Sorry again for the delay guys. Being pretty busy lately. I am aiming to do a few rallies in a row in order to catch up.
Wintry conditions were again prominent during the second round of the championship in Sweden. Good snow fall in the days leading up to the event would ensure good road conditions. However, the first few cars were expected to suffer from sweeping away any loose snow.
The first driver into the Stage 1 was the Monte Carlo winner JJ. Unfortunately for the Welsh Audi driver, there was a lot of snow on the road surface, and he could only manage the thirteenth quickest time. The conditions also hampered Lancia driver Bart and Peugeot pilot Nick, who both struggled to find grip. The first indication of a clearer line was after Vivski, the sixth car on the road, completed the stage with the fifth fastest time. Equal third quickest on the technical stage was Sarah and Luigi, just five seconds clear of the stage winner. Second quickest was Igor in the Lancia Delta S4, no doubt keen to make up for his disappointing result last season, when he lost the lead on the final stage. The stage winner was Roo, much to the surprise of many. There was no doubt the cleaner line helped the young Australian and his MG. It is worth remembering however that Roo took the opening stage last season, only to head into a snowbank on the next.
On Stage 2, Roo did manage to lose the lead, but it was not by throwing his car off the road. Sarah was third quickest, but by being nine seconds quicker than Roo, was able to jump into the lead. Curt set the fastest stage time to move into fifth, while Ford team mates Mitch and Luigi swapped places, thanks to the Belgian getting caught in a snowbank. Vivski became the rally’s first retirement, after his Peugeot’s engine failed on the start line.
On the final stage of the day, Luigi made up for his earlier mistake by setting the quickest time and moving up to fourth. If the Ford team were pleased by that news, they were delighted with what happened next. Mitch set the third quickest time, just three seconds adrift of his team mate. Thanks to other driver’s misfortunes, Mitch jumped from fourth to end the day in the lead. Audi driver Sarah, the previous leader, lost the lead thanks to a long stint stuck in a ditch. Although spectators arrived quickly, it took some time to get the heavy Quattro back onto the road, and the Kiwi dropped to ninth. Roo’s efforts at staying away from the snowbanks rewarded him and the Austin-Rover team second place, while Curt ensured Audi was still strongly represented in third place. The Peugeot team were still finding their feet in the icy conditions, the best of their drivers was Nick in fifth. Lancia had some major concerns at the end of Day 1. Igor and Bart suffered a repeat of the turbo problems that arose in Monte Carlo. Igor was able to make it to service after driving conservatively through the last stage. Bart was not as lucky, as his car expired less than a mile from the stage end.
Competitors were looking forward to ideal rally conditions on Day 2 of the Swedish Rally. A clear night and cold temperatures resulted in a thick, icy road surface, perfect for the studded tyres. Igor was determined to make up for lost time, and with problems sorted for now at least, he set the fastest time and moved ahead of Nick’s Peugeot to claim fifth. Igor was followed by his team mate Chris, just seven seconds behind on the stage. Second fastest and holding fourth was Luigi, while team mate Mitch lost his overnight lead to Englishman Curt. The Audi driver was now just one second ahead of the RS200, while Roo’s MG Metro was not far behind in third.
On Stage 5, Igor again set the fastest time, increasing his margin to just over a minute, thanks in part to his rivals having troubles. Curt and Roo both lost time stuck in snowbanks, and dropped to third and fourth respectively. Although a spin and subsequent stall meant that Luigi was only marginally faster than two aforementioned drivers, the Belgian was still able to move up into second place. JJ was making the most of his better road position, setting the second fastest time and moving up to fifth ahead of Nick and his Peugeot. Mary driving for the Toyota team set the third quickest time on the stage. The result was a rare highlight for the team, as the rear-wheel drive Celicas were struggling to keep up with the four-wheel drive opposition.
The news for Toyota got worse on the final stage of the day, with Mixa losing more time thanks to his Celica’s engine overheating. The Finn was still eighth, but there was concern that damage may have been caused to the engine. There were no such worries for Igor, as the Lancia driver took a clean sweep of stage wins to end the day a minute and sixteen seconds clear of the pack. Curt was just one second off Igor’s time, with Luigi only three seconds behind Curt. The strong stage times helped both drivers to consolidate their positions on the podium heading into the final day. Roo was still fourth, but was only six seconds ahead of JJ’s Audi.
Repairs made to Mixa’s Celica in the overnight service clearly had not fixed the problem. On the first stage of the final day, Mixa finished over two and a half minutes behind, with smoke beginning to trail the Celica’s every move. Igor set his fourth fastest stage time in a row, a comfortable fourteen seconds faster than Roo on the stage, and now leading the event by over two minutes. Roo’s effort saw him move to be just two seconds shy of Luigi’s second place. JJ’s efforts of moving further up the leaderboard were thwarted when his Audi beached itself on a snow bank.
Stage 8 saw Mixa’s Toyota finally give up, while Igor’s run of stage wins also ended on this stage. Igor only managed the tenth fastest time, after a high speed spin brought memories of last season’s heart-breaking rally result. The Lanica driver still lead, but the lead was now down to less than a minute. Roo set the fastest time, one second clear of second placed Luigi. With one stage to go, one single second was all the separated the Ford from the MG. Will was making steady progress in his Peugeot, setting the third fastest time on Stages 7 and 8, moving from thirteenth to tenth. Chris set the equal-third fastest time with Will on Stage 8 to move up to sixth.
The final stage of the rally saw many drivers make a last ditch effort to move up the standings. Will set the fastest time, and moved into seventh place, gaining some useful points for himself and his team. Luigi and Mitch were the next best on stage, with Mitch gaining three places and finishing in fifth. Making up a minute in a single stage was always going to be a tall ask, but second place was a fantastic result for Luigi and the Ford team. Roo was able to secure third in a moral boosting event for the Austin-Rover team, proving that natural aspiration is still competitive in the turbo-dominated sport. Although Igor backed off considerably on the final stage, he still had a lead of twenty seconds at the end, winning the Swedish Rally.