First organised in 1950, the Swedish Rally has been a winter fixture since 1965. Since 1967, it has started and finished in Karlstad, a university town in the centre of the country, located on the northern shore of Lake Vänern. The rally action itself takes place in the Hagfors region which is situated about 100 km north of Karlstad. The rally's sole service park will be set up on the aerodrome, to the west of Hagfors.

Swedish Rally: Citroen preview

In defence of the Swedish crown!

For the Swedish Rally, Round 2 of the 2005 FIA World Rally Championship, Team Citroën Total has entered two Xsara WRCs for its usual crews, Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena and Francois Duval/Stephane Prevot.

Twelve months ago, Sebastien Loeb, Daniel Elena, the Xsara WRC and the Citroën team collectively wrote a fresh page of rallying history on this event when Seb toppled the Swedish stronghold to put an end to over half a century of Nordic rule. The fall-out from that achievement was directly proportional to its importance!

For the third year running, after winning the Monte Carlo Rally, the Citroën driver goes to Karlstad as championship leader and will therefore run first on the road again during the opening leg. In case of fresh snow, being forced to act as 'snowplough' is sure to be reflected in the stage times. "I will be able to tell you how the day will go when I open the curtains of my hotel room on Friday morning," quips Sebastien philosophically. "If there is overnight snow, my aim will be to drop as little time as possible during the first leg and then to win back as much time as possible over the following two days. The common denominator for all three legs will be the importance of not making any mistakes."

Francois Duval, who revels in difficult conditions, will start further back. In case of fresh snow, that is likely to play in his favour. Similarly, should the stages prove predominantly icy, that too could be good for the Belgian driver since the conditions will then be the same for everyone.

The Citroën team has prepared for the Swedish Rally as carefully as usual. "We spent four days testing near Arvidsjaur in December," says the Technical Manager Jean-Claude Vaucard. "Both our drivers had two days each in the car and, for Francois Duval, it was a chance to familiarise himself with the Xsara on snow. The weather meant we were able to work across a spectrum of temperatures ranging from -10C to 0C! We plan to validate that work with a further day of testing for each driver just before recce. That will allow Seb and above all Francois, who is less familiar with the car, to get into the atmosphere of the rally."

The Swedish Rally raises the same questions as the Monte Carlo Rally and will be a chance to compare the respective strengths of this year's driver/car/tyre associations on a very different type of terrain which is visited just once a year. For the moment, the main uncertainty concerns the presence on the stages or otherwise of snow which hasn't yet 'confirmed its entry' for the event! In Karlstad and Hagfors, there are plenty of people keeping an eye on the sky and keeping their fingers crossed.

Michelin, Magneti-Marelli, Kinetic, OZ, AIS and Citroën Financement are Citroën Team Total's partners in the FIA World Rally Championship.

Questions to Guy Frequelin

Your first words after Sebastien's win in Monaco were "I'll never get tired of this."!

"When you have done this event nine times as a driver yourself, you have a good idea of what a win on the Monte Carlo Rally represents. It's a rally that has such an aura! I don't tire either of watching Sebastien and Daniel carving out a place for themselves in rallying history. As Team Principal, I obviously also keep an eye on our objectives for the season, so I was naturally satisfied with the points we scored in Monaco. But I was above all happy with the motivation and professionalism of the team."

You go from one key fixture to another. Next up is Sweden. Do you think the team is capable of defending the ground you conquered last year as you have done previously in Monte Carlo, Turkey and Germany?

"It's true, so far we have succeeded in repeating our success on all the events we have already won. On the one hand, that stems from the fact that once we have 'understood' a rally, once we have acquired the necessary experience and adapted the Xsara to the terrain, we are capable of putting in a performance - with the help of our drivers - that puts us up amongst the best. On the other hand, you need a little helping hand from lady luck. In Sweden, that helping hand can take the form of the weather and the resulting stage conditions. In 2003, after our one-two-three on the Monte Carlo, we learnt that the hard way."

If the weather does go against you, you will inevitably think in terms of points.

"The points system hasn't changed, nor has my reasoning. To have a chance of winning the Manufacturers' title, and for Sebastien and Francois to defend their chances in the Drivers' title chase, finishing is vital. As always therefore, my minimum objective is to get both cars in the points, and one on the podium. That said, the goal that drives us all is victory."

Questions to Sebastien Loeb

Is the Swedish Rally still your favourite rally?

"That depends on the rally itself! If the stages are covered in sheet ice and lined with snowbanks, controlling the car's permanent drift at high speed is a pleasure you don't get anywhere else. But running first on the road in fresh snow is much less fun. It only takes two centimetres of snow to make this 'privilege' worse in Sweden than on any gravel rally. Grip just isn't consistent. The studs don't bite, and the car is nervous and unpredictable. In one corner, you can slide too much and find yourself completely sideways. Then you can find yourself understeering through the next turn. So you're naturally a little more cautious for the third corner and obviously that's where you find grip and you could have gone more quickly! In a nutshell, you have a few scares and your times aren't good."

This is your fifth visit to Sweden. How important is experience here?

"The stages are often used from one year to the next but knowledge of them doesn't help that much because their exact lines and corners depend to an extent on the guy who drives the snowplough through them. Indeed, the Swedish Rally is the event for which we make the highest number of detail changes to our notes during recce. That said, experience helps you evaluate how 'reliable' - how firm - the snowbanks are. And that in turn helps you decide whether you can lean on them systematically or not."

You will be defending your win in Sweden last year. Do you believe a repeat success is possible?

"Possible, yes! But only possible. The car was nicely balanced last year and that excellent, basic Swedish set-up has been fine-tuned by the small modifications we have made since. Our testing in Sweden in December went very well and a further day of testing just before the recce will enable us to validate that work. If the weather doesn't force me to act as snowplough on Day 1, I hope to be up there with the best. Otherwise I will just try to do my best. Above all, it will be important not to make any mistakes and that's no easy matter when driving at speed on a knife edge."

Questions to Francois Duval

In 2002, you made your debut in a WRC car and took part in the Swedish Rally for the first time. What do you remember of that event?

