Most liked posts in thread: WRC: Rally Sweden 2013

Steve · Feb 8, 2013

There was only one 1.9km stage yesterday. Nothing interesting happened so I didn't bother to post. Here's a bit of an update, then I'll be out for the day and catch up later.

Loeb leads after Swedish opener (WRC.com)

07 Feb 13

SS1, SSS Karlstad 1 (1.90 kilometres)

Stage description:

Sweeping bends, a spectacular jump and a great atmosphere were the hallmarks of this curtain-raiser at Karlstadâ€™s horse trotting track. Drivers tackled two laps of the ice-covered test in head-to-head duels, the running order of the top pairings selected by fans on the eventâ€™s Facebook page.

How the action unfolded:

Sebastien Loeb took top honours after winning the headline heat against fellow Frenchman and former team-mate Sebastien Ogier.

His Citroen DS3 WRC was 2.5sec faster than Ogier, who dropped time after swiping a snowbank in his Volkswagen Polo R WRC.

â€œIt was just a short stage and nothing special to do. Everything went well, but now we have to start with the real stages tomorrow,â€ said Loeb.

Ogier was slightly perturbed at the stop line. â€œIt wasnâ€™t so good. Iâ€™m not sure if I had a puncture on the rear right. Something feels strange on the car,â€ he said. Ogier is ninth.

Loebâ€™s win gave him a 0.5sec advantage on the leaderboard over the Ford Fiesta RS WRC of Evgeny Novikov and the Polo R WRC of Jari-Matti Latvala.

Novikov defeated Dani Sordo in their head-to-head duel and said: â€œWeâ€™re here to fight and I feel confident and comfortable.â€

Latvala beat former team-mate Mikko Hirvonen, although he admitted his run wasnâ€™t perfect. â€œNo big mistakes, just a couple of times I went wide. I feel relaxed now for tomorrow,â€ he said.

Hirvonen was equal fourth fastest with Mads Ostberg and Thierry Neuville rounded off the top six.

Ford Fiesta RRC driver Yazeed Al Rajhi is overnight leader of the WRC 2 category, with Subaru Impreza drivers Yuriy Protasov and Anders Grondal second and third. Championship leader Sepp Wiegand made a clean start, setting fifth fastest time in his Skoda Fabia S2000.

But there was an early upset for one of the class favourites, Fiesta RCC driver Eyvind Brynildsen, who started nine minutes late because of an engine problem.

â€œI parked up before the stage and when the time came to check-in the engine wouldnâ€™t start,â€ the Norwegian explained. â€œThe M-Sport guys were quick to help and they found something in the wiring that got us going, but I think we have a one and a half minute penalty. Now we really have a big job to do this weekend!â€

The rally continues tomorrow when drivers leave Karlstad at 06.10hrs. After service at Hagfors Airport, the opening stage is the 15,00km Lesjofors which starts at 08.39hrs.
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SS2: Ogier and Latvala set pace in day 1 opener (WRC.com)

08 Feb 13

SS2, Lesjofors (15.00 kilometres)

Stage description:

The first forestry stage is familiar for many and the route is unchanged from 2012. It starts on a narrow, twisty section through woodland, then opens out near the midpoint and gets faster. It flicks back and forth between open and twisty all the way. The surface is a tricky, inconsistent mix of packed snow and gravel.

How the action unfolded:

Volkswagen Motorsport made the best possible start as Sebastien Ogier and Jari-Matti Latvala set the pace in their Polo R cars to claim first and second on the leaderboard. However, two of the expected frontrunners hit immediate trouble.

Mikko Hirvonen went off early in the stage and with no spectators present, the Finn could not get his Citroen DS3 back on the road. It took almost 25 minutes to get on the move, his hopes of a strong result already over.

Mads Ostberg arrived at the finish fifth fastest, but the Norwegian was far from happy. â€œI have engine problems. Really bad. Massive overheating and no power,â€ he said, his Fiesta RS leaving anti-freeze on the road as he left the stop line.

He and co-driver Jonas Andersson stopped 700 metres down the road and identified the problem with advice over the telephone from Qatar M-Sport engineers. They taped up what is believed to be a split pipe and topped up the engineâ€™s coolant system before heading to the next stage.

Temperatures were a relatively mild -7C, but snow since the recce ensured conditions were tricky. Grip improved with the passage of every driver as cars swept the snow clear to leave a faster line.

Ogier was 2.2sec quicker than his team-mate, the Frenchman explaining: â€œI saw Mikko off the road and lost concentration. I was too careful afterwards but conditions werenâ€™t easy.â€

Latvala admitted it was hard to find a rhythm in the fresh snow, but the Finn was 1.3sec faster than overnight leader Sebastien Loeb, who concurred. â€œIt would have been very easy to slide into a ditch,â€ said Loeb, just 1.0sec behind Ogier overall.

Young Swede Pontus Tidemand was fourth in a Fiesta RS, reaching the finish with a huge smile on his face. â€œThat was great. It was really loose so I dropped a little time with too much sliding but I think everyone is doing that, so itâ€™s OK,â€ he said.

