65. Rally Sweden 2017
9. 2. – 12. 2. 2017, Torsby • snow - ice 331.74 km - (cancelled 31.60 km) • total distance including road sections - 1430.93 km • Other years
Info
SS18
"It's amazing! A new team, a new car, our second rally and we've won. I have no words to describe it - I'm so emotional. I drove my best Power Stage EVER with the Toyota Yaris. We are at a good level - now we go forward and it gets more difficult. The championship is interesting. Mexico is next and we have to work hard but I'm very motivated to keep the fight on!"
"I stalled the engine in a junction and stopped for some time," he explains. "Generally a good weekend. I've got a good feeling from Sweden and and will have another good push in Mexico. It's been a good start to the season."
"It's been a tough weekend so to finish on the podium is great. Some good points for the championship and that's what matters the most."
"We couldn't match the pace of Thierry here and we didn't want to risk the manufacturers' points."
"Difficult. Okay, fifth place here is perhaps less spectacular than what we did in Monte. We have a bit of work to do but I have absolute faith in the guys back at the factory. This car has so much potential. I really think we can make something special."
"It was important to get some miles on the car. There's more to come, we know where we can improve."
"It was a very good weekend for us - which was all about gaining experience. We improved step-by-step and weren't that far off the pace of the 2017 cars."
"Fantastic, thanks to the team and everyone around me - this is absolutely one of the highlights of my career!"
"I had to wait and see if I had grip and I could go. I felt some so I decided to go. Another difficult weekend we have a lot of work to do."
"I tried. Again, it's a shame and I'm really disappointed for the team. I was leading again, with a huge advantage then a small mistake cost us the win again."
"We hit something on the fast section. I thought we had a puncture but it seems it was more serious. "
SS17
"It would be good to get P2 but it won't be easy - Veiby is close behind and it's easy to lose time in the ruts here."
"Everything is under control. An incredible stage, I would have liked to have driven flat out."
"I hit a bridge a little bit on the right side. No big damage."
"The set-up changes we made overnight haven't worked so well."
"We have only one goal today: five points on the Power Stage. I think our tyres should be good enough to go for a big push. I hope to get a minimum of two points."
"It was a good stage again. I really enjoyed it. The best stage on the rally. A really nice ice layer with nice grip. Now we just need to go and stay cool on the last stage and try and enjoy it."
"I have no choice but to settle for second. I'm trying my best but we're just not competitive enough today."
"For sure there is nothing to catch in the overall standings so we took it easy here. We will try on the Power Stage. If we can get two points it would be good for us."
"The rear was moving a lot. Really difficult to drive. We have two new tyres for the Power Stage, we'll see how we go there but I don't want to risk my fourth place."
"We seem to struggle with the car in the second pass. I'm a little bit lost, that's how it is."
"We had some parts in the car and we were able to change them before the stage. It's all sorted."
"We're trying some new things with the car now, playing with settings to try and learn more about it."
spun
"Another clean one. More slippery than the first pass. No mistakes here. Not bad."
SS16
"Perfect car ready to go, team worked all night. Not allowed to run because our spare seat brackets are the wrong ones. They are homologated for the seat, tested by the FIA with the seat they are a stronger bracket but they are not in the homologation papers for the car."
"I tried, but I'm not sure what to say. In the fast sections I was not so fast, but it felt good in the slower sections. There are still two stages to go, he can make a mistake, we will try to catch him."
"Pretty good for me. A few soft brakings before junctions but otherwise okay."
"Very, very safe. A fantastic stage."
"My pace notes were really bad in here - sometimes too fast and sometimes too slow. I had no confidence in them."
"There is only one objective for us today which is to get points on the Power Stage. I'm driving to save my tyres."
"I am amazed. I have a very good feeling, the car felt amazing me and Miikka are relaxed - it all came together. Last night I had a good chat with Tommi Makinen, he told me to go out there and focus on the driving, to forget about the set up, just go and drive."
"It's a big fight but I'm not happy in the fast sections, the car want to spin all the time. We need to speak to the engineers."
"A stupid mistake on the first corner. I cut it, caught a snow bank and spun. I struggled a bit to restart. After I took it easy because I knew it was over. It's a shame. I wanted to push this morning. It would have been difficult but that's life."
"It was good, I didn't take a lot of risks. I tried to drive well - perhaps I was too careful in places."
"Quite a good start. We made some changes to the set-up in service and they have made a good difference. I'm happy with that."
"I don't know, it happened close to the start."
"Visibility in the the early morning light isn't great but it's a pleasure to drive in these conditions."
"Not such a good one."