"It was magic! But it wasn't the car that surprised me the most. I had already driven my father's four-wheel Group A car. Although better in all respects, WRC cars are similar! I was surprised by the height of the snowbanks as well as by the amazing traction and response of our skinny tyres. I thought I'd never get the hang of it but, once the rally started, I soon felt comfortable. I think we finished tenth."

Since then, you've competed in Sweden twice. Is it an event you enjoy?

"For me, it's simple: if it's snowy, it's the best rally in the championship; the most fun. The route is defined by the snowbanks and that doesn't pose too much of a problem as far as the notes go. If there's no snow, you have to work harder on your notes because you can use the entire width of the road. From one year to the next, you really make a lot of modifications. When there's no snow I enjoy the rally much less. When gravel starts coming to the surface, the studs get pulled out, the tyres get damaged and you invariably find yourself on an icy portion with shot tyres and without studs. That can be a bit hairy."

Have you recovered from your disappointment on the Monte Carlo Rally? What is your objective for Sweden?

"The answer to the first part of the question is yes! I made a mistake, although it wasn't a big driving error. You might say that there was enough space for me to go 'straight on' with a view to avoiding the pole. But your instinct as a driver is always to try and keep the car on the road. Whatever, that error is now stored in my experience bank. For Sweden, it is important to feel confident to be on the pace from the start so as not to lose touch with the leaders. The local drivers know what that pace is but we are much less accustomed to it. Another factor is that I want to reach the finish to score my first points of the year. I will have to find the right best compromise between the two."

Swedish Rally Preview

Central Sweden's numbing cold and barren, ice-bound countryside traditionally provide the harshest environment of the FIA World Rally Championship season and a cruel contrast to the glitz of last month's opening round in Monte Carlo.

The rally is the only pure winter event of the 16-round series.  Fast, flowing and frozen snow-covered roads are a driver's delight as tyres fitted with tungsten-tipped steel studs bite into the icy surface to provide incredible grip.  But until last week, the Värmland region which hosts the event was lacking the main ingredient for a winter rally - snow.  However, recent falls and temperatures dropping to -10°C suggest conditions will be tolerable, with more snow forecast in the week.

What might be missing are the frozen snow banks which line the tracks. Drivers use them as an integral part of their driving style, 'leaning' their cars into them to guide them around corners at maximum speed.  Difficulties arise if temperatures are not cold enough to freeze the snow adequately. Instead of bouncing off the packed banks, cars can be either dragged into the crumbling snow where they become stuck or plough through them and off the road.

World Champion Sebastien Loeb goes to Sweden hoping to repeat his win of last year, whilst Peugeot drivers Marcus Gronholm and Markko Martin, as well as Ford's Toni Gardemeister and Subaru's Petter Solberg will all be aiming for the top step of the podium.

Gardemeister's nominated Ford team-mate for this event will be Henning Solberg (older brother of Petter) whilst Harri Rovanpera will be joined at Mitsubishi by Italy's Gianluigi Galli. Skoda have a completely different lineup to Monte Carlo after Armin Schwarz injured his shoulder during an accident - indeed the Czech team will have used 5 different drivers after only two events of the new season by the time Sweden is over. Finn's Janne Tuohino and Jani Paasonen are joined by DTM Champion Mattias Ekstrom in the Fabia WRCs.

Citroen

Twelve months ago, Sébastien Loeb, Daniel Elena, the Xsara WRC and the Citroën team collectively wrote a fresh page of rallying history on this event when Seb toppled the Swedish stronghold to put an end to over half a century of Nordic rule. The fall-out from that achievement was directly proportional to its importance!
For the third year running, after winning the Monte Carlo Rally, the Citroën driver goes to Karlstad as championship leader and will therefore run first on the road again during the opening leg.

Sébastien Loeb / Daniel Elena: "If there is overnight snow (on Thursday night), my aim will be to drop as little time as possible during the first leg and then to win back as much time as possible over the following two days. The common denominator for all three legs will be the importance of not making any mistakes."

Francois Duval / Stephane Prevot: "For Sweden, it's important to feel confident to be on the pace from the start so as to not lose touch with the leaders. The local drivers know what that pace is, but we're much less accustomed to it. I want to reach the finish to score my first points of the year.

Subaru

The Swedish Rally will be the first time that the Subaru World Rally Team has entered a three-car team since Rallye Sanremo 2002, when Tommi Mäkinen, Petter Solberg and Achim Mortl represented the Japanese manufacturer.

Subaru's lead driver Petter Solberg has contested the event six times previously. Finishing third last year, and with experience of winter competition gained in his native Norway, Solberg is looking for another podium result this time in Sweden.

On his second rally with the SWRT, Stéphane Sarrazin will drive the other points-nominated Impreza WRC2004, while Subaru's latest signing Chris Atkinson will make his WRC competitive debut in a third identical car. Neither Chris nor Stéphane has competed on snow before, and both will be seeking to learn more about the unique event over the weekend.

Petter Solberg / Phil Mills: "The main thing is to get some points now. The plan at the beginning is to aim for a podium position but after we've seen how Friday goes, we may change that. We'll have to wait and see. This rally has always been a bit difficult for me, but was much better last year. Although the overall result was a bit of a shame, I had a good feeling in the car. The testing we've done for this event has been very good and we're going to see if we can make any more improvements ahead of the start. You need to have a very aggressive driving style on snow because the tyres are narrower than normal. This is Chris' first event and I think he'll do well. I have a good feeling about his future as he has a good mentality. The team are doing an excellent job supporting both him and Stéphane."

Stephane Sazzazin/Patrick Pivato: "It's very exciting to drive on snow. I've done some testing and have a good feeling, but I'm still short on experience. I have a very good car, so it's good for me to learn and I'll try to improve during the rally. Driving on snow is more fun than on tarmac. Asphalt is very quick and you have excellent grip, but on snow you slide all the time and it's important to be very confident on your driving line. I hope to be fast, but I don't have any times to compare myself to at the moment, so we'll have to see after the shakedown. I know I need to push and improve my style, but I have very good car and that helps a lot."

Chris Atkinson/Glen Macneall: "I'm really excited to have this opportunity. Even though it's only been a couple of months since my position was announced, it feels like I've been waiting for ages now - I want to start competing. The snow conditions are something that I think about of course, but I'll just be concentrating on getting overall experience during this event. The driving style on snow is
not that different from driving on gravel, so it's not as much of a jump for me as people might think. The way you approach corners and the way to carry speed is similar, but you have to be more careful when braking on snow than on gravel, as you don't have the same amount of tyre on the road. It'll also be difficult because there are a lot of Scandinavians competing in World Rally Cars, but I'll be concentrating on improving each day. The key target is to get experience and to finish the event."

