2018 Rally Sweden
2018 Rally Sweden 66. Rally Sweden | |||
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Round 2 of 13 in the 2018 World Rally Championship
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Host country | Sweden / Norway | ||
Rally base | Torsby, Värmland | ||
Dates run | 15 – 18 February 2018 | ||
Start location | Karlstad trotting track, Karlstad | ||
Finish location | Torsby, Värmland | ||
Stages | 19 (314.25 km; 195.27 miles) | ||
Stage surface | Gravel and snow | ||
Transport distance | 1,086.28 km (674.98 miles) | ||
Overall distance | 1,400.79 km (870.41 miles) | ||
Statistics | |||
Crews registered | 68 | ||
Crews | 66 at start, 59 at finish | ||
Overall results | |||
Overall winner | Thierry Neuville Nicolas Gilsoul Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT 2:52:13.1 | ||
Power Stage winner | Esapekka Lappi Janne Ferm Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT | ||
Support category results | |||
WRC-2 winner | Takamoto Katsuta Marko Salminen Tommi Mäkinen Racing 3:01:27.5 | ||
WRC-3 winner | Denis Rådström Johan Johansson Denis Rådström 3:16:26.0 |
The 2018 Rally Sweden (formally known as the Rally Sweden 2018)[1] was a motor racing event for rally cars that was held over four days between 15 and 18 February 2018.[2] It marked the sixty-sixth running of Rally Sweden, and was the second round of the 2018 World Rally Championship and its support categories, the WRC-2 and WRC-3 championships.[3] It was also the first round of the Junior World Rally Championship.[4] The event, which was based in the town of Torsby in Värmland County, was contested over nineteen special stages totalling a competitive distance of 314.25 km (195.27 mi).[5]
Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila were the defending rally winners.[6] Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul were the rally winners. Their team, Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT, were the manufacturers' winners.[7] The Belgian also became only the third non-Nordic driver to win the event after the nine-time world champion, Sébastien Loeb, and the defending world champion, Sébastien Ogier.[8] The Tommi Mäkinen Racing crew of Takamoto Katsuta and Marko Salminen won the World Rally Championship-2 category in a Ford Fiesta R5, while Swedish crew Denis Rådström and Johan Johansson won the World Rally Championship-3 and Junior World Rally Championship.[9][10]
Background
Championship standings prior to the event
Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia entered the round with an eight-point lead in the World Championships for Drivers and Co-drivers. In the World Championship for Manufacturers, M-Sport Ford WRT and Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT held a fifteen-point lead over Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT.
Entry list
The following crews were entered into the rally. The event was open to crews competing in the World Rally Championship, World Rally Championship-2, World Rally Championship-3 and Junior World Rally Championships. The final entry list consisted of fourteen World Rally Car entries, fifteen in the World Rally Championship-2, and fifteen entries in the World Rally Championship-3, twelve of which were eligible to score points in the Junior World Rally Championship.
- Notes
- ^‡ — Driver is eligible to score points in the FIA Junior World Rally Championship.
Report
Thursday
Ott Tänak drove a Yaris, defeated Thierry Neuville in their head-to-head heat on snow roads and stopped the clocks 0.3 second faster than Latvala, who beat Mads Østberg in their battle by 0.3 second. The Norwegian was impressive on his Citroën C3 debut to hold third as competitors headed north to Torsby for an overnight halt. Kris Meeke, driving another C3, and Hyundai i20 pilot Andreas Mikkelsen were tied in fourth, a further 0.3 second behind, while Neuville completed the top six. Toyota's Esapekka Lappi and championship leader Sébastien Ogier lost time after running wide on the same corner near the finish. They were eighth and ninth respectively but just 2.9 seconds off the pace.
Friday
The early starters lost time ploughing a clean route though fresh snow. Championship leader Sébastien Ogier was the first on the road. He was struggle with the grip all day and conceded almost three minutes en route to twelfth. So were Ott Tänak and Jari-Matti Latvala. The Toyota teammates separated by eighth and ninth. Craig Breen was third on the board, and the Irishman was delighted with his form with two afternoon stages wins. Teammate Mads Østberg was 0.5 second further back. Lying sixth after last night's curtain-raising speed test, Thierry Neuville moved his i20 to the front on this morning's second stage and held off a chasing pack which had the advantage of better conditions. Norwegian Andreas Mikkelsen, who started further behind, had a trouble free day while Hayden Paddon running out of the top three to make Hyundai 1-2-3.