"Not so bad, quite a good pace but there's a little loose snow on top. We're still learning - still trying to improve."
SS15
lost wheel
SS14
"My driving changes are working well since service. There are still some seconds to go to catch Suninen but we will keep going."
"It was okay, one small mistake but an okay time. The jump was fine - we have these everywhere in Finland."
Colin's Crest jump of 44 metres. "I missed the corner before and lost some speed! Of course I wanted it [the record] - I was thinking about the jump all the way through. This is the most important thing in the world now. I couldn't stand up to the pressure, apparently!"
"That's a surprise to be honest. I didn't push. I drove well but I was disturbed by a strange smell in the car - the screen heater I think."
"The rear snapped away from me coming into a left-hander and I couldn't turn in. Thanks to the spectators for helping us."
"The tyres were maybe too worn I couldn't get the feeling. Also Kris Meeke was off the road and I had to slow down."
"Wide on one corner near the end but a good clean run. I saw [Meeke's co-driver] Paul in the stage waving at us to slow down."
"No grip but I had to keep the speed up because Breen is getting close."
"I'm really struggling with the rear of the car. Trying to carry some good speed in places but the rear is trying to get past me in others."
"I didn't have any grip at all. A very difficult stage."
"A bit better but the snow felt strange compared to the first pass. The first time for me in these conditions."
SS13
"I changed my driving style a bit here and it seems to work."
"It was a nice stage. Good grip and fantastic stage - a lot of people."
"Same problem with the engine that we had before service - no power."
"Not the worst activity for a Saturday is it?"
"The stage went well. The car was moving a bit at the rear with the extra weight of the second tyre but the grip is huge. I will be fine."
"I'm happy about that. A good stage, but the downhill section was very difficult on the loose now - I thought I had a puncture."
"Really good grip and I'm trying my best. It's difficult because everybody is trying. Can I catch Jari-Matti? I'll keep pushing and see what happens."
"Like before we struggled on the downhill section to the finish. I tried to improve my speed there but not enough."
"The grip is getting better and better. There's more gravel too, but not enough to badly affect the tyres."
"It's much easier with some power steering - it feels like I have a feather at my finger tips. Trying now to get a good rhythm and have some fun."
"A nice stage. Very fast. I like it."
"It was a bit better than this morning. Another stage without any mistakes so we can be happy with that."
"It was okay, but there's pretty much a defined line now - and if you drive off it it's very slippery."
"I hit a snow bank in the last corner and lost 20 or 30 seconds."
SS11
"Quite difficult this one. Very special and tricky. I did my best, these other guys were quite fast."
"Okay, no big mistakes. We try to improve. Nice to have a tight fight - you need to be on your limits."
"It was okay. Nice and steady. A bit wide in some corners but a nice stage, I enjoyed it."
"We were down on power for the first six or seven kilometres, the engine lost a cylinder. We were going to stop but it cleared and we carried on."
"The car is good. Maybe I will change the set-up in service to get more confidence in the slow places."
"I enjoyed it. Quite difficult to handle this big wide car on the narrow section at the beginning but on the wider road it's fantastic."
"With our lead we took it a bit more steady. This is the first time I didnlt really jump over Colin's Crest, but we didn't want to take any risks. I'm controlling."
"A really nice run, I couldn't do better but I made a mistake taking two spares this morning. I'm carrying too much weight at the back and that slows me in the long corners."
"Very consistent conditions and a big battle. It needs to be perfect and so far we have done a really clean job."
"A bit better here than the previous stage but I'm disappointed with my morning. I chose my rhythm but it wasn't quick enough."
"Much better than yesterday. We try as hard as we can. I think quite a good loop. We keep pushing."
"With these wider cars it's like wrestling a 400lb lion - and I'm coming off second best."
"I could do a bit better in here I think but I enjoyed it a lot. Feeling really good."
"No mistakes all morning and that's a big improvement over yesterday."
"Really really difficult. I struggled for grip again."
"Very slippery on the fresh snow - wheel spin all the way through. A few changes to the pace notes for next time."
SS10
"I tried to push here, it's a stage I know well. Suninen is pushing too. It's a good fight."
His slow time on the previous stage was down to a misting windscreen.
"In some nice, wide sections we push a bit but when it's narrower like this we take care - just controlling."
"The first proper stage for us. On the first one we had a problem with the anti-lag system."
"Just trying to get the good feeling and enjoy these really, really nice stages."
"Okay, but I cannot find the same rhythm as yesterday. I'm struggling to adjust to driving with a rear wing again."
"He's doing really well - he's fighting hard. Let's see, I must focus."
"A good stage but I keep it on a clean line all the time. I tried to be very efficient."