Ford

Debutant drivers Toni Gardemeister and Jakke Honkanen and team-mates Roman Kresta and Jan Tománek gave BP-Ford a superb start to the season on the French asphalt in their Focus RS World Rally Cars.  Second for Gardemeister and eighth for Kresta means the team will start the Swedish Rally (10 - 13 February) as joint leaders of the manufacturers' series.  It is strengthened by the addition of Norwegians Henning Solberg and Cato Menkerud, who are nominated for manufacturer points alongside Gardemeister, in place of Kresta who is less experienced in these specialised conditions.

Toni Gardemeister/Jakke Honkanen: "The roads are fast and flowing and it's fun to play with the car in winter conditions.  Competing on snow is similar to driving on a fast gravel rally.  Sometimes studs give even better grip than gravel.  If there is a clear line on the road, it's important to stay in it because that's where the grip is found.  Move off the line onto fresh snow and the grip becomes less and time is wasted. It's still early in my career with Ford and the Focus RS, but this is one of the rallies where I think a win is realistic.  Much depends on the weather. We will start the first day second on the road.  If temperatures are above freezing and the snow is soft, we will have poor grip in that position and will lose time clearing the snow for those behind to have a cleaner line.  But if it's old
snow and the roads are frozen and icy, then grip will be good"

Roman Kresta/Jan Tomanek: "It's easier for me now that I don't have to worry about points because I can concentrate on improving my knowledge.  If I can  score drivers' points that would be superb, but it will be difficult because there are many competitive drivers and cars entered.  My result in Monte Carlo gave me good confidence.  Every day I was quicker and on the final leg my speed was constant, not just on some stages.  I have a much better feeling with the car."

Henning Solberg/Cato Menkerud: "I started competing on snow and that's why I love those conditions.  I'm delighted Ford has the confidence to nominate me for manufacturer points.  I drove a 2002-specification Focus last weekend in Norway and that was the best car I've driven.  The 2004 Focus will be even better.  I will have the best car and the best tyres, so the rest is down to me.  I like to have en easy car to drive and the Focus is smooth.  I'm looking forward to competing in a car with the gearchange system mounted on the steering wheel.  I've never had that opportunity before but it's much easier and faster."

Peugeot

After finishing with both its cars in the points in Monte Carlo, Peugeot Sport travels to the season's second round in Sweden where it will be looking to add a further win to the four Swedish Rally successes it has secured since 2000. The team's colours will be represented by Marcus Grönholm and Markko Märtin, while a third 307 WRC has been entered for local youngster Daniel Carlsson.

Marcus Gronhölm / Timo Rautiainen: "I love the Swedish Rally because it's fun to drive. I hope this year's event goes well for me. I think I have a very good chance. I came 2nd last year on what was only the 307 WRC's second outing after dropping a minute early on. Since then, the car has progressed and our testing in Sweden in December went particularly well."

Markko Martin/Michael Park: "Along with Finland and New Zealand, the Swedish is one of my three favourite events.. I momentarily led the rally in 2004 and this year will be my first experience with the 307 WRC off asphalt (Markko was speaking before his scheduled test in the Värmland a week before the start). The car is intrinsically very competitive and Marcus proved that with some top stage times in Sweden last season. That's very encouraging and I will certainly give it my absolute best."

Skoda

The Skoda Motorsport World Rally Team heads for the Swedish Rally (February 10- 13) with three Scandinavian drivers at the wheel of the Fabia WRC. Janne Tuohino will be the nominated driver alongside Audi Sport's DTM Champion Mattias Ekström who joins the team from Skoda Motorsport's partner in the VW Group for a one-off drive. It is Janne's first drive for the team while Mattias arrives in Karlstad after dominating a recent Swedish national event with the Red Bull-liveried Fabia WRC as he prepared for his first WRC event in a manufacturer-nominated car. A third Fabia WRC will be driven by Jani Paasonen who is standing-in for the injured Armin Schwarz. It is his third event for the team but his first time in the Fabia WRC on snow as the testing was carried out by Mattias and Janne.

Janne Tuohino/Mikko Markkula:  "This is one of my favourite rallies. I got my best result there when I finished fourth last year and I got two fastest times during the event. The big question is whether there is going to be enough snow to be able to use the snow banks to drive quicker."

Mattias Ekstrom/Stefan Bergman: "I'm really looking forward to competing at this level for the first time in a factory car. Being nominated by Skoda Motorsport for points doesn't put any extra pressure on me but the fact that the team has felt it can trust me with the responsibility actually gives me even more confidence. All I am hoping for is a good clean run from start to finish."

Janni Paasonen/Janni Vainikka: "It isn't perhaps the way that I would have liked to get this drive and I'm sorry for Armin but all the same I'm feeling very happy to have the chance. Sweden is one of my favourite events and I hope that I can get a good result for the team. The car is very good and so I am confident we can do well."

Mitsubishi

After a points-scoring debut with the Mitsubishi Motors Motor Sports team in Monte-Carlo, Harri Rovanperä and Risto Pietiläinen once again lead the team's assault on the forthcoming Swedish Rally, the second round of the series and the only true winter event in the Championship. "Gigi" Galli and Guido D'Amore get their first taste of 2005 competition in the second Mitsubishi Lancer WRC05 and the crews will be looking for a solid performance on the car's first outing on snow.

Harri Rovanpera/Risto Pietiläinen: "Sweden is absolutely one of my favorite Rallies. "After the test we can say we have the best set-up available to us, but at the moment it's obviously difficult to know exactly what the conditions will be like. With proper winter conditions, ice and snow, it is a great rally to drive and one that's also really fast. After Monte-Carlo I'm feeling confident for the future".

