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View the Post on the BlogRally Sweden, the only true winter rally on the FIA World Rally Championship calendar, takes the contenders to the frozen forests of both Sweden and Norway for one of the fastest events in the series.
Running for the 61st year, Rally Sweden is once again based in Karlstad with the service park located 85 kilometres away at Hagfors airport. Friday and Saturday run traditional stages in the host country and this year the event crosses the border into Norway for the final day, before returning to Sweden for the closing Power Stage at Torsby.
Rally cars powering over ice and snow in sub-zero temperatures provides spectacular action against the backdrop of a winter wonderland, but also demands specific preparation and places huge demands on man and machinery. Tyres, as always, play a huge role and hundreds of tungsten-tipped steel studs protrude from narrow winter tyres, providing amazing grip as they bite through the frozen road surface. Add the extra layers of clothes, anti-glare sunglasses and heated driving boots, and Rally Sweden shapes up to be one of the more unusual events on the calendar.
RALLY SWEDEN – ROUTE GRAPHICS
CHANGES TO THE ROUTE SINCE 2012
Crews will be familiar with the stages in Sweden and Norway although new sections of road have been added to two stages in particular. Värmullsåsen (SS3/6) has 20.51 kilometres of previously unused road, while the Norwegian Finnskogen stage will require 6.20 kilometres of new pace notes. In total, just 15.8% of the competitive distance is new.
RALLY DATA
Total distance: 1,589.78 km
Stage distance: 338.91 km
Number of stages: 22