Saturday
Thierry Neuville was the rally leader, but the gap between him and his main opponent was not big enough, especially for the Citroën driver, Craig Breen, who was eager to claim his first WRC victory. The Irish driver have once narrowed the gap to less than five seconds. However, the Hyundai star set four fastest stage times to build a 22.7-second lead, though he suffered a paddle shift gearchange system issue at the opening stage. Teammate Andreas Mikkelsen finished third after a spin today which made him dropped from second to fourth place, 9.3 seconds behind Breen. Hayden Paddon's car set-up was unsuited to this morning's forest roads. The New Zealander stuck on the inside of a hairpin in the final stage, which made him lost some time. He ended the day 16.6 seconds behind Mikkelsen. Mads Østberg changed his C3's settings to improve his car's balance but the switches affected his confidence and he reversed the adjustments. There was also an accident in SS13. Kris Meeke nosed into a snow bank but lost engine power when he regained the road. He stopped to clean snow from his Citroën's cooling system and as Ott Tänak tried to overtake in a narrow section, the two cars collided and the Estonian's Toyota Yaris bounced into a ditch. That ended with the Briton's retirement and made five-time world champion Sébastien Ogier finally get into the top ten.
Sunday
With a comfortable lead, Thierry Neuville finally eased through Sunday's final three speed tests to head Ireland's Craig Breen, driving a Citroën C3, for whom second was a career-best result. Andreas Mikkelsen finished third after a spun at exactly the same point as Neuville. Esapekka Lappi fought back and gained two places in the final three stages to finish fourth, 17.5 seconds adrift of Mikkelsen, after he plunged down the order after burying his Toyota Yaris in a snow bank. A final stage mistake from Hayden Paddon cost him a place. The Kiwi stalled his i20 a couple of kilometres from the finish and trailed the Finn by 8.6 seconds. After only a day's pre-event testing, Mads Østberg was sixth on his debut drive in a C3. Jari-Matti Latvala finished seventh after being delayed by a troublesome front differential and adverse road conditions. Fellow Finn Teemu Suninen was eighth in a Ford Fiesta, the highest place among M-Sport World Rally Team drivers. Ott Tänak and Monte-Carlo winner Sébastien Ogier dropped lot of time in Friday's opening leg as they ploughed a path through deep snow. They were unable to regain lost ground and finished ninth and tenth respectively.[8]
Classification
Top ten finishers
The following crews finished the rally in each class's top ten.[a]
Other notable finishers
The following notable crews finished the rally outside top ten.[a]
Position | No. | Driver | Co-driver | Entrant | Car | Class | Time | Points | ||
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Event | Class | Stage | ||||||||
14 | 14 | 2 | Elfyn Evans | Daniel Barritt | M-Sport Ford WRT | Ford Fiesta WRC | WRC | 3:02:00.5 | 0 | |
45 | 11 | 68 | David Holder | Jason Farmer | David Holder | Ford Fiesta R2T | WRC-3 | 3:35:42.7 | — | |
49 | 11 | 38 | Umberto Scandola | Andrea Gaspari | S.A. Motorsport Italia Srl | Škoda Fabia R5 | WRC-2 | 4:02:34.4 | — | |
51 | 12 | 72 | Tom Williams | Phil Hall | Tom Williams | Ford Fiesta R2T | WRC-3 | 4:05:11.2 | — | |
52 | 12 | 46 | Gianluca Linari | Nicola Arena | Gianluca Linari | Ford Fiesta R5 | WRC-2 | 4:05:46.4 | — | |
53 | 11 | 71 | Théo Chalal | Jacques-Julien Renucci | Théo Chalal | Ford Fiesta R2T | J-WRC | 4:10:26.2 | 0 | |
13 | WRC-3 | — | ||||||||