Gigi Galli/Guido D'Amore: "We did two days of testing in the north of Sweden in December and I was very satisfied with my driving style and, for me, I have always driven on Pirelli tires in this rally so I know them very well. There is no comparison between Group N and the world rally car. With the Lancer WRC you can drive very cleanly; you can take good lines, brake late, change gear in the middle of corners, everything is possible. With Group N cars, you have to drive much more sideways, but it is a production car, so this is normal. Our goal this year is to help with the development of the car, but it is going to be very interesting for me to compare my performance and tire choice against Harri, who knows this event well and has won it before".

Event Timetable


LEG 1 : Karlstad - Hagfors - Karlstad
Friday 11th  Februry  2005 : 07.35 - 19.39
600 km
7 Special Stages (106.5 km)

SS 1 Likenäs 1 (21.8 km) : 09.00
SS 2 Hara 1 (11.3 km) : 10.23
SS 3 Torntorp 1 (19.2 km) : 11.05
SS 4 Likenäs 2 (21.8 km) : 13.46
SS 5 Hara 2 (11.3 km) : 15.09
SS 6 Torntorp 2 (19.2 km) : 15.51
SS 7 Hagfors Sprint 1 (1.9 km) : 17.10
Service Park (A) - Hagfors : 11.51 (30')
Service Park (B) - Hagfors : 17.40 (45')

LEG 2 : Karlstad - Hagfors - Karlstad
Saturday 12th Februry 2005 : 05.50 - 19.42
546 km
7 Special Stages (140 km)

SS 8 Sundsjön 1 (20.8 km) : 07.59
SS 9 Vargåsen 1 (24.8 km) : 08.48
SS 10 Fredriksberg (20.1 km) : 11.23
SS 11 Lejen (26.4 km) : 12.12
SS 12 Sundsjön 2 (20.8 km) : 15.00
SS 13 Vargåsen 2 (24.8 km) : 15.49
SS 14 Hagfors Sprint 2 (1.9 km) : 17.13
Service Park © - Hagfors : 07.00 (10')
Service Park (D) - Hagfors : 09.40 (30')
Service Park (E) - Hagfors : 13.48 (30')
Service Park (F) - Hagfors : 17.43 (45')


LEG 3 : Karlstad - Hagfors - Karlstad
Sunday 13th Februry 2005 : 05.40 - 15.04
350 km
7 Special Stages (114 km)

SS 15 Lesjöfors 1 (22.3 km) : 07.56
SS 16 Rämmen 1 (23.3 km) : 08.38
SS 17 Malta 1 (11.2 km) : 09.27
SS 18 Lesjöfors 2 (22.3 km) : 11.28
SS 19 Rämmen 2 (23.3 km) : 12.10
SS 20 Malta 2 (11.2 km) : 12.59
Service Park (G) - Hagfors : 06.50 (10')
Service Park (H) - Hagfors : 10.02 (30')
Service Park (I) - Hagfors : 13.24 (20')

Total Distance 1750 km - 20 Special Stages (360 km)

Gronholm takes narrow lead for Peugeot in Sweden

STOCKHOLM, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Finland's Marcus Gronholm put Peugeot into the narrowest of leads after three stages of the Rally of Sweden on Friday.

The twice world champion led Citroen's world champion Sebastien Loeb, who last year became the first non-Nordic driver in more than half a century to win in Sweden, by just a 10th of a second.

Norway's Petter Solberg, winner of the day's opening two stages after his earlier-running rivals had swept the snowy roads for him, was third and a further 10s adrift.

Gronholm won the third Torntorp stage, about an hour north of rally headquarters in Karlstad, to move up from fourth to first with a total combined time of 28 minutes 17.1 seconds.

Solberg, the 2003 world champion, blamed a suspension change for the loss of pace that cost him the lead but was confident he could take it back.

"The first stages went very well but I made some changes to the suspension before the third and lost a lot of time," he said. "The car was all over the place and was bottoming out a bit too much at the front. I won't be doing that again.

"The stages are okay, there's a little bit of everything out there -- snow, gravel and ice," the Norwegian added.

Several centimetres of overnight snow eased concerns about the conditions in the championship's only snow rally. Too little snow on the gravel roads can damage the narrow studded tyres and also the stages themselves.

Positions after Leg One:

1.  M Grönholm/T Rautiainen      FIN            Peugeot 307
58min 20.8sec
2.  P Solberg/P Mills                  N              Subaru Impreza
58min 21.0sec
3.  S Loeb/D Elena                      F              Citroen Xsara
58min 31.0sec
4.  G Galli/G D'Amore                  I              Mitsubishi Lancer
58min 39.7sec
5.  F Duval/S Prévot                    B              Citroen Xsara
58min 48.8sec
6.  M Märtin/M Park                    EE              Peugeot 307
58min 57.7sec
7.  T Gardemeister/J Honkanen  FIN            Ford Focus RS  59min
18.2sec
8.  H Rovanperä/R Pietilainen  FIN            Mitsubishi Lancer
59min 19.1sec
9.  M Ekström/S Bergman        SWE            Skoda Fabia
59min 24.6sec
10 J Tuohino/M Markkula        FIN            Skoda Fabia
59min 27.9sec
11 H Solberg/C Menkerud        N              Ford Focus RS  59min
29.7sec
12 R Kresta/J Tománek          CZ              Ford Focus RS  59min
30.0sec

Positions after leg two:

1 SOLBERG/MILLS          SUBARU WORLD RALLY TEAM            2:14:27.9
2 GRÖNHOLM/RAUTIAINEN    MARLBORO PEUGEOT TOTAL              +00:12.6
3 LOEB/ELENA            CITROEN TOTAL                        +00:34.3
4 MARTIN/PARK            MARLBORO PEUGEOT TOTAL              +02:05.8
5 GARDEMEISTER/HONKANEN  BP FORD WORLD RALLY TEAM            +03:18.6
6 SOLBERG/MENKERUD      BP FORD WORLD RALLY TEAM            +03:21.8
7 ROVANPERA/PIETILAINEN  MITSUBISHI MOTORS MOTOR SPORTS      +03:22.7
8 GALLI/DAMORE          MITSUBISHI MOTORS MOTOR SPORTS      +03:35.6
9 CARLSSON/ANDERSSON    Peugeot 307 WRC                      +03:48.9
10 ATKINSON/McNEAL        SUBARU WORLD RALLY TEAM              +03:51.8
11 TUOHINO/MARKKULA      SKODA MOTORSPORT                    +04:00.0
12 KRESTA/TOMANEK        BP FORD WORLD RALLY TEAM            +04:15.3
13 PAASONEN/VAINIKKA      SKODA MOTORSPORT                    +04:29.8
14 WARMBOLD/ORR          BP FORD WORLD RALLY TEAM            +05:48.5
15 DUVAL/PREVOT          CITROEN TOTAL                        +06:14.5
16 EKSTROM/BERGMAN        SKODA MOTORSPORT                    +06:54.2

Colin McRea

Citroen Final Summary

Having had a difficult day on Saturday, the Citroen team had to cope today with the retirement of Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena just two stages from the end of the Swedish Rally. The second Xsara of François Duval and Stéphane Prévot was the first to run on newly-fallen snow on Sunday morning but thanks to their tenacity the Citroen team left Sweden with one point in the Manufacturers' Championship.

