The frozen forests of northern Sweden will provide an intimidating challenge as the FIA World Rally Championship arrives in Umeå for round two this week.
Although conditions will be sub-zero – plunging to a bone-chilling -13°C in the host city – the action will be red-hot as the high-speed roads of the Västerbotten region test competitors to the limit.
A founding round of the WRC, Rally Sweden is one of the oldest rallies in the world and the only event on the calendar to take place entirely on snow and ice. Yet, thanks to the remarkable grip provided by studded Hankook tyres, it remains one of the fastest rallies of the year.
Northern European drivers have recently dominated in Sweden, but Elfyn Evans proved it’s possible to break the trend with victory here in 2020. The Welshman sits second in the championship standings, and with Rallye Monte-Carlo winner Sébastien Ogier absent from round two, the Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 driver will be first on the road.
“Our podium in Monte-Carlo was a solid start to the year and we’re looking forward to the next challenge in Sweden. It’s an event that’s always a lot of fun to drive with the stages being as fast as they are,” he said.
“Opening the road could make for a difficult start to the weekend if there’s a lot of fresh snow like last year. On the other hand, if it’s icy, it could play into our hands; we’ll be giving it our all regardless.”
Among Evans’ team-mates is Kalle Rovanperä, who won back-to-back world titles in 2022 and 2023 and is eager to bounce back from a disappointing season opener. The silver lining? A slightly more favourable road position for the first day.
Takamoto Katsuta will look to build on the promising pace he showed before crashing last time out, while Sami Pajari pilots another GR Yaris for Toyota’s second-string squad.
Ott Tänak boasts the strongest Rally Sweden record among the current WRC drivers, with victories in 2019 and 2023. He and reigning world champion Thierry Neuville spearhead Hyundai’s i20 N Rally1 charge alongside Adrien Fourmaux, whose third-place finish on debut made him the Korean manufacturer’s top performer at the opening round.
After impressing in M-Sport Ford outings last year, Latvian hotshot Mārtiņš Sesks makes a popular return to the British team for his first rally of a half-season programme.
Sesks is joined by Grégoire Munster, fresh from his maiden stage victory in Monte-Carlo, and Josh McErlean, who will be focused on gaining experience in just his second outing at rallying’s top level.
Umeå hosts the ceremonial start later today (Thursday), before crews tackle 18 stages covering more than 300km ahead of Sunday afternoon’s finish.
The World Rally Championship (WRC) is the FIA’s premium rally series. It showcases high-performance cars and the world’s best drivers competing in dramatic surroundings, ranging from Sweden’s freezing winter to Kenya’s heat and rocky tracks. Participants battle for drivers’ and manufacturers’ titles at 14 rallies