Matthew Wilson and Khalid Al Qassimi went off at the same bend 3km before the finish. â€œPeople had been wide at a left corner and there was no snow bank and we were sucked into the snow. We were almost back on the road but then Khalid went off. He was parked behind us and the spectators were split between trying to get us both out,â€ said Wilson.

Wilson lost more than four minutes while Al Qassimi dropped over seven minutes.

Jari Ketomaa struggled with a power steering problem on his Fiesta RS, while Michal Kosciuszko finished with a leaking cylinder in the clutch of his MINI John Cooper Works, leaving a trail of oil at the stop line.

Pacesetter in the WRC 2 category was Fiesta RRC driver Eyvind Brynildsen. The Norwegian fought back after collecting a 1min 40sec penalty last night. He was 22.9sec quicker than leader Yazeed Al Rajhi, with Sepp Wiegand 11.4sec further back in third. Brynildsen remains a long way down the WRC 2 order, but narrowed the gap to the leader 1m 19.2s.
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SS3: Ogier edges ahead (WRC.com)

08 Feb 13

SS3/SS6, Varmullsasen (23.77 kilometres)

Stage description

A new test for 2012, but built using bits of stages run in previous years. Varmullsasen is a medium to wide road and was completely covered with snow and ice on the recce. It is one of the fastest of the rally, with long flat-out straights and fast sweeping corners. It ends on a ski slope, with a spectacular sequence of hairpin corners and a huge jump just before the flying finish.

How the action unfolded:

Polo R driver Sebastien Ogier was fastest once again on Fridayâ€™s second test, the Frenchman completing Varmullsasen 3.1sec quicker than his closest rival on the stage, Mads Ostberg. Sebastien Loeb was third fastest, 5.2sec off Ogierâ€™s pace.

â€œAnother good stage for us. A little problem with the shifting, but okay,â€ Ogier reported at the finish control.

Ogierâ€™s Volkswagen team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala slipped to third when a layer of fresh snow on the road gave him handling concerns. â€œItâ€™s alright but Iâ€™m struggling a little bit to get confident and Iâ€™m worried about losing the rear. Everywhere else is okay itâ€™s just that. I think we can improve things by changing the set-up,â€ he said.

Now up to second, Loeb was happy with a clean run in his Citroen DS3. â€œIt was a good drive with no mistakes - and thatâ€™s the most important thing. Thereâ€™s still some snow around, but the bite was better in this stage than the first,â€ he said.

After some worrying over-heating issues on SS2, Ostbergâ€™s Fiesta RS seemed to be running sweetly at the end of SS3. The Norwegian and co-driver Jonas Andersson made roadside repairs to the cooling system on the pre-stage road section but collected a 30-second penalty for checking-in late. Despite his excellent stage time, a still furious Ostberg said nothing at the finish control.

WRC Academy graduate Pontus Tidemand continued his sensational form, going fifth fastest in his Ford Fiesta RS. The Norwegian, 22, moved up to fourth overall. â€œItâ€™s going good, weâ€™re really happy,â€ he said.

Jarkko Nikara lost the dubious honour of being first in the running order when he went off near the start, burying his MINI in a snow bank. Fellow MINI pilot Michal Kosciusko now heads the field. â€œItâ€™s a tough position to be in,â€ acknowledged Kosciuszko. â€œFrom the moment we passed Nikara it got more slippery.â€
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SS4: Ostberg fastest but Ogier leads (WRC.com)

08 Feb 13

SS4, Vargasen (24.63 kilometres)

Stage description:

A classic Sweden test, and one of the fastest of the rally, Vargasen starts on a narrow and twisty road but later becomes wider and more flowing. Vargasen is most famous for â€˜Colinâ€™s Crestâ€™ â€“ a huge blind crest 12.8 km from the start. Ken Block holds the record for the longest jump, clearing 37 metres in 2011.

How the action unfolded:

Mads Ostberg recovered from his early morning problems to post fastest time through the final stage of the morning loop. The Norwegian was quickest by just a tenth of a second in a Ford Fiesta RS from Sebastien Ogier, with Jari-Matti Latvala 1.6sec slower in third.

But as cars headed back to Hagfors for service, it was Ogier at the top of the leaderboard in a Volkswagen Polo R. The Frenchman has a 10.1sec advantage over Sebastien Loebâ€™s Citroen DS3, with Latvalaâ€™s Polo R just 0.8sec back in third.

Ostbergâ€™s overheating woes continued to bother the Norwegian, but didnâ€™t slow him. â€œThe alarm was on and that was annoying and disturbing. I tried to push but the alarm came on and put me out of focus. I couldnâ€™t drive at 100 per cent. Itâ€™s trouble for me because Iâ€™ve lost too much time,â€ he said.

He is sixth overall, 40.0sec from the lead, but Qatar M-Sport team boss Malcolm Wilson refused to accept that Ostbergâ€™s chances were gone. â€œHis pace has been incredible given the problem. Itâ€™s not all over yet!â€ he stated.

Ogier, too, was having to compensate for car issues. â€œI still have a problem with shifting,â€ he explained. â€œItâ€™s OK but I have to use the clutch, especially in low gear.â€

Loeb and Latvala were engrossed in a tight battle for second overall. Latvala was 2.4 faster than his rival through the stage and is now breathing down his neck.