"Only one point," said Guy Fréquelin, not even attempting to hide his disappointment. To score only one point here when the two cars were running third and fourth at one point was difficult for the team to accept. "It is a disaster," said the head of Citroen Sport. "It is really bad luck. One car retired and another delayed. That has never happened since we came to the World Rally Championship fulltime!"

Analysis of the event reveals that the Citroen Sport was in a good position to claim a good result here without these misfortunes. Three drivers were clearly ahead of the rest, battling for tenths of a second. Sébastien Loeb was one of these.

Although he went straight and lost 18 seconds on the 'Likenäs 2' stage (SS4) he was still able to close within 12.2secs of the leaders by the end of 'Sunsjön' 2 (SS12), his fourth stage win. It was during 'Vargåsen' (SS13) that he noticed the first engine problems and gave away a few seconds on the super stage of Hagfors Sprint 2 where he decided not to push to help the engine a little. The 45 minutes service gave the team the time to diagnose a problem as the engine was using too much cooling fluid. They tried to solve it.

"I did not sleep very well!" Seb acknowledged this morning. It soon became clear that the car was tending to overheat and so Loeb tried to manage the problem as best he could, with one eye on the times of his nearest challenger and another on the temperature gauge and as little use as possible of the throttle. Despite this he had inherited second place by the end of SS18 but his engine finally stopped and refused to start again. "It is very frustrating, when you are in a good position with just two stages to go and you can't do anything. We did our best. Now we have to overcome this setback."

At the request of Guy Fréquelin, François Duval approached the rally in a different manner. The up-and-coming Belgian chose to maintain a fast but safe pace which took him up into fourth position but the 'Fredriksberg/Lejen' loop, the toughest of the rally, defeated this strategy.

"We were obliged to go in the inside of the corners as the other cars did so But we did not have the tyres nor the wheel rims to deal with the lack of snow."

There were punctures everywhere and Francois unfortunately experienced three. The third one resulted in the foam from inside the tyre coming out and the wheel had to be changed in the stage. That dropped them to 15th, which was exactly the position that should be avoided because this morning they were the first to run after new snow had fallen. To their credit François and Stéphane continued to fight and one point in the Manufacturers' Championship is a just reward...

Skoda Final Summary

Jani Paasonen and Mattias Ekström finished in 9th and 10th places respectively on the Swedish Rally.

During the final day Mattias climbed six places to claim his first WRC points for the Skoda Motorsport World Rally Team but Janne Tuohino went off near the end of the penultimate stage when chasing eighth place.

Despite running on only three wheels he attempted to complete the final stage but when he lost oil pressure with 7kms to go he had no choice but to retire.

The World Rally Championship now heads for two consecutive long haul events, starting with Rally Mexico on March 11-13 where the team hopes to debut the newly homologated second evolution of the Fabia WRC.

Quotes:

Jani Paasonen:
This was a really difficult rally for anyone running near the front of the field but I am fairly happy with some of the times I was able to set. Now I am looking forward to Mexico.

Mattias Ekström:
I have really enjoyed this experience but I was quite frustrated last night about the power steering problem. If you take away the time it cost me I think that I could have finished on the podium and that would have been an incredible result for both myself and the Skoda Motorsport World Rally Team. Now I must concentrate on defending my DTM title with Audi Sport but maybe one day I will be able to drive the Fabia WRC again.

Janne Tuohino:
Overall I was happy with my performance until I made a mistake near the end of SS19. I suffered badly on the gravel yesterday afternoon but I thought that I could have still finished in the points. In the end we had to stop and that is a disappointing result for me.

Martin Muehlmeier, Head of Škoda Motorsport:
I was very pleased that all three of our drivers were able to be competitive here. It was a very good line-up for us on this rally. We still have to resolve our lack of consistency but otherwise we showed again just how fast the Fabia WRC can be.

Mitsubishi Final Summary

ANOTHER DOUBLE POINTS HAUL FOR MITSUBISHI LANCER WRC05

Rovanperä 4th and Galli 7th in tricky Swedish Rally; both crews claim stage victories

The Mitsubishi Motors Motor Sports WRC team scored points with both its nominated Lancer WRC05s in the Swedish Rally, the second round of the FIA World Rally Championship. Harri Rovanperä and Risto Pietiläinen exceed their result in Monte-Carlo by finishing fourth, rounding the event off with a fastest stage time in only their second event with Mitsubishi. Team-mates "Gigi" Galli and Guido D'Amore not only scored points in only their fifth event in a world rally car, but proved to be the revelation of the rally by setting a hot pace and one fastest stage time in one of the series' most specialized events. The finished a fine 7th, equaling their best world rally result (Catalunya 2004).

Mitsubishi's double points haul from both Monte-Carlo and Sweden means it now lays third in the FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers, on the same points as five-time World Champions Peugeot.

"Overall it was a good weekend for us again", said the President of Mitsubishi Motors Motor Sports Isao Torii. "Both cars finished and scored points again and our stage times were always close to the top teams. Gigi's performance was impressive and his consistent stage times proved it. Harri is now more confident with the car, and also had one fastest stage time and a great fight with Henning Solberg for fourth overall; that is a good outlook for México. We have decided to nominate Gilles Panizzi as our second driver in México, but Gigi's spirit this weekend was so excellent that we will take him to the event to do the recce and gain more experience for the future".

