| 2018 Rally Sweden 66. Rally Sweden | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Round 2 of 13 in the2018 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 NeuvilleNicolas Gilsoul Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT2:52:13.1 | ||
| Power Stage winner |  Esapekka LappiJanne Ferm Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT | ||
| Support category results | |||
| WRC-2 winner | Takamoto KatsutaMarko SalminenTommi Mäkinen Racing 3:01:27.5 | ||
| WRC-3 winner | Denis RådströmJohan JohanssonDenis Rådström 3:16:26.0 | ||
The2018 Rally Sweden (formally known as theRally Sweden 2018)[1] was amotor racing event forrally cars that was held over four days between 15 and 18 February 2018.[2] It marked the sixty-sixth running ofRally Sweden, and was the second round of the2018 World Rally Championship and its support categories, theWRC-2 andWRC-3 championships.[3] It was also the first round of theJunior World Rally Championship.[4] The event, which was based in the town ofTorsby inVärmland County, was contested over nineteenspecial stages totalling a competitive distance of 314.25 km (195.27 mi).[5]
Jari-Matti Latvala andMiikka Anttila were the defending rally winners.[6]Thierry Neuville andNicolas 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] TheTommi Mäkinen Racing crew ofTakamoto Katsuta andMarko Salminen won the World Rally Championship-2 category in aFord Fiesta R5, while Swedish crewDenis Rådström andJohan Johansson won the World Rally Championship-3 and Junior World Rally Championship.[9][10]
Sébastien Ogier andJulien 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 andToyota Gazoo Racing WRT held a fifteen-point lead overCitroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT.
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.
| Date | Time | No. | Stage name | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 February | 08:00 | — | Skalla [Shakedown] | 6.86 km |
| Leg 1 — 142.00 km | ||||
| 15 February | 20:08 | SS1 | SSS Karlstad 1 | 1.90 km |
| 16 February | 06:00 |  | Service A – Torsby | — |
| 07:55 | SS2 | Hof-Finnskog 1 | 21.26 km | |
| 09:07 | SS3 | Svullrya 1 | 24.88 km | |
| 09:54 | SS4 | Röjden 1 | 19.13 km | |
| 11:31 | | Service B – Torsby | — | |
| 13:41 | SS5 | Hof-Finnskog 2 | 21.26 km | |
| 15:03 | SS6 | Svullrya 2 | 24.88 km | |
| 15:50 | SS7 | Röjden 2 | 19.13 km | |
| 16:56 | SS8 | Torsby 1 | 9.56 km | |
| 17:31 | | Flexi Service C – Torsby | — | |
| Leg 2 — 120.31 km | ||||
| 17 February | 07:05 | | Service D – Torsby | — |
| 07:54 | SS9 | Torntorp 1 | 19.88 km | |
| 09:12 | SS10 | Hagfors 1 | 23.40 km | |
| 10:09 | SS11 | Vargåsen 1 | 14.21 km | |
| 11:40 | | Service E – Torsby | — | |
| 12:41 | SS12 | Torntorp 2 | 19.88 km | |
| 14:12 | SS13 | Hagfors 2 | 23.40 km | |
| 15:08 | SS14 | Vargåsen 2 | 14.21 km | |
| 17:41 | SS15 | SSS Karlstad 2 | 1.90 km | |
| 19:26 | SS16 | Torsby Sprint | 3.43 km | |
| 19:56 | | Flexi Service F – Torsby | — | |
| Leg 3 — 51.94 km | ||||
| 18 February | 06:30 | | Service G – Torsby | — |
| 07:50 | SS17 | Likenäs 1 | 21.19 km | |
| 09:51 | SS18 | Likenäs 2 | 21.19 km | |
| 12:18 | SS19 | Torsby 2 [Power Stage] | 9.56 km | |
| Source:[12] | ||||
Ott Tänak drove aYaris, defeatedThierry Neuville in their head-to-head heat on snow roads and stopped the clocks 0.3 second faster than Latvala, who beatMads Østberg in their battle by 0.3 second. The Norwegian was impressive on hisCitroën C3 debut to hold third as competitors headed north toTorsby for an overnight halt.Kris Meeke, driving another C3, andHyundai i20 pilotAndreas Mikkelsen were tied in fourth, a further 0.3 second behind, while Neuville completed the top six. Toyota'sEsapekka Lappi and championship leaderSébastien 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.