Loeb was perplexed as where he lost time in one specific split section of the stage. â€œI didnâ€™t make any mistakes, so maybe it just wasnâ€™t good driving. Itâ€™s hard to find a good rhythm and stay on the road,â€ he said.

Perhaps the star of the morning has been Pontus Tidemand. The 22-year-old Swede was seventh on the stage in a Fiesta RS, but lies fourth overall on his debut in a World Rally Car. His secret? â€œA good rhythm and no mistakes,â€ he said.

Fastest time from Norwegian Anders Grondal moved him into the lead of the WRC 2 category. The Subaru Impreza driver headed to service with a 10 second advantage over Fiesta RRC driver Yazeed Al Rajhi, who damaged a wheel near the finish.

Championship leader Sepp Wiegand is third in a Skoda S2000 but under increasing pressure from a resurgent Eyvind Brynildsen. Brynildsen, who picked up a 1m40s penalty earlier, won two of the morningâ€™s stages but had a lucky escape on the third.

â€œI made a mistake just after Colinâ€™s Crest, and spun flat out in sixth gear,â€ the Fiesta driver explained. â€œThere was snow everywhere and when we stopped we were in the middle of the road pointing the wrong way. Okay, itâ€™s made the job a bit more difficult but Iâ€™ve already got back one minute. Maybe the karma has changed now!â€
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Hirvonen counts the cost of snow excursion (WRC.com)

08 Feb 13

Mikko Hirvonen started Rally Sweden as one of the favourites to win, but his chances of a third victory here disappeared earlier today along with his car into a snow-filled ditch.

The Finn, who drives for the Citroen Total Abu Dhabi Team, was just 1km into the opening 15km Lesjofors test when he went off. And although his DS3 WRC was completely undamaged it remained beached in deep snow for 24 minutes.

â€œI was on a fast right-hander when the rear went a bit wide,â€ Mikko explained. â€œI think somebody had gone off before us and there was a gap in the snow bank. We dropped slightly into a ditch but it was enough to send us into a spin. We rolled once, gently over the snow.â€

â€œThere were only two spectators nearby when we went off and so it took us a long time to try and get the car out. Four or five more people came along soon after. I must say thanks to them for helping. In the end it all came down to manpower.â€

Returning to Fridayâ€™s midpoint service 25 minutes behind rally leader Sebastien Ogier. Hirvonenâ€s co-driver Jarmo Lehtinen said Sundayâ€™s Power Stage was likely to be the pairâ€™s best chance to salvage something from the weekend.

â€œWe are something like 14 minutes behind the last drivers' point, but there are three more available on the Power Stage. Maybe we will take it easy and keep some tyres ready for a big attack on Sunday,â€ said Lehtinen.
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Crashton · Feb 8, 2013

^^^ Yes they are, gotta love them.

RallyMini370 · Feb 8, 2013

Rally drivers are out of their cotton picking minds.

We tend to be a little wacky at times. after 24yrs of rallying I still drive it like I stole it.

Follow Mini WRC here Motorsport Italia Team

Steve · Feb 8, 2013

Look out, here comes VW!

Polo R pilot stretches Sweden advantage (WRC.com)

08 Feb 13

SS5, Lesjofors (15.00 kilometres)

Stage description:

A repeat of this morningâ€™s opening stage, the route is unchanged from 2012. It starts on a narrow, twisty section through woodland, then opens out near the midpoint and gets faster. It flicks back and forth between open and twisty all the way. The surface is tricky, with gravel appearing through the snow and ruts forming after the first pass.

How the action unfolded:

Sebastien Ogier increased his lead by winning the second pass through Lesjofors. The Volkswagen Polo R driver was quickest by 3.9sec to extend his lead to an increasingly comfortable 16.8sec.

â€œAnother really good stage. Iâ€™m really happy with my driving and the car is perfect at the moment,â€ said the unflappable Frenchman.

Mads Ostberg was second fastest, the Norwegian further boosted by having his 30sec road penalty for checking in late at the start of stage three reduced by 10sec. That promoted him from sixth to fourth, the Fiesta RS pilot 33.9sec from the lead.

â€œI made a tyre choice which was a bit risky â€“ I took just one spare. I fear it will be a bit hard for the remaining stages this afternoon. But that time wasnâ€™t so bad and I took time from Latvala and Loeb,â€ explained Ostberg.

Latvala and Loeb were third and fourth, and the 0.9sec gap between them was sufficient for the Finn to displace the Frenchman from second overall. Just one-tenth of a second separates the warring duo.

â€œWe start to have gravel coming through,â€ said Loeb. â€œThe grip in the lines is good on gravel, but when you go out of the lines you lose the car completely.â€

Evgeny Novikov was fifth in a Fiesta RS, moving ahead of the similar car of Pontus Tidemand. The young Swede admitted he could drive faster but warned: â€œI should not try to do that, otherwise I will not be here!â€

Both Michal Kosciuszko and Khalid Al Qassimi buried their cars deep into the snow. Kosciuszko, who had a new gearbox fitted to his MINI John Cooper Works in service, dropped about five minutes while the Abu Dhabi pilot lost four.