The final leg of the Swedish Rally saw the crews leave Karlstad at 05:40 hrs for two loops of three identical stages. Both the first and fourth stages were reduced from 22.33 kilometers to 10.17 kilometers, for safety reasons, and while overnight snow left a light dusting over the stages, strong winds added to the challenge in the closing kilometers.

In the opening stage, Harri Rovanperä showed the same form that saw him win the event in 2001. Third fastest, just 5.4 seconds adrift of stage victor and rally winner Petter Solberg, powered him up the leaderboard from an overnight seventh to sixth. He and Risto Pietiläinen then set fifth fastest time in the following stage, but again moved up the leaderboard when Marcus Grönholm rolled and was forced to retire from second position. Fourth fastest in stage 17 consolidated their position and the Finns went into the final loop of stages just 7.5 seconds adrift of fourth overall. In the penultimate stage of the rally, however, the Finns lost fifth gear but even so, set the fastest time in the final stage to claim fourth after Loeb's retirement.

"In the end it was a good weekend for Risto and I", commented Harri. "During the first day and a half I never thought a result like this was possible, but now the feeling is good and my confidence with the car is much better. Next week we will be gravel testing and I am looking forward to going to México".

Gigi Galli and Guido D'Amore remained focused on finishing the event; however they slid wide at the start of the first stage and dropped a position to Daniel Carlsson. They maintained a steady pace in the closing stages, although posted a second-fastest time in the penultimate stage of the rally.

"This is only my fifth event in a world rally car, so I am very happy to finish in the top ten", said a delighted Gigi. "The small technical problems yesterday took me away from a potential podium position, but I don't feel so bad about that because I think we made a good performance anyway. I always try to do my best and that is what matters at the moment".

Adding to the drivers' comments, Technical Director Mario Fornaris said: "Six different manufacturers in the top 10 and Mitsubishi finished in fourth and seventh positions. This shows that the rally was very tough, but the final result always shows us that we have to improve our reliability and performance to be among the top teams and get onto the podium. Looking ahead to México, we have a test next week and will decide after this whether we use the active center differential. Our development program is in line with our schedule, but we will take the safe option with regard to new components".

The FIA World Rally Championship now heads to North America for the first long-haul event of the season. Corona Rally México (March 10-13), running for the second year in the world series, is the first full gravel event of the year and promises more fast and furious action in the mountains high above the host city of Léon.

Subaru Final Summary

Petter Solberg claimed victory on the Swedish Rally to take his first WRC win of the year, his first in Sweden and the eleventh of his career. Locked in a thrilling battle with Marcus Gronholm until the final stages, the Norwegian and co-driver Phil Mills took six stage wins and won the event by a margin of 2 minutes 11.1 seconds. Claiming ten points in the Drivers and Manufacturers Championships, the result marked Subarus 45th WRC victory, the 44th with the Impreza, and was a perfect SWRT finale for the WRC2004 model, which will be replaced for the next event in Mexico. Completing his WRC car debut, Chris Atkinson posted some more impressive stage times and climbed up to ninth overall, before an incident on SS18 dropped him down the leaderboard. His team-mate Stphane Sarrazin fulfilled his aim of gaining experience of the specialist conditions and he finished thirteenth.

Stage Reports

SS15: 0756 Lesjofors 1 (10.17km)

Considering the conditions, organisers decided to shorten the first stage of the day and, removing the first 12.16 km, the stage was just 10km long. Following overnight snowfall, a 1cm layer covered the road, but conditions were mostly frozen hard-packed gravel. Resuming his battle with Marcus Gronholm at the head of the field, Petter Solberg was fastest to increase his overall advantage to 13 seconds, but there were difficulties for third-placed Sebastien Loeb. The Frenchman reported a problem with the cooling system on his Citroens engine at the end of Leg two and thought it might cause problems in the final Leg. Completing the 10km stage 14 seconds slower than Solberg, it seemed he was driving to preserve his engine. Gigi Galli drove off the road in his Mitsubishi, he was able to continue but lost 20 seconds to the leaders, while his team-mate Harri Rovanpera picked up his pace to finish third fastest. Chris Atkinson continued his impressive WRC car debut in his Subaru Impreza WRC2004 and was seventh fastest, while Stphane Sarrazin was fourteenth. After the finish, crews moved to the start of SS16.Fastest Stage Time: Solberg (Subaru) 5:32.2

SS16: 0838 Rammen 1 (23.35km)

Having battled at the head of the field with Petter Solberg since the opening Leg, three-times Swedish Rally winner Marcus Gronholm crashed out of the event on the second test of Leg three. Rolling his Peugeot 307, the Finn ripped the front-left wheel off and was unable to continue. Running behind Marcus through the 23km stage, Solberg was slowed by the incident and dropped eight seconds, but retained the overall lead, now by an extended margin of 50 seconds. Having been used in the event for many years, the stage from Rmmen featured an 8km section of icy, uphill hairpins, a fast descent, and a slow, technical 2km section through woodland. At an average speed of 117.08km, Markko Martin was fastest to take his first stage win for Peugeot, while Toni Gardemeister was second and Daniel Carlsson third. After the finish, crews stopped for a refuel before driving 13km west to the start of SS17.Fastest Stage Time:Martin (Peugeot) 11:58.0

SS17: 0927 Malta 1 (11.25km)

As temperatures rose to 2C, Markko Martin was fastest through the short Malta stage to take his second win of the event. Gardemeister was second fastest, with Petters brother Henning third and Harri Rovanpera fourth. The Scandinavian trio had become locked in a battle for fifth overall and, at the finish, just 14.7 separated them. With the pressure off, rally leader Petter Solberg finished 10.5 seconds ahead of Sebastien Loeb, who continued to nurse his engine through the events final kilometres, and maintained the overall lead. Chris Atkinson set another top ten time and ended the stage just 0.4 seconds off Gigi Gallis overall eighth position. Once the narrow, gravely stage was complete, crews returned to Hagfors for a 30-minute service.Fastest Stage Time: Martin (Peugeot) 5:35.3

SS18: 1128 Lesjofors 2 (10.17km)