"I have a good feeling with the car, I've been pushing very hard. Nice, consistent grip today, much better than yesterday."
"It doesn't look good for me this morning, we don't have the pace to fight for the podium."
"A nice stage, we've done it before. A bit of fresh snow means that grip is not optimum here but we try our best."
"Impossible. Just trying my best to get through but boy is it hard work. Trying to make sure my arms don't fall off."
"Quite happy. A small mistake near the beginning, but after that I had good confidence so I pushed."
"Quite okay. I'm just trying to keep it clean, no little mistakes like yesterday."
"Not easy. Some places very slippery. Five or six centimeters of fresh snow I think but more grip than I expected. The big screen [for spectators] was good - I saw myself!"
SS9
"I was too careful but it's a tricky stage - the average speed must be high. Many corners are flat but I was lifting. It's a new stage and I can afford to take it easy here."
"A lot of time on the rev limiter here but a bit too careful. I didn't have that attack mode."
"A proper fast stage. I didn't feel so confident, so not a maximum push, but a clean run."
"I'm not happy with that time but I drove at my rhythm - what can I do? Maybe I just wasn't quick enough - you can lose a lot with just a few hesitations."
"No problems. You have to be completely committed in here, it's super fast! The stage is getting faster and faster with each car. We enjoy our road position better than yesterday!"
"The power steering failed right at the start. Impossible to drive."
"If you have the confidence I'm sure it's amazing but I backed off a little towards the end. I don't want to make any silly mistakes today."
"It's a hell of a stage that's for sure. The grip seems quite good but there's loose snow on top and that make the grip unpredictable at high speed when you want to turn in."
"Conditions not so bad but my pace notes were not so good - I was braking too much."
SS8
"Some mistakes, two spins but we have shown some good speed today so I'm happy."
"I'm just trying to enjoy my driving and stay fully concentrated - that's the best way."
"We need to keep concentrated tomorrow and try to improve."
"These last two stages have been difficult. We decided to take five tyres and we had to take it easy because we don't have many studs left. The improvements we have seen this afternoon give me more confidence for tomorrow."
"It was horrible. My tyres are completely shot - zero grip. I was really, really slow in there. Driving without studs is not nice. Overall not a bad day but we lost a lot of time when we lost the studs."
"This one was very tricky in the dark and because my door kept opening - which was quite disturbing. My tyres are still good but I took it steady until the end."
"It's been a good day, and I'm very happy but on this stage I feel we have lost some power and I can hear some strange noises - so I'm happy to be here."
"A tricky day. The puncture this morning wasn't great but my speed was good and we have some positives to take away."
"It hasn't been our day today, but we will come back stronger tomorrow."
"This stage was difficult with the lights and I don't have enough studs in the studs. It was really slippery and I took no risks."
"It was difficult to be first on the road, and I'm really pleased with what we've been able to do today. I was pushing really hard here to get the best start position on Saturday. We managed to get one place so it should be better tomorrow."
"Very slippery - no snow banks and an ice layer. I tried to be clean but the tyres were worn and I couldn't be neat and precise - I had to go sideways instead."
"The whole day has been difficult but this was really bad. With so much loose snow there was nothing I could do. I hope tomorrow will better."
SS7
"A lot of condensation inside the windscreen made it hard to see in a few places but so far this has been a good learning day."
"Very icy now. I missed one junction but otherwise a good feeling here - better than this morning."
He reports a spin near the end of the stage.
"We used our spare tyre earlier. Now my front tyres have almost no studs left."
"Absolutely no fun driving without the rear spoiler. It's been so hard to just stay on the road. I put my best tyres on the rear here to try and stabilise the car but it didn't work so well." A small bit of good news is that his spoiler has been found and returned to his team. "That's good news, there aren't too many spares around and I didn't want to do the rest of the rally without it."
"Everything is working really good, we are really enjoying the drive."
"A good push in there."
"This afternoon has definitely been better - credit to my engineer for the set-up changes that have helped me. I felt the studs going here though, and I only have one spare."
"I've picked up the rhythm again. I got a lot of movement from the studs at the midpoint and I had to back off after that. I thought my time was good but it looks like Thierry had a blinder."
"A really good stage to be honest, but the grip was completely gone - it felt like I had no studs. Jari-Matti had the advantage earlier but I tried to benefit from the cleaner line this afternoon. The car is going well, better and better."
Reports a difficult start, when he thought he had the same amount of grip as the previous stage. He didn't.
"So little grip. I don't know what's happened but its like the grip went off the edge of a cliff after the previous stage."
