airborne to prevent them from 'bottoming out'. This is when the front or rear of the car crashes down on to the ground before the wheels.

- As an evenly balanced car is easier to keep flat when airborne, the 555 Subaru World Rally Team ensure that the static weight distribution of the Subaru Impreza WRC2002 is very evenly balanced. This, combined with an aerodynamic package specially designed to encourage level flight puts the Subaru in a class of its own in the air.

- Although very popular with spectators, a long and high jump isn't such good news for drivers. The more time a car spends in the air, the less in control a driver becomes. Tommi M?kinen and Petter Solberg endeavour to keep the car on the ground as much as possible to help them put the power down and continue to make adjustments to the steering.

- The best drivers often dab or 'feather' the brakes as they approach the yump. This helps move the weight of the car forward, compress the front suspension and keep the nose down as it takes off so that a flatter line through the air can be achieved.

- As well as setting the dampers to ensure that they absorb all the heavy landings, some drivers also choose to make alternations to the inside of the car. For Rally Finland 555 Subaru World Rally drivers Solberg and Phil Mills requested that an extra 20ml of foam was built into their seats to help them cope with the jolts and jumps that are such a customary part of this event.