â€œI wish I was at home,â€ said the Citroen DS3 driver, who lost seven minutes after going off in the same test this morning.

Eyvind Brynildsenâ€™s impressive recovery in the WRC 2 category came to a sudden end at the pre-stage service when team engineers discovered a crack in his Ford Fiestaâ€™s engine block and retired the car.
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SS6: Ogier keeps cool though Varmullsasen (WRC.com)

08 Feb 13

SS3/SS6, Varmullsasen (23.77 kilometres)

Stage description

A new test for 2013, but built using bits of stages run in previous years. Varmullsasen is a medium to wide road and was completely covered with snow and ice on the recce. It is one of the fastest of the rally, with long flat-out straights and fast sweeping corners. It ends on a ski slope, with a spectacular sequence of hairpin corners and a huge jump just before the flying finish.

How the action unfolded:

Rally leader Sebastien Ogier continued to edge ahead of the chasing pack on the repeated Varmullsasen stage. Another quickest time for the Frenchman, his fourth of the day, moved him 24.1sec clear at the top of the leaderboard.

Ogier had a clean run through in his Polo R but found the final ski-slope descent difficult on studded tyres that had lost some of their bite. â€œEverything is okay but I had to take it a little bit more carefully near the end. Itâ€™s not easy to stay on the road in these conditions when the tyres are a bit old,â€ he explained.

Mads Ostberg was second fastest, 2.3sec slower than Ogier, and also thinking about his tyres ahead of the repeat of the 24km Vargasen. â€œThereâ€™s was a lot of gravel in there and I have only one spare tyre, so I had to take it carefully to keep them in decent condition for the last stage. I think they are okay,â€ he said.

After his earlier scare with a broken cooling system, Ostberg was content to be fourth with his Fiesta back at full strength. â€œItâ€™s working very well and Iâ€™m quite pleased. Itâ€™s now a lot calmer in the car and I think we are managing quite well."

Mikko Hirvonen was third fastest, with Ogierâ€™s Volkswagen team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala fourth to hold second overall. â€œWeâ€™re losing studs from the front tyres and that led to a few moments near the end. Itâ€™s a good job we have two spare tyres for the next one,â€ said Latvala.

Sebastien Loeb rounded off the top five times. The nine-time world champion slid wide into a snow bank before the flying finish and admitted the stage hadnâ€™t been one of his tidiest. â€œI made a few mistakes, and I have a bit too much understeer so itâ€™s difficult to keep the car on the racing line. It was really tricky.â€

Loeb also slowed to pass spectators helping his Citroen team-mate Dani Sordo who had gone off the road. Sordoâ€™s DS3 was eventually manhandled back onto the stage and the Spaniard completed but the incident cost him more than four minutes, dropping him from eighth to thirteenth.

Jari Ketomaa retired on the road section between SS5 and SS6. The Finnâ€™s Fiesta RS driver is reported to have a broken driveshaft.
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SS8: Joy at last for Mikko (WRC.com)

08 Feb 13

SS8, SSS Karlstad 2 (1.90 kilometres)

Stage description:

In a repeat of last nightâ€™s curtain-raiser, sweeping bends, a spectacular jump and a great atmosphere were the hallmarks of todayâ€™s final stage at Karlstadâ€™s horse trotting track. Drivers tackled two laps of the ice-covered test in head-to-head duels.

How the action unfolded:

Mikko Hirvonen gained some happiness from a disastrous day when he shared fastest time with Thierry Neuville through the second and final run at the Karlstad super special stage tonight.

The Finn, whose victory hopes ended just 1km into this morningâ€™s opening stage when he rolled his Citroen DS3 into a snow bank, outpaced Mads Ostberg in their head-to-head duel.

â€œThatâ€™s more like it!â€ said Hirvonen. â€œIâ€™m really happy with the car. Tomorrow Iâ€™ll have a difficult road position, maybe second or third on the road, so that wonâ€™t be easy.â€

Matching his pace was Neuville, whose Fiesta RS defeated Jarkko Nikaraâ€™s MINI John Cooper Works. â€œThe start line was very slippery, so I tried to do a different start and it worked out,â€ said 24-year-old Neuville.

Third was Sebastien Loeb, 0.3sec behind the leading duo, with Jari-Matti Latvala in fourth, a further 0.2sec behind. Latvala said he made changes to the set-up of his Volkswagen Polo R at the Hagfors service before the stage ahead of tomorrowâ€™s second leg.

Tied in fifth were Mads Ostberg and Pontus Tidemand.

The rally continues tomorrow when drivers leave Karlstad at 06.15hrs. After service at Hagfors Airport, the opening stage is the 14.23km Sagen which starts at 08.47hrs.
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Friday wrap: Ogier dominates first leg in Sweden (WRC.com)

08 Feb 13

Sebastien Ogier completed a hat-trick of stage wins this afternoon to increase his lead to 32.2sec with just a repeat of last nightâ€™s curtain-raising super special stage in Karlstad remaining.

The Frenchman was fastest through the final Vargasen forest test by 6.6sec in a Volkswagen Polo R, his fifth win from six stages emphasising his dominance. Ogier benefited from the best start position, but that advantage was earned with fastest in qualifying yesterday.

