The FIA World Rally Championship resumes next week on Rally Sweden (February 14-17), the only full snow and ice event of the year. The stages showcase a winter wonderland spanning two countries – Sweden and Norway – with the drivers using special studded tyres designed to cut through the snow and bite into the more solid surface underneath. The result is a surprising amount of grip and average speeds tend to be high. There are also special technics for driving on snow: the competitors use the big snowbanks that line the roads to lean on and guide the cars through the corners as fast as possible.
 
With three different manufacturers in the Top 3 at the end of the season’s inaugural event in Monte-Carlo, the high level of competition and unpredictability of the championship is clear to see. Reigning FIA World Rally Champion Sébastien Ogier leads the standings after taking the win for Citroën, but he is closely followed by his main title rivals from last year: Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) and Ott Tanäk (Toyota). M-Sport Ford will pin their hopes on Sweden’s own Pontus Tidemand, former FIA WRC 2 champion, who will start only his second rally at the wheel of the Ford Fiesta WRC. The battle on the snow-laden Scandinavian roads looks set to produce another thrilling leg, where the start position is likely to have an influence: the first drivers in the order may face the challenge of fresh snow, while those further down could benefit from a cleaner surface and more grip.
 
One of the biggest motorsports stars in Sweden - Marcus Gronhölm – makes a one-off return. The Finn, FIA World Rally Champion in 2000 and 2002, who retired at the end of 2007, will be back at the wheel of a Toyota Yaris WRC, co-driven by his loyal navigator Timo Rautiainen. And another legendary pair will also try to demonstrate that they lost none of their skills on snow and ice: 9-time FIA World Rally Champions Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena. Rally Sweden will be their second outing on Rally Sweden of six this season in the Hyundai.
 
Alongside the strong contingent of FIA WRC 2 entrants, the new FIA WRC 2 Pro category will stage its second leg in Sweden, with local hero Mads Østberg from Norway driving the Citroen C3 R5. A brand new turbocharged R2T Ford Fiesta will be revealed at the FIA Junior World Rally Championship season’s launch event with thirteen youngsters entered for Sweden, the first rally in a five-round calendar that continues in Corsica, Sardinia, Finland and Great-Britain.
 
THE 2019 ROUTE
 
There are no significant changes in the 2019 Rally Sweden itinerary compared to last year. The city of Torsby, close to the Norwegian border, is the rally base once more but the rally will start with a superspecial stage in Karlstad, further south, which traditionally kicks off the action on Thursday night. The same stage is repeated at the end of Saturday. Friday crosses the border into Norway, with two loops of three stages, plus a superspecial stage closing the action back in Torsby. The best-known stages, including Hagfors and Vargåsen - home of the iconic Colin’s Crest - are scheduled for Saturday, while the rally concludes on Sunday with three stages: two runs over Likenäs, followed by the Torsby Power Stage. In total, the competitive action covers 319.17 kilometres over 19 stages.
 
Swedish National Television SvT will feature nightly reports and highlights and all stages are available via WRC All Live on the online WRC+ platform.

RALLY DATA
 

 
MEDIA ACCREDITATION
 
The Accreditation Centre is located in the Media Center in the Service Park at the Torsby airport. The opening hours are:
 

 
RALLY SWEDEN TIMETABLE AND MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES ORGANISED BY THE FIA
 

 
* The FIA Junior WRC Championship invites you to their launch presentation in the FIA Junior WRC hospitality on Wednesday 13 February at 17:15 hrs (Service Park, Torsby).

FIA PRESS CONFERENCE ATTENDANCE
 

                                                          
MANUFACTURER ENTRIES, RALLY SWEDEN
 

PRIVATE WRC ENTRIES, RALLY SWEDEN
 

FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP CLASSIFICATIONS
 
The provisional classifications for all the WRC Championships is available on the following link:
 
https://www.fia.com/events/world-rally-championship/season-2019/standings