54 | 12 | 65 | Ken Torn | Kuldar Sikk | OT Racing | Ford Fiesta R2T | J-WRC | 4:12:18.4 | 4 | |
14 | WRC-3 | — | ||||||||
Source:[12][13] |
Special stages
Overall classification | |||||||
Day | Stage | Name | Length | Winner | Car | Time | Class leader |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
15 February | — | Skalla [Shakedown] | 6.86 km | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 4:17.3 | — |
SS1 | SSS Karlstad 1 | 1.9 km | Ott Tänak | Toyota Yaris WRC | 1:32.7 | Ott Tänak | |
16 February | SS2 | Hof-Finnskog 1 | 21.26 km | Ott Tänak | Toyota Yaris WRC | 10:32.7 | |
SS3 | Svullrya 1 | 24.88 km | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 13:16.4 | Thierry Neuville | |
SS4 | Röjden 1 | 19.13 km | Andreas Mikkelsen | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 10:18.5 | ||
SS5 | Hof-Finnskog 2 | 21.26 km | Hayden Paddon | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 10:19.5 | ||
SS6 | Svullrya 2 | 24.88 km | Craig Breen | Citroën C3 WRC | 13:17.3 | ||
SS7 | Röjden 2 | 19.13 km | Craig Breen | Citroën C3 WRC | 10:06.1 | ||
SS8 | Torsby 1 | 9.56 km | Hayden Paddon | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 6:23.8 | ||
17 February | SS9 | Torntorp 1 | 19.88 km | Ott Tänak | Toyota Yaris WRC | 10:02.0 | |
SS10 | Hagfors 1 | 23.4 km | Ott Tänak | Toyota Yaris WRC | 12:58.2 | ||
SS11 | Vargåsen 1 | 14.21 km | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 8:35.9 | ||
SS12 | Torntorp 2 | 19.88 km | Craig Breen | Citroën C3 WRC | 9:55.3 | ||
SS13 | Hagfors 2 | 23.4 km | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 12:44.5 | ||
SS14 | Vargåsen 2 | 14.21 km | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 8:28.2 | ||
SS15 | SSS Karlstad 2 | 1.9 km | Ott Tänak | Toyota Yaris WRC | 1:34.7 | ||
SS16 | Torsby Sprint | 3.43 km | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 2:32.7 | ||
18 February | SS17 | Likenäs 1 | 21.19 km | Ott Tänak | Toyota Yaris WRC | 11:11.8 | |
SS18 | Likenäs 2 | 21.19 km | Esapekka Lappi | Toyota Yaris WRC | 11:15.0 | ||
SS19 | Torsby 2 [Power stage] | 9.56 km | Esapekka Lappi | Toyota Yaris WRC | 6:01.2 | ||
World Rally Championship-2 | |||||||
15 February | — | Skalla [Shakedown] | 6.86 km | Mattias Adielsson | Škoda Fabia R5 | 4:31.9 | — |
SS1 | SSS Karlstad 1 | 1.9 km | Pontus Tidemand | Škoda Fabia R5 | 1:36.8 | Pontus Tidemand | |
16 February | SS2 | Hof-Finnskog 1 | 21.26 km | Takamoto Katsuta | Ford Fiesta R5 | 11:06.2 | Takamoto Katsuta |
SS3 | Svullrya 1 | 24.88 km | Jari Huttunen Takamoto Katsuta |
Hyundai i20 R5 Ford Fiesta R5 |
14:00.9 | ||
SS4 | Röjden 1 | 19.13 km | Pontus Tidemand | Škoda Fabia R5 | 10:57.9 | ||
SS5 | Hof-Finnskog 2 | 21.26 km | Takamoto Katsuta | Ford Fiesta R5 | 10:54.6 | ||
SS6 | Svullrya 2 | 24.88 km | Takamoto Katsuta | Ford Fiesta R5 | 13:53.0 | ||
SS7 | Röjden 2 | 19.13 km | Ole Christian Veiby | Škoda Fabia R5 | 10:41.0 | ||
SS8 | Torsby 1 | 9.56 km | Pontus Tidemand | Škoda Fabia R5 | 6:41.3 | ||
17 February | SS9 | Torntorp 1 | 19.88 km | Pontus Tidemand | Škoda Fabia R5 | 10:42.1 | Pontus Tidemand |
SS10 | Hagfors 1 | 23.4 km | Takamoto Katsuta | Ford Fiesta R5 | 13:39.9 | Takamoto Katsuta | |
SS11 | Vargåsen 1 | 14.21 km | Takamoto Katsuta | Ford Fiesta R5 | 8:57.9 | ||
SS12 | Torntorp 2 | 19.88 km | Hiroki Arai | Ford Fiesta R5 | 10:28.6 | ||
SS13 | Hagfors 2 | 23.4 km | Takamoto Katsuta | Ford Fiesta R5 | 13:32.7 | ||
SS14 | Vargåsen 2 | 14.21 km | Takamoto Katsuta | Ford Fiesta R5 | 8:52.9 | ||
SS15 | SSS Karlstad 2 | 1.9 km | Janne Tuohino Takamoto Katsuta |
Škoda Fabia R5 Ford Fiesta R5 |
1:38.7 | ||