With the first 12.6km section dropped once again, crews faced a repeat of the 10km technical stage that featured a number of hidden junctions. Running sixth on the road, Chris Atkinson, who had demonstrated an impressive pace on his first WRC event, was caught out by the tricky conditions, slid wide on a corner and went backwards into a ditch 8km from the start. He was able to continue, but lost more than 12 minutes while spectators helped push his car back onto the road and fell from ninth to 21st overall. With a healthy lead of more than a minute, his team-mate Petter Solberg eased off the pace and concentrated on bringing his Impreza home at the head of the field; he was fifth fastest. Sarrazin was fifteenth, the same position that he held on the overall leaderboard. Joining the battle for fourth position, Daniel Carlsson was fastest, with rivals Gardemeister second and Henning Solberg third. Loeb was thirteenth fastest, but there was disaster for the Frenchman after the finish when his Xsaras ailing engine terminally failed and he was unable to restart it. The remaining crews moved to the start of SS19. Fastest Stage Time: Carlsson (Peugeot) 5:31.8

SS19: 1210 Rammen 2 (23.35km)

The difficult conditions of the Swedish Rally continued to take their toll on the second pass through Rmmen, and this time it was Skoda driver Janne Tuohino who hit trouble. Ripping a wheel off his Fabia near to the finish, the Finn managed to complete the test, but dropped more than half a minute to the leaders. Daniel Carlsson was again fastest, with Gigi Galli second and Mattias Ekstrom third. Harri Rovanpera contested the stage with no fifth gear in his Lancer. He maintained his fourth position in the overall standings, but only by the slimmest of margins. At the finish, just 0.9 seconds lay between him and fifth-placed Henning Solberg. Younger brother Petter was seventh fastest and, crossing the stage with a two minute 11 seconds advantage, was looking likely to take his first WRC Swedish Rally victory. His team-mates Atkinson and Sarrazin were thirteenth and fourteenth respectively. After the stage was complete, crews moved to the start of SS20. Fastest Stage Time: Carlsson (Peugeot) 11:44.1

SS20: 1259 Malta 2 (11.25km)

Petter Solberg crossed the finish of the final stage of the Swedish Rally seventh quickest to take his first WRC win of 2005, the eleventh of his WRC career and the first Swedish WRC victory for Subaru and Pirelli since 1997. The Japanese marque last won the event eight years ago with Swedish driver Kenneth Eriksson at the wheel. Markko Martin was eighth fastest to finish second overall, two minutes 11.1 seconds behind the leaders winning time, while Gardemeister was third. Rovanpera was fastest through the test to hold on to overall fourth, while Henning Solberg was fifth. Tuohino began the stage on three wheels, but his Skoda lost oil pressure halfway through meaning he was unable to complete it and retired. Fastest Stage Time: Rovanpera (Mitsubishi) 5:34.9

Team Quotes

Petter Solberg

Its a great feeling, like a big dream, I almost cant believe its true. This rally is so special but has been tough for me in the past, and now this year its just gone perfectly. We made no mistakes all rally not in the car, or in the team, or anywhere it just all came into place so well. There are so many people to thank, everyone from Phil Mills, to the guys who work on my car, to Pirelli who have built such an incredible tyre, and the supporters out on the stages who cheered us along. Thanks so much to all of you!"

Stephane Sarrazin

Im quite happy with the way this rally has gone, especially today as we changed some of the set-up and it was much, much better. It was almost like a different rally to me. The car was much easier to drive and gave me more confidence so I could get a better driving rhythm. Theres still a long way to go, but Im encouraged. Im very happy for Petter too - its a great result for him and the whole team.

Chris Atkinson

Today I picked up the pace a little bit, drove a bit harder, and on SS18 I found the limit, but its all good experience and theres no better way to learn than that. Overall Im very pleased with what Glenn and I have achieved here in Sweden. It would have been disappointing if we had driven slowly and didnt go off and learn anything, so instead we had a fair bit of a go and obviously made some mistakes. Of course the overall result could have been an awful a lot better, but the goal for us was to come here to learn and weve certainly done that. Petter has had an awesome weekend and Im very happy for him and the team. Hes proved how quick the car can be here and I look forward to doing that myself in the future. Im concentrating on Mexico now. After some more time in the car I dont think well be too far off the pace.

Team Principal, David Lapworth

I think this has been one of Petters greatest ever victories. Its been an emotional one too as its pretty much his home event. He did a great job of managing the conflict between his head - which said think of the championship points, and his heart, which of course wanted him to win. The fact that he responded so well to the added pressure is a sign of a true champion. Both Chris and Stphane have also been very impressive and have more than achieved their individual objectives. With the benefit of the experience theyve collected this weekend both will be able to come here next year ready for a proper attack.

News from Pirelli

Fiore Brivio, Pirelli Tyres Rally Manager

Despite the difficult conditions, our P Zero J1 tyres won the rally and the overwhelming majority of the stages. This is thanks to everybodys hard work and the obvious durability of our unique manufacturing process. Congratulations to Petter we look forward to more of the same in the future!

Next Event

Rally Mexico: 11-13 March 2005

Round three of the World Rally Championship starts in just under four weeks time when crews move to central America for Rally Mexico. Based in the city of Leon, the route takes in medium to fast gravel roads, which are quite varied in speed and character. Conditions are normally warm and Mexico will be the first gravel rally after two highly specialised events. Including 14 stages and 355 competitive kilometres, the event will commence on Friday 11 March and conclude when the winning car crosses the finish ramp in Leon at 1230hrs on Sunday 13 March. Rally Mexico will see the first competitive outing of the latest evolution of the Subaru Impreza, the WRC2005.

Peugeot Final Summary

EXCELLENT SECOND PLACE FOR MARKKO MARTIN

Although the weather forecast was for snow storms on the final leg of the Rally Sweden, a storm of a different sort was taking place on the icy stages. Peugeot driver Marcus Gronholm started the day just behind Subaru's Petter Solberg, but while he kept pace with the rally leader on the opening stage this morning, the Finn rolled his 307 WRC into retirement on the following test.

It was a sad end to what had been a fantastic battle between the two Scandinavian drivers, with Marcus demonstrating an electric pace over the opening two days of the event. Markko Martin finished a well-deserved runner-up in Sweden on only his second rally for Peugeot, after refining the set-up of his 307 WRC and learning more about his new car and Pirelli tyres. His result moves Peugeot up to second in the manufacturers' championship.