The early starters lost time ploughing a clean route through fresh snow. Championship leaderSébastien 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 wereOtt Tänak andJari-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. TeammateMads Østberg was 0.5 second further back. Lying sixth after last night's curtain-raising speed test,Thierry Neuville moved hisi20 to the front on this morning's second stage and held off a chasing pack which had the advantage of better conditions. NorwegianAndreas Mikkelsen, who started further behind, had a trouble-free day whileHayden Paddon running out of the top three to make Hyundai 1-2-3.
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 firstWRC 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 apaddle shift gearchange system issue at the opening stage. TeammateAndreas 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 hisC3'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'scooling system and asOtt Tänak tried to overtake in a narrow section, the two cars collided and the Estonian'sToyota Yaris bounced into a ditch. That ended with the Briton's retirement and made five-time world championSébastien Ogier finally get into the top ten.
With a comfortable lead,Thierry Neuville finally eased through Sunday's final three speed tests to head Ireland'sCraig Breen, driving aCitroën 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 hisToyota Yaris in a snow bank. A final stage mistake fromHayden Paddon cost him a place. The Kiwi stalled hisi20 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 aC3.Jari-Matti Latvala finished seventh after being delayed by a troublesome front differential and adverse road conditions. Fellow FinnTeemu Suninen was eighth in aFord Fiesta, the highest place amongM-Sport World Rally Team drivers.Ott Tänak and Monte-Carlo winnerSébastien 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]
| Day | Stage | Name | Length | Winner | Car | Time | Class leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 February | — | Skalla [Shakedown] | 6.86 km | Neuville /Gilsoul | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 4:17.3 | — |
| SS1 | SSS Karlstad 1 | 1.9 km | Tänak /Järveoja | Toyota Yaris WRC | 1:32.7 | Tänak /Järveoja | |
| 16 February | SS2 | Hof-Finnskog 1 | 21.26 km | Tänak /Järveoja | Toyota Yaris WRC | 10:32.7 | |
| SS3 | Svullrya 1 | 24.88 km | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 13:16.4 | Neuville /Gilsoul | |
| SS4 | Röjden 1 | 19.13 km | Mikkelsen /Jæger-Synnevaag | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 10:18.5 | ||
| SS5 | Hof-Finnskog 2 | 21.26 km | Paddon /Marshall | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 10:19.5 | ||
| SS6 | Svullrya 2 | 24.88 km | Breen /Martin | Citroën C3 WRC | 13:17.3 | ||
| SS7 | Röjden 2 | 19.13 km | Breen /Martin | Citroën C3 WRC | 10:06.1 | ||
| SS8 | Torsby 1 | 9.56 km | Paddon /Marshall | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 6:23.8 | ||
| 17 February | SS9 | Torntorp 1 | 19.88 km | Tänak /Järveoja | Toyota Yaris WRC | 10:02.0 | |
| SS10 | Hagfors 1 | 23.4 km | Tänak /Järveoja | Toyota Yaris WRC | 12:58.2 | ||
| SS11 | Vargåsen 1 | 14.21 km | Neuville /Gilsoul | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 8:35.9 | ||
| SS12 | Torntorp 2 | 19.88 km | Breen /Martin | Citroën C3 WRC | 9:55.3 | ||
| SS13 | Hagfors 2 | 23.4 km | Neuville /Gilsoul | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 12:44.5 | ||