â€œIncredible. Itâ€™s a really good feeling. This morning wasnâ€™t perfect but it was enough with a good road position. This afternoon was perfect,â€ reflected Ogier.

Sebastien Loeb and Jari-Matti Latvala battled all day for best of the rest behind Ogier. Four times the duo swapped positions but an intercom problem for Latvala in Vargasen meant Loeb holds second, a slender 1.5sec ahead of the Finn.

The Citroen DS3 driver was third fastest in SS6, 2.0sec ahead of Latvala, and said: â€œIt started to be hard for the tyres in here. I had two spares and used them both. The road is cleaning because the times behind me are faster. Tomorrow our start position will be closer to the others.â€

Mads Ostberg, in a Qatar M-Sport Fiesta RS, was the only man other than Ogier to win a stage today. A 20sec road penalty imposed when the Norwegian was late starting stage three after stopping to fix a leaking water pipe left him fourth, 42.8sec from the lead.

But the Norwegian, tipped by many as a potential winner, remains confident. â€œWe have good speed and we should be able to catch Loeb and Latvala tomorrow, but Ogier is just too fast,â€ he said.

Behind Ostberg in fifth is Evgeny Novikov. He is 10.5sec clear of Pontus Tidemand, the young Swede excelling on his championship debut in a World Rally Car, with Juho Hanninen a further 29.0sec behind in seventh.

Thierry Neuville, Henning Solberg and Martin Prokop, all in Fiesta RS cars, round off the top 10.

Norwegian Anders Grondal leads the WRC 2 category, the Subaru Impreza driver holding a 34.2sec advantage over Yazeed Al Rajhi.

Grondal dropped a minute when he left the road on SS2, but a succession of rapid times since, including stage wins on SS4 and SS5, enabled him to pull clear.

Al Rajhi, from Saudi Arabia, rounded off a strong day with a stage win in Vargasen, while championship leader Sepp Wiegand is third, 1min 07.7sec behind Al Rajhi.
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Steve · Feb 8, 2013

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EPPM5IbABE]Super Stage Karlstad - 2013 WRC Rally Sweden - Best-of-RallyLive.com - YouTube[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkr3nH6ou8E]Leg 1 - 2013 WRC Rally Sweden - Best-of-RallyLive.com - YouTube[/ame]

Crashton · Feb 9, 2013

Good to see Ogier leading after the first leg. There is a long way to go, but it appears conditions are suiting Ogier & his Polo.

Crashton · Feb 9, 2013

Back on topic waiting for leg 2.....

Go Ogier!

RallyMini370 · Feb 9, 2013

It's shame Mini didn't get a huge backing like the Polo R.

Steve · Feb 9, 2013

Mid-day update.

The MINIs continue to struggle a bit. Kosciuszko is 17th and that's pretty indicative of his performance in the ice and snow where he has little experience. Nikara lost huge time yesterday and is steadily but very slowly pulling his way up from the very bottom of the order by running stage times in/near the top 10. On Stage 12 he actually finished 3rd, 0.5sec ahead of Ogier.

After SS12: Ogier keeping Loeb/Latvala/Ostberg at a safe distance (best-of-rallylive.com)

09/02/2013 1:36 pm

Despite failing to find the ideal pace this morning, SÃ©bastien Ogier continues to top the leaderboard in Sweden. With Saturdayâ€™s first leg completed, he is now 25.2s clear of Loeb, and 39s ahead of Latvala. Mads Ostberg is also challenging hard for a footing on the podium.

However comfortable his cushion over his chasers may seem, SÃ©bastien Ogier is wise enough to know that he can take nothing for granted: â€œThis morning, I went well on â€˜Sagenâ€™ which is fast and very wide, but I didnâ€™t find the right pace for â€˜Fredriksbergâ€™ or â€˜Rammenâ€™. The other guys took advantage of my speed to close the gap. This isnâ€™t over yet!â€

The other guys â€“ namely SÃ©bastien Loeb, Jari-Matti Latvala and Mads Ostberg â€“ are covered by just 15 seconds, in second, third and fourth places. Loeb is still being chased by Volkswagenâ€™s Finn, but the nine-time world champion seemed happier with his performance this morning than he was on Friday: â€œWeâ€™ve changed the set-up on the DS3 WRC and it suits me much better.â€

Jari-Matti Latvala wasnâ€™t quite so pleased at the service halt after SS12: â€œThe Polo has a natural tendency to understeer and I canâ€™t quite get the hang of it on snow.â€ The Finn is now just 1.5s clear of Mads Ostberg who is flying in his Ford Fiesta RS WRC. â€œBit by bit, I am managing to make up for the time penalty I took yesterday,â€ said the Norwegian who is targeting a top-three finish in Karlstad on Sunday. â€œI will try to keep up the pressure this afternoon. I know tomorrowâ€™s stages very well because they are often used in the Norwegian Championshipâ€¦â€

Following the retirement of Pontus Tidemand (engine, SS9), Evgeny Novikov (5th) says he should now be able to â€œdrive at 98% to the finishâ€. Finlandâ€™s Juho Hanninen follows almost one minute behind and is doing what he can to stay in front of Thierry Neuville. The Belgian appears to be pleased with his new pace notes system which is based on that of the two SÃ©bastiens.