A third Peugeot 307 WRC driven by up-and-coming Swede Daniel Carlsson ended the rally in a fine sixth place after setting two fastest times today -- despite losing time with suspension damage on the opening leg.

Markko Martin: "I am a little surprised to finish second here! It was an action-packed rally with nothing decided right until the very end. I learnt a lot about the set-up of my car and about the new Pirelli tyres. I was very pleased by their performance -- they were very fast and retained the studs extremely well despite the difficult and gravely road conditions. I'm really looking forward to the Rally Mexico next month now, which is an event I won last year."

Daniel Carlsson: "The first stage today was new to the rally, and the conditions were very different to those I had seen during the recce. My notes could have been better, but I was still able to attack with confidence thanks to some new differential settings that worked very well. My two fastest times gave me a lot of pleasure but I really regret the incident on the opening day, which cost me a lot of time and meant that I was running first on the road on Saturday. Under the circumstances sixth is an excellent result but we could have achieved even more."

Corrado Provera: "I'm full of admiration for the excellent job that Markko Martin and his co-driver Michael Park have done in order to get to grips with their new Peugeot 307 WRC, even though there is still some work for them to do to before they have complete confidence. But Marcus Gronholm's retirement is a big and unnecessary disappointment. We had no mechanical problems with either of the cars throughout the rally, with only routine maintenance required. This rally has been something of a missed opportunity, but we are firmly on the right road. I'd like also to congratulate Daniel Carlsson and his co-driver Matthias Andersson who would have been fighting for a podium place had it not been for their small mistake on Friday."

Ford Final Summary

BP-Ford and Gardemeister lead world championship

BP-Ford World Rally Team leads both the drivers' and manufacturers' standings in the FIA World Rally Championship after claiming a podium finish on the Swedish Rally today. Toni Gardemeister and Jakke Honkanen finished third in a Ford Focus RS World Rally Car to head the drivers' series by a point after two of the 16 rounds. Fifth place for Henning Solberg and Cato Menkerud in an M-Sport run Focus RS enabled Ford to take a three point advantage in the manufacturers' table.

To complete a superb weekend in Scandinavia for Ford, Roman Kresta and Jan Tománek finished eighth in another BP-Ford Focus RS to claim the final drivers' point on only their second visit to the championship's only pure winter rally.

A dramatic final leg in the countryside around Hagfors in central Sweden set the seal on one of the most exciting world rallies witnessed in recent years. Today's six speed tests, two of which were shortened for safety reasons, covered 89.54km, taking the three-day rally's total to 335.55km. Overnight snow and freezing temperatures left many tracks covered in packed snow, while others had a thin layer of powdery snow which blew about in the strong wind. Both were in contrast to some roads earlier in the rally which were worn down to gravel after a lack of pre-event snow.

Gardemeister and Honkanen recovered from a poor start to begin today's leg in fifth in their Castrol-branded Focus RS. The 29-year-old Finnish driver posted three consecutive second fastest times to see off the challenge of fellow countryman Harri Rovanperä. As the pressures and the tough special stages took their toll on both man and machine ahead of them, Gardemeister climbed to his second consecutive podium finish.

"Absolutely fantastic!" he said. "To be leading both world championships is a superb situation for both myself and Ford. I've never been in this position before. My pace wasn't so good on the first day but I've felt much more comfortable since and gained a lot more confidence in the car. I took no risks but just kept to a speed with which I felt happy. The last two stages were comfortable. The team sent us split times for Rovanperä and I was able to moderate my speed accordingly to ensure he didn't get too close. We had some luck with the retirement of drivers ahead of us, but the Focus is a strong car and while others had problems, we didn't."

Fifth was a career-best result for Solberg and Menkerud. They enjoyed a thrilling battle with Rovanperä for fourth and the pair started the final 11.25km speed test with Solberg just 0.9sec behind. However, he could not overhaul the Finn and they ended 3.4sec apart. "It has been a great weekend for me and the team," said Solberg. "The final results just show that it doesn't matter how fast you are, you get nothing if you don't reach the finish. I did the best that I could and although I'm not used to the kind of weather conditions that we've had today, I've had great fun. Yesterday morning wasn't so good for me when I hit a stone and damaged a wheel, but we recovered from that and a points finish is always a good outcome."

Kresta and Tománek were relieved from the pressure of being nominated for manufacturer points to allow them to learn more about this highly specialised event. The Czechs proved fast learners. After two days of gaining confidence and improving their experience, 28-year-old Kresta climbed four places on the final day and posted second fastest time on the final stage.

"This is a great result for me," he said. "I'm especially pleased because there were many good drivers here with more experience than me. Yesterday was difficult because I made a few mistakes and my times weren't so good, but today my performances have been better. Some of my times were quite close to Toni which is good. I would prefer this rally to be a few days longer because I have really enjoyed it and learned so much," he said.

Antony Warmbold and Michael Orr finished 11th in another M-Sport run Focus RS.

BP-Ford team director Malcolm Wilson was delighted with the result. "I can't ask for more than to be leading both championships," he said. "All three drivers finished in the points here and that is a tribute not only to their pace but also to the strength and reliability of the Focus. Conditions have been unusual but we've had no major technical difficulties all weekend."

News from our Rivals

The titanic battle for victory between Petter Solberg (Subaru) and Marcus Grönholm (Peugeot) ended on the second stage. Grönholm rolled into retirement and Solberg cruised home to win by 2min 11.1sec. Sebastien Loeb (Citroen) was on course for second despite engine problems which forced the French team to detune it before today's action began. He drove slowly to protect the engine, regularly topping it up with water, but it eventually stopped after stage 18. Markko Märtin (Peugeot) therefore took second. Harri Rovanperä (Mitsubishi) split the Ford duo in fourth, despite losing fifth gear on the penultimate test, while Daniel Carlsson recovered from Friday's problem to round off the top six. Chris Atkinson's (Subaru) hopes of a top 10 finish on his debut ended when he went off the road three stages from the end for more than 12 minutes. He finished 19th. Janne Tuohino (Skoda) was on course for eighth but went off on the penultimate test. He started the final stage on just three wheels but lost all oil pressure midway through and retired.

Next round

Round three takes competitors to Mexico for the first gravel rally of the season. The Rally Mexico is based in Leon on 10 - 13 March.

It's Colin McRae