SS16 | Torsby Sprint | 3.43 km | Ole Christian Veiby | Škoda Fabia R5 | 2:37.6 | ||
18 February | SS17 | Likenäs 1 | 21.19 km | Pontus Tidemand | Škoda Fabia R5 | 12:03.1 | |
SS18 | Likenäs 2 | 21.19 km | Takamoto Katsuta | Ford Fiesta R5 | 11:47.8 | ||
SS19 | Torsby 2 | 9.56 km | Jari Huttunen | Hyundai i20 R5 | 6:18.2 | ||
World Rally Championship-3 | |||||||
15 February | — | Skalla [Shakedown] | 6.86 km | Yuriy Protasov | Citroën DS3 R3T | 4:50.9 | — |
SS1 | SSS Karlstad 1 | 1.9 km | Denis Rådström | Ford Fiesta R2T | 1:48.6 | Denis Rådström | |
16 February | SS2 | Hof-Finnskog 1 | 21.26 km | Emil Bergkvist | Ford Fiesta R2T | 12:09.1 | Emil Bergkvist |
SS3 | Svullrya 1 | 24.88 km | Denis Rådström | Ford Fiesta R2T | 15:12.4 | Denis Rådström | |
SS4 | Röjden 1 | 19.13 km | Ken Torn | Ford Fiesta R2T | 11:41.4 | Emil Bergkvist Denis Rådström | |
SS5 | Hof-Finnskog 2 | 21.26 km | Denis Rådström | Ford Fiesta R2T | 11:43.5 | Denis Rådström | |
SS6 | Svullrya 2 | 24.88 km | Denis Rådström | Ford Fiesta R2T | 14:58.4 | ||
SS7 | Röjden 2 | 19.13 km | Ken Torn | Ford Fiesta R2T | 11:30.4 | ||
SS8 | Torsby 1 | 9.56 km | Ken Torn | Ford Fiesta R2T | 7:14.8 | Emil Bergkvist | |
17 February | SS9 | Torntorp 1 | 19.88 km | Denis Rådström | Ford Fiesta R2T | 11:34.7 | Denis Rådström |
SS10 | Hagfors 1 | 23.4 km | Taisko Lario | Peugeot 208 R2 | 14:54.5 | ||
SS11 | Vargåsen 1 | 14.21 km | Denis Rådström | Ford Fiesta R2T | 9:38.4 | ||
SS12 | Torntorp 2 | 19.88 km | Yuriy Protasov | Citroën DS3 R3T | 11:15.1 | ||
SS13 | Hagfors 2 | 23.4 km | Taisko Lario | Peugeot 208 R2 | 14:38.9 | ||
SS14 | Vargåsen 2 | 14.21 km | Taisko Lario | Peugeot 208 R2 | 9:32.1 | ||
SS15 | SSS Karlstad 2 | 1.9 km | Emil Bergkvist | Ford Fiesta R2T | 1:48.4 | ||
SS16 | Torsby Sprint | 3.43 km | Emilio Fernández | Ford Fiesta R2T | 2:52.3 | ||
18 February | SS17 | Likenäs 1 | 21.19 km | Emil Bergkvist | Ford Fiesta R2T | 13:06.4 | |
SS18 | Likenäs 2 | 21.19 km | Emil Bergkvist | Ford Fiesta R2T | 12:58.9 | ||
SS19 | Torsby 2 | 9.56 km | Ken Torn | Ford Fiesta R2T | 6:49.1 | ||
Junior World Rally Championship | |||||||
15 February | — | Skalla [Shakedown] | 6.86 km | Emil Bergkvist | Ford Fiesta R2T | 4:55.1 | — |
SS1 | SSS Karlstad 1 | 1.9 km | Denis Rådström | Ford Fiesta R2T | 1:48.6 | Denis Rådström | |
16 February | SS2 | Hof-Finnskog 1 | 21.26 km | Emil Bergkvist | Ford Fiesta R2T | 12:09.1 | Emil Bergkvist |
SS3 | Svullrya 1 | 24.88 km | Denis Rådström | Ford Fiesta R2T | 15:12.4 | Denis Rådström | |
SS4 | Röjden 1 | 19.13 km | Ken Torn | Ford Fiesta R2T | 11:41.4 | Emil Bergkvist Denis Rådström | |
SS5 | Hof-Finnskog 2 | 21.26 km | Denis Rådström | Ford Fiesta R2T | 11:43.5 | Denis Rådström | |
SS6 | Svullrya 2 | 24.88 km | Denis Rådström | Ford Fiesta R2T | 14:58.4 | ||
SS7 | Röjden 2 | 19.13 km | Ken Torn | Ford Fiesta R2T | 11:30.4 | ||
SS8 | Torsby 1 | 9.56 km | Ken Torn | Ford Fiesta R2T | 7:14.8 | Emil Bergkvist | |
17 February | SS9 | Torntorp 1 | 19.88 km | Denis Rådström | Ford Fiesta R2T | 11:34.7 | Denis Rådström |
SS10 | Hagfors 1 | 23.4 km | Denis Rådström | Ford Fiesta R2T | 14:57.0 | ||
SS11 | Vargåsen 1 | 14.21 km | Denis Rådström | Ford Fiesta R2T | 9:38.4 | ||
SS12 | Torntorp 2 | 19.88 km | Denis Rådström | Ford Fiesta R2T | 11:19.2 | ||
SS13 | Hagfors 2 | 23.4 km | Emil Bergkvist | Ford Fiesta R2T | 14:39.0 | ||
SS14 | Vargåsen 2 | 14.21 km | Denis Rådström | Ford Fiesta R2T | 9:32.8 | ||
SS15 | SSS Karlstad 2 | 1.9 km | Emil Bergkvist | Ford Fiesta R2T | 1:48.4 | ||
SS16 | Torsby Sprint | 3.43 km | Emilio Fernández | Ford Fiesta R2T | 2:52.3 | ||