| SS14 | Vargåsen 2 | 14.21 km | Neuville /Gilsoul | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 8:28.2 | ||
| SS15 | SSS Karlstad 2 | 1.9 km | Tänak /Järveoja | Toyota Yaris WRC | 1:34.7 | ||
| SS16 | Torsby Sprint | 3.43 km | Neuville /Gilsoul | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 2:32.7 | ||
| 18 February | SS17 | Likenäs 1 | 21.19 km | Tänak /Järveoja | Toyota Yaris WRC | 11:11.8 | |
| SS18 | Likenäs 2 | 21.19 km | Lappi /Ferm | Toyota Yaris WRC | 11:15.0 | ||
| SS19 | Torsby 2 [Power stage] | 9.56 km | Lappi /Ferm | Toyota Yaris WRC | 6:01.2 |
| Pos. | Drivers' championships | Co-drivers' championships | Manufacturers' championships | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Move | Driver | Points | Move | Co-driver | Points | Move | Manufacturer | Points | ||||
| 1 |  4 | Thierry Neuville | 41 | 4 | Nicolas Gilsoul | 41 | 3 | Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT | 54 | |||
| 2 |  1 | Sébastien Ogier | 31 | 1 | Julien Ingrassia | 31 |  | Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT | 53 | |||
| 3 | | Jari-Matti Latvala | 23 | | Miikka Anttila | 23 | | Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT | 46 | |||
| 4 | 2 | Esapekka Lappi | 23 | 2 | Janne Ferm | 23 | 3 | M-Sport Ford World Rally Team | 43 | |||
| 5 | 3 | Ott Tänak | 21 | 3 | Martin Järveoja | 21 | ||||||
| Pos. | Drivers' championships | Co-drivers' championships | Teams' championships | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Move | Driver | Points | Move | Co-driver | Points | Move | Team | Points | ||||
| 1 | | Jan Kopecký | 25 | | Pavel Dresler | 25 | | Škoda Motorsport II | 25 | |||
| 2 | Takamoto Katsuta | 25 | Marko Salminen | 25 | Tommi Mäkinen Racing | 25 | ||||||
| 3 | 1 | Eddie Sciessere | 18 | 1 | Flavio Zanella | 18 | 1 | M-Sport Ford WRT | 18 | |||
| 4 | Pontus Tidemand | 18 | Jonas Andersson | 18 | Škoda Motorsport | 18 | ||||||
| 5 | 2 | Teemu Suninen | 15 | 2 | Mikko Markkula | 15 | Toksport WRT | 15 | ||||
| Pos. | Drivers' championships | Co-drivers' championships | Teams' championships | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Move | Driver | Points | Move | Co-driver | Points | Move | Team | Points | ||||
| 1 | | Enrico Brazzoli | 25 | | Luca Beltrame | 25 | ADAC Sachsen | 25 | ||||
| 2 | Denis Rådström | 25 | Johan Johansson | 25 | Go+Cars Atlas Ward | 18 | ||||||
| 3 | | Taisko Lario | 19 | | Tatu Hämäläinen | 19 | ACI Team Italia | 15 | ||||
| 4 | 2 | Amaury Molle | 18 | 2 | Renaud Herman | 18 | OT Racing | 15 | ||||
| 5 | Emil Bergkvist | 18 | Ola Fløene | 18 | ||||||||
| Pos. | Drivers' championships | Co-drivers' championships | Nations' championships | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Move | Driver | Points | Move | Co-driver | Points | Move | Team | Points | ||||
| 1 | Denis Rådström | 34 | Johan Johansson | 34 | Sweden | 25 | ||||||
| 2 | Emil Bergkvist | 23 | Ola Fløene | 23 |  Germany | 18 | ||||||
| 3 | Julius Tannert | 15 | Jürgen Heigl | 15 |  France | 15 | ||||||
| 4 | Jean-Baptiste Franceschi | 12 | Romain Courbon | 12 |  Ireland | 12 | ||||||
| 5 | Terry Folb | 10 | Christopher Guieu | 10 |  Chile | 10 | ||||||
| Previous rally: 2018 Monte Carlo Rally | 2018 FIA World Rally Championship | Next rally: 2018 Rally Mexico |
| Previous rally: 2017 Rally Sweden | 2018 Rally Sweden | Next rally: 2019 Rally Sweden |