Feeling the effects of a damaged front aero package. "We patched it up as best we could but it's incredible the effect that the aero makes. I lost a four or five seconds with a small mistake but otherwise okay."
"Better than earlier but now the studs on the tyres start to be damaged. There's not a lot of grip - and a big difference between the amount at the front and the rear."
"Difficult with so much loose snow on the surface and maybe the tyres starting to wear too. Very slippery."
"Not a good stage for me. I tried too hard. The condition were difficult and the line was very narrow. I made mistakes and ran wide in places. I will lose a lot of time here."
"It's been a very tough afternoon for us. Now there is just one more [stage] to go before hopefully we can benefit from better road conditions tomorrow."
SS6
"Quite good but not perfect. Some loose snow outside the tracks but it feels good."
"We need to keep going. It still feels like the beginning of the rally. Stage by stage."
Feeling the lack of rear aero. "It's horrible without the rear wing. The car is designed to have it, and without it it's the worst handing car."
"Good. I could drive a few seconds faster - or even more. Much better than the first pass."
"A big improvement over the morning," he says. "The car is not driving me anymore, I'm driving it. I need to use the brakes less - more on the right pedal."
"It's snowing now, okay not heavily, but it's covering the ground and it's hard to see the lines. When its like this there is no advantage to running further down the order."
"Its good. I tried to drive so efficiently here to stay in the line. Push harder and you get out of the grip."
"I make progress and I'm very happy. My first time here in a World Rally Car."
"Quite a lot of loose snow in here but not as extreme as the previous stage. Quite changeable grip."
"I had a spin and I went into a snow bank. I have completely, completely lost my confidence,"
"There is a lot of snow now and I can't get the feeling. There's grip in the lines, but nothing outside. I can't keep the car in the lines and that's affecting my confidence."
"I'm not fully happy. There is a lot of fresh snow on the top here, it's very slippery. Also I made a few mistakes - went wide in a few places."
"You have ruts but its very difficult to keep the rear in them," he explains. "You have to be very, very precise. I feel quite good with the car. I think the drivers behind will benefit from a wider line - we'll see."
"I cannot do anything. I'm trying but it's undriveable after the historic cars. Of course tomorrow I will have a better road position, but I need to keep myself in a good place tonight."
SS5
His Yaris is parked close to the stage end. "There is damage to the cooling [system] so the water temperature is high. it's not possible to continue," he explains.
Like the earlier pass he picks up a puncture. Last time it was a left-front, this time it's a right-front.
"I caught the car in front. Then I saw Brynildsen stopped too. I tried to do the best I could."
"We had a puncture. And then we caught Koltun. A big disappointment, but that's how it is sometimes."
"I was stuck behind Brynildsen for 15km. He was driving very slowly. Why did he do that? I'm very angry."
jede jen s náhonem na předek
"The rally is completely ruined. Engine problem. We had to stop on stage."
"I spun just a couple of hundred meters before the finish."
Mads running out of order here because of his late service exit when work to replace a gearbox overran. 50-sec penalty applied, he plunges to 10th place. His car is missing its rear spoiler. "It came off when I was absolutely flat out in sixth gear."
"A clean stage. I can confirm the lack of grip. You just need to keep the car in the lines."
"Difficult to drive on the limit - there's no grip outside the line."
"Better," he says. "We made a small change to the car which has given me a lot more confidence. There were a lot of small holes and ruts in the corners here - we hit one and I thought I had a puncture, but it's okay."
"I was off the road for 15 sec," he explains. "I got stuck in a snow bank and I was lucky to get out. I had a huge bump in the car, it was a big surprise, the car went light and and I went off at the next corner."
Car has heavy front-end damage. There is steam pouring from under the bonnet. "Just before the finish I started to slide, slide, slide and we hit a tree. The water temperature is high - I have to go."
"The road is changing a bit. This morning the guys ahead had an advantage. Now maybe we do."
"Really tricky. Off the line there's absolutely no grip. I'm trying to drive as cleanly as possible."
"An improvement on the first pass. My pace notes were better."
"About 200 metres before the finish I lost the front and went into a bank - I had to reverse. Extremely tricky."
"More difficult to drive than earlier. Okay, there's grip in the lines but off them it's extremely slippery. I saw some gravel in there so I tried to look after my tyres."
"The car is fine now. Not much grip at the rear, but the stage was okay."
"Very tricky in the lines, the snow since the earlier pass has made it very slippery."
"Their lines are so different It's almost undriveable. It's a big fight to keep the car in the lines."
SS4
"Not the best. A bit of hesitation near then end. It's not really very good. The pace notes were good at the start but not near the end - too slow for Sweden."