The battle between Henning Solberg (eighth), Martin Prokop (ninth) and Dani Sordo (tenth) has lost much of its sting, while Jari Ketomaa (drive-shaft problem on Friday) has re-joined thanks to the Rally2 ruling. He is running first on the road today, ahead of Nikara and Mikko Hirvonen, winner of last nightâ€™s super-special (SS8) and todayâ€™s â€˜Hagfors Sprintâ€™ (SS12). Matthew Wilson (Ford) crashed out of the rally on SS9 this morning.
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Steve · Feb 9, 2013

SS13: Super Sebastiens tie Sagen (WRC.com)

09 Feb 13

SS13, Sagen (14.23 kilometres)

Stage description

Sagen is another Swedish classic. Run on a big, wide main road all the way through, itâ€™s fast and furious from the first metres. Itâ€™s littered with high-speed corners, full snow and ice with snow banks lining the stage for the drivers to lean on. Former world champion Marcus Gronholm loved this stage so much he named his restaurant in Finland after it!

How the action unfolded:

There was nothing to separate Rally Swedenâ€™s top two drivers on the afternoonâ€™s opening test, with Sebastien Ogier and his fellow Frenchman Sebastien Loeb setting exactly the same time through the 14km Sagen.

Citroen ace Loeb was the first of the pair to start, the DS3 driver determined to narrow the 25.2sec gap to his former team-mate ahead.

â€œI was pushing hard and made no mistakes but I think the guys behind are also pushing very hard,â€ said Loeb. â€œThe set-up is better than yesterday for sure but the road position isnâ€™t making it easy to push.â€

Polo R driver Ogier was next through and happy to have kept his lead intact, despite a hiccup near the finish. â€œWe were pushing hard and I made a small mistake at the end when I wasnâ€™t clean enough,â€ he explained. â€œUp to that point I was a few tenths up on Loeb. But itâ€™s okay, itâ€™s enough like that.â€

After the passage of the entire 42-car field, plus the classic rally entrants, the smooth snow surface of Sagen was more rutted for the repeat and there was plenty of stud-damaging gravel mixed in with the snow.

Resuming his fight with Jari-Matti Latvala for third, Ford Fiesta RS pilot Mads Ostberg adopted a cautious approach on the first of the afternoonâ€™s four stages. â€œI took it quite steady because I want to take care of my tyres in here,â€ he said. â€œI drove according to Latvalaâ€™s splits and I think we controlled the pace well. Weâ€™ll try to push more on the next one.â€

Latvala went on to set the third fastest time in his Polo R, just 0.3sec quicker than Ostberg: â€œI havenâ€™t made up much time but itâ€™s a step in the right direction,â€ said Latvala. â€œMaybe its time to concentrate on the driving and not think about it too much!â€

Evgeny Novikov was fifth fastest with Juho Hanninen sixth - successfully fending off a challenge from a hard-charging Thierry Neuville behind.
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Steve · Feb 9, 2013

SS14: Ostberg takes third as Latvala falls back (WRC.com)

09 Feb 13

SS14, Fredriksberg (18.15 kilometres)

Stage description:

This test follows the same route as this morning. It starts on a wide road alongside Lake Skarsjon before turning onto a forest road. The final few kilometres pass through an extremely narrow tree-lined section. Generally itâ€™s narrow with plenty of stones and tree stumps to trap the unwary. But itâ€™s fast and full of crests - like Finland in the snow.

How the action unfolded:

Sebastien Ogier rattled off another stage win to extend his lead to 27.6sec, but the real winner in Fredriksberg was Mads Ostberg, whose third fastest time was sufficient to promote him into third overall ahead of Jari-Matti Latvala.

Ostberg finished 5.9sec behind the flying Ogier, but the Norwegian pilot still had an eye on todayâ€™s final couple of stages.

â€œI was nearly six seconds faster than Latvala at the last split so I slowed a little to take care of the tyres for the next stage,â€ explained the Ford Fiesta RS driver, who is 3.1sec clear of his rival.

Latvala could only set fifth fastest time in his Polo R and the 27-year-old Finn cut a demoralised figure at the stop line.

â€œVery difficult conditions with very narrow ruts,â€ he said. â€œI did not feel comfortable at all with the car.â€ Asked what he could do, Latvala simply replied: â€œI donâ€™t know.â€

Despite tricky conditions for the studded tyres as gravel showed through the snow and ice, Ogier was in a league of his own. The Frenchman was already 2.8sec faster than anyone else at the opening split time after just 4.5km, and controled his pace through the rest of the stage.

â€œI had good splits and backed off a little at the end. Itâ€™s a really good feeling, but we have to make it to the end,â€ he said.

Sandwiched between Ogier and Ostberg in the stage rankings was Sebastien Loeb, who finished 2.9sec behind his fellow countryman. Loebâ€™s Citroen DS3 showed a few battle scars on the front bumper, but the impact hadnâ€™t made any impression on him.