18 February | SS17 | Likenäs 1 | 21.19 km | Emil Bergkvist | Ford Fiesta R2T | 13:06.4 | |
SS18 | Likenäs 2 | 21.19 km | Emil Bergkvist | Ford Fiesta R2T | 12:58.9 | ||
SS19 | Torsby 2 | 9.56 km | Ken Torn | Ford Fiesta R2T | 6:49.1 |
Power stage
The Power stage was a 9.56 km stage at the end of the rally. Additional World Championship points were awarded to the five fastest crews.
Pos. | Driver | Co-driver | Car | Time | Diff. | Pts. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Esapekka Lappi | Janne Ferm | Toyota Yaris WRC | 6:01.2 | 0.0 | 5 |
2 | Sébastien Ogier | Julien Ingrassia | Ford Fiesta WRC | 6:02.5 | +1.3 | 4 |
3 | Andreas Mikkelsen | Anders Jæger-Synnevaag | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 6:03.1 | +1.9 | 3 |
4 | Thierry Neuville | Nicolas Gilsoul | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 6:04.4 | +3.2 | 2 |
5 | Ott Tänak | Martin Järveoja | Toyota Yaris WRC | 6:06.4 | +5.2 | 1 |
J-WRC stage winning crews
Junior World Rally Championship crews scored additional points. Each of the fastest stage time was awarded with one bonus point.
Pos. | Driver | Co-driver | Car | Pts. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Denis Rådström | Johan Johansson | Ford Fiesta R2T | 9 |
2 | Emil Bergkvist | Ola Fløene | Ford Fiesta R2T | 5 |
3 | OT Racing | Ken Torn | Ford Fiesta R2T | 4 |
4 | Emilio Fernández | Joaquin Riquelme | Ford Fiesta R2T | 1 |
Penalties
The following notable crews were given time penalty during the rally.[a]
Retirements
The following notable crews retired from the event. Under Rally2 regulations, they were eligible to re-enter the event starting from the next leg. Crews that re-entered were given an additional time penalty.[a]
Championship standings after the rally
Drivers' championships
|
Co-Drivers' championships
|
Manufacturers' and teams' championships
|
Notes
References
- ^ a b "Rally Sweden Entry List". rallysweden.com. Rally Sweden. 20 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Rally Calendar Overview". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
- ^ "Rally Aus retains WRC finale in 2018". speedcafe.com. 22 September 2017. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
- ^ "Global support for Junior WRC". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
- ^ "Rally Sweden Countdown: Rally Route". wrc.com. WRC. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
- ^ "Latvala Triumphs in Sweden". wrc.com. WRC. 12 February 2017. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
- ^ "Neuville Wins in Sweden". wrc.com. WRC. 18 February 2018. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
- ^ a b "Sunday in Sweden: Cool Neuville Nets Victory". wrc.com. WRC. 18 February 2018. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
- ^ "WRC 2 in Sweden: Katsuta suprises [sic] champion". wrc.com. WRC. 17 February 2018. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
- ^ "Junior WRC in Sweden: Rådström fights back to win". wrc.com. WRC. 17 February 2018. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
- ^ "World RX champion Johan Kristoffersson to contest Rally Sweden". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. 30 January 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
- ^ a b "Rally Sweden Result". wrc.com. World Rally Championship. 21 February 2018. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
- ^ a b "66. Rally Sweden 2018". ewrc-results.com. 18 February 2018. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
External links
- Official website (in Swedish and English)
- 2018 Rally Sweden in e-wrc website
- The official website of the World Rally Championship