â€œI donâ€™t know what I hit, maybe it was a bit of a snow bank. I had understeer in the gravel and they were difficult conditions,â€ he said.

Evgeny Novikov was fourth fastest in his Fiesta RS, while behind Latvala in sixth was Thierry Neuville, the Belgian feeling more comfortable after raising the ride height of his similar car in service.

Jari Ketomaa and Khalid Al Qassimi both survived tussles with a snowbank, while Jarkko Nikara lost 10 seconds in his MINI John Cooper Works after overshooting the final corner.

Ford Fiesta RRC driver Yazeed Al Rajhi continued his strong challenge for the lead of the WRC 2 category. Fastest time was the Saudi Arabianâ€™s fifth win of the day and he narrowed the gap to class leader Anders Grondal to just 5.1sec. Sepp Wiegand remains third in a Skoda Fabia S2000, 2min 54.2sec behind Grondal, with Ukraineâ€™s Yuri Protasov still fourth.
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old81 · Feb 9, 2013

I really do love the sounds of these cars as they fly the rally routes. Sweet Music!

Steve · Feb 9, 2013

Keeping warm in Sweden (best-of-rallylive.com)

09/02/2013 9:00 am

Itâ€™s never nice to retire on a rally, but failing to finish a stage in wintry Sweden can be particularly nasty if it means waiting several hours for help to arrive in sub-zero temperatures!

Carlos Sainzâ€™s attempt to win Januaryâ€™s Dakar came to an early halt in the south-Peruvian desert. When his buggyâ€™s engine failed, he had to wait four hours â€“ in baking sunshine â€“ before he was recovered by his team. In his role as consultant for Volkswagen, he is in Sweden, so we asked whether he preferred to wait at minus 30Â°C or +40Â°C. â€œGive me the heat any time,â€ he grinned.

Inevitably, a certain number of stricken competitors will wish they had that choice this weekend. Over the years, countless crews have had shivering tales to tell after crashing on Rally Sweden. Even SÃ©bastien Loeb had his survival instincts tested when he came here in a CitroÃ«n Saxo in 2001.

â€œWe rolled and broke the windscreen,â€ remembers co-driver Daniel Elena. â€œThen our service crew went off the road on their way to us and we had to wait six hours in the freezing cold. We towed the car â€“ minus its windscreen â€“ back to service, but we couldnâ€™t stand more than 10-minute stints each behind the wheel. Brrrrâ€¦â€

Another time, the Monegasque spent six hours guarding his factory Xsara WRC, in 2003. â€œThe engine broke, so we had no heating. Seb managed to get a lift back to service, but our mechanics got lost trying to locate me!â€

There is effectively very little a crew can do if it finds itself stranded on a stage and the teams take the problem very seriously. â€œThis weekend, if one of the front-runners stops on the first pass of a stage, the car is likely to be blocked for some time because the Historic cars are running after the WRC filed,â€ says M-Sport coordinator Iain. â€œWhen we hear of a problem, we try to get someone to them as quickly as possible so they have a warm car to sit in, at least. Usually we recover them within a couple of hours. If the conditions are particularly horrendous, we contact the organisers who are always very efficient and helpful.â€

The problem doesnâ€™t only concern Sweden, however. â€œOn the Monte, with all the problems on the last day, we only recovered the cars of Hanninen and Evgeny at 1am after they crashed mid-afternoon Saturday!â€

All the crews and teams take a number of precautions in Sweden, such as an extra fleece coat, or battery-heated shoes (see photo). Having a folding shovel in the car is mandatory, too, so that they can dig their way out of a snow wall if they crash. Meanwhile, some competitors take hand-warming gels or overshoes with them, but thatâ€™s all extra weight, which the engineers obviously donâ€™t like!
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Steve · Feb 9, 2013

There are a few brief stage summary videos, plus one onboard (so far), on the WRC.com website.

WRC TV

Steve · Feb 10, 2013

Maiden success for the VW Polo R WRC/Michelin (best-of-rallylive.com)

10/02/2013 3:30 pm

Victory in Sweden for SÃ©bastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia has earned Volkswagen its very first win with the new Polo R WRC. Second-placed SÃ©bastien Loeb (CitroÃ«n DS3 WRC) made it an all-French top-two on the winter event, while Mads Ostberg (Ford Fiesta RS WRC) finished on the podium.

After finishing first and second on the Rallye Monte-Carlo, rallyingâ€™s most famous SÃ©bastiens continued on their momentum to claim gold and silver again for France, but this time in a different order.

By winning Thursdayâ€™s â€˜Qualifying Stageâ€™ in his Michelin X-Ice North 2-equipped Polo R WRC, Ogier was able to choose the best running order for Friday (17th on the road). That was a big bonus, since it helped him to win five of the first dayâ€™s six forest stages.

Although this was only his third attempt at Rally Sweden, not only did Ogier beat all the Scandinavian specialists but he also failed to crack under pressure from the nine-time world champion SÃ©bastien Loeb (CitroÃ«n DS3 WRC/Michelin) who clearly wanted to win his last visit to the VÃ¤rmland. He tried every trick in the book to beat his former team-mate but eventually preferred to lift halfway into the penultimate stage.

â€œItâ€™s unbelievable, a huge surprise, so good!â€ he shouted at the end after pocketing the three â€˜Power Stageâ€™ bonus points to round off a perfect weekend. â€œEveryone in the team worked so hard in 2012. Thank you, all of you. I never thought we would score a result like this in Sweden. I had to push really hard to beat Loeb. â€˜Wunderbarâ€™!â€

Meanwhile, the scrap for third place between Mads Ostberg (Ford Fiesta RS WRC) and last yearâ€™s winner Jari-Matti Latvala (VW Polo R WRC) kept spectators on their toes, too. The Norwegian succeeded in gaining the upper-hand during Day 2 and then consolidated on the final leg as the rally moved into his home country.

The finish ceremony saw three different car manufacturers â€“ all Michelin partners â€“ celebrate on the podium. Two-time Rally Sweden winner Mikko Hirvonen (17th) dropped half an hour on SS2, however, while his CitroÃ«n team-mate Dani Sordo crashed out on SS20.

Helped by the retirement of Pontus Tidemand (engine) and the roll of Evgeny Novikov (9th) three stages from the end, Thierry Neuville clinched fifth place, ahead of fellow Qatar-M Sport WRT driver Juho Hanninen (6th), Czech Martin Prokop (7th) and Ford privateer Henning Solberg (8th).

The WRC-2 class was won by Yazeed Al-Rahji (Ford Fiesta RRC) who was competing on snow for only the second time. â€œI learnt so much in Sweden last year but it was still difficult against drivers like Anders,â€ said the Saudi Arabian who beat Norwegian specialist Anders Grondal (Subaru). â€œA the end of the day, snow is a lot like sand, but white!â€
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Steve · Feb 10, 2013

SS22: Ogier takes Power Stage win (WRC.com)

10 Feb 13

SS22, Torsby (19.26 kilometres)

Stage description:

Essentially the same stage as in 2012, a revised finish extends the distance by 50 metres. Based on medium to wide roads, it is one of the fastest stages of the rally. It has a good ice base until the final few kilometres. It forms the Power Stage, with bonus points for the fastest three drivers.

How the action unfolded:

Rally Sweden winner Sebastien Ogier ensured a perfect weekend by claiming three bonus points for his 2013 FIA World Rally Championship campaign by winning the Power Stage.

The 29-year-old Frenchman was fastest in his Volkswagen Polo R by 0.9sec from team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala, who took two extra points.

The final Power Stage point was collected by Mads Ostberg. The Ford Fiesta RS pilot finished 2.3sec behind Latvala.

Mikko Hirvonen had a troubled weekend but hoped to gain something from the Power Stage. The Finn, who had been third in the running order, dropped down the start positions for the final stage and had the advantage of better road conditions in his Citroen DS3.

However, he missed out on points by finishing fourth fastest, 1.7sec behind Ostberg.
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Steve · Feb 10, 2013

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruSbH6SF3PQ]Leg 3 - 2013 WRC Rally Sweden - Best-of-RallyLive.com - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Feb 10, 2013

Praise for Ogier from old enemy Loeb (MaxRally.com)

by Graham Lister / 10th February 2013

Sebastien Loeb has praised the man he once lambasted for â€œspeaking a bit too muchâ€ during their infamous spat on Rallye Deutschland in 2011.

Loeb said Sebastien Ogierâ€™s victory in Sweden earlier today came after his rival Frenchman had driven the â€œperfect rallyâ€ to give Volkswagenâ€™s Polo R WRC victory on only its second event.

Two seasons ago, Loeb and Ogierâ€™s relationship was at rock bottom when they were team-mates at Citroen amid a power struggle within the French squad. It came to a head in Germany when Loeb dropped out of the lead with a puncture after Ogier had been told, much to his displeasure, to hold station in second place. Afterwards Ogier, who went on to win the event, implied that the puncture meant justice had been done, a comment that riled Loeb.

â€œI think heâ€™s speaking a bit too much,â€ Loeb said at the time. â€œHe didnâ€™t have any punctures: I had the puncture.â€

Ogier left Citroen at the end of the 2011 season to join Volkswagen with whom he celebrated his first win in Sweden earlier this afternoon and his eighth in the WRC to move to the top of the driversâ€™ standings by three points over Loeb.

â€œSeb Ogier didnâ€™t make any mistakes and did a perfect rally,â€ Loeb said at the completion of the Torsby Power Stage earlier today after finishing 41.8s behind Ogier in the runner-up spot.

For Loeb, meanwhile, his failure to win in Sweden could serve as a source of frustration for years to come. The nine-time world champion only included the snow rally in his four-event schedule because he wanted to win from the front after conceding heâ€™d got lucky when he triumphed in Sweden for the first and only time in 2004. His next scheduled appearance is Rally Argentina in early May, three rounds from now when Ogier and Volkswagen will again be hard nuts to crack.
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Justa Jim · Feb 10, 2013

Fantastic, I knew they were going to be a real player. MINI could have been too, but alas..............

Jim

Steve · Feb 10, 2013

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCt7W54NAYg]Highlights - 2013 WRC Rally Sweden - Best-of-RallyLive.com - YouTube[/ame]

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