"Nice, but difficult this morning. I don't have a good feeling and I don't trust my notes 100 per cent."
"I'm not blaming anyone - these things happen."
"A fantastic stage. I really enjoyed it. We start to get into the snow driving now. We can improve."
"A quite okay loop but I made some small driving mistakes and I need to improve them before the next loop."
"I'm struggling to find the grip, especially under braking. The ice is gone, but I'm not yet on the gravel. It's not possible to do times like Jari-Matti's from this far down in the start order."
"Everything feels abnormal at the moment - the driving is not coming naturally."
"It's okay, but Jari's done a flier! I'm just driving at my own rhythm."
"Nothing special. Struggling a little in the slow corners. Maybe I will change the car a little in service, I have some ideas."
"A lot of deep cuts in here. I hit something very hard on the front-right and afterwards I took it easy. Okay, I lost a bit of time, but the conditions are getting worse I think."
"Okay, but I think I can use the snow banks more to my benefit."
"I hit a stone and broke the front-right damper."
"I missed a hairpin and lost a lot of time. After that I couldn't get back in the rhythm. "
gearbox issue
"A very nice stage, perfect, a nice feeling. I couldn't get such a feeling here last year because we had a broken driveshaft. The car feels good now - we have stiffened the front suspension."
"Very difficult, Especially this one, which was maybe the worst of the loop. In the narrow sections there is no grip. That's just how it is. I'm happy with my driving though."
SS3
"This one is different, the feeling is not as good as before, I'm just learning and gaining experience."
"Difficult, huh? We had a faulty note - it's not easy to go flat out. I haven't driven on snow for a year."
"We made some set-up changes between the stages, it feels better now."
"Difficult one - massive understeer towards the end. My mistake - pushing too much I think. It's difficult to read the grip. Remember I'm not a full time driver like Pontus or Teemu - I'm a road worker!"
"A little too careful in here - my family owns the forest near the start so it feels special to be here."
"This stage feels better but I still need to work a bit on the driving,"
"I tried to push but there were some difficult lines in there. I tried my best, the speed is incredible. We need to push a little harder."
"Really trying to feel my way into this. I know I'm not driving very well at the moment. No point in pushing. I just have to let it come naturally."
"On the limiter a few times in here. I tried to make use of the road camber and keep it neat - perhaps I could could go faster."
"The car is working really well. A really nice stage."
"The feeling [at the rear] is a bit better but my pace notes were a bit too fast in places here - I lost confidence and slowed a little near the end. Compared to the old cars these are so are much faster."
"Very fast - we were on the rev limiter."
"The grip is generally okay, but this stage is tricky, all new, high speed and your notes need to be 100 per cent."
"Absolutely incredible. Okay, I struggled at the start, when I wasn't committed enough, but I'm learning with every kilometre - the smile is getting bigger and bigger."
"Very slippery near the start, then I got stuck between two gears. I don't know what was happening, it was distracting."
"A really nice stage but very, very fast. Hard to keep the speed all the time - hard to find a rhythm."
"Very fast sections in there - 200kph for some time. Good conditions though, a proper winter rally stage."
"The first part of the stage was clean but the last part was loose and slippery. I think it's going to be difficult for us today."
SS2
Stopped
Stopped
"It was okay but the car is jumping around a bit I'm not too happy with the suspension at the rear. I tried to be smooth but I could be better."
"It was okay for us. I don't take risks in the first one I want to get experience and a good feeling first of all."
"Really, really nice, quite loose in some places. Some places a bit hesitant but generally okay,"
"An eye-opener. The car is absolutely awesome."
"It was okay. Difficult to see the road in places."
"Bloody slippery. And it's difficult to see in this [level of] daylight."
"The car is very good to drive, the balance is good, but on the long long straight over the jumps I lost confidence, like I did at shakedown. I need to sort it out."
"It was difficult, especially in the narrow section where it was very slippery. Not a bad stage for us. We do what we can."
SS1
"Not so bad. Okay, not the fastest but tomorrow the real thing starts. We need to be awake straight away. I hope not too much fresh snow falls overnight."
"Everything is more than great - now I just need to hold the horses!" he says. "I just try to get a good rhythm tomorrow. That's the most important thing."
"Not so bad, but we lost a little time off the start line - got a bit bogged - Mads got ahead and made it stick."
"Quite tricky. It's my first time in one of these cars on a stage like this. The car is fantastic but quite difficult in a stage like this. I cannot wait to get out onto the stages tomorrow."
"I used my shakedown tyres here, which are not so good anymore, but they were okay for this stage. But I was not so happy with the car's balance. I planned to do better than this."
"I got caught out a couple of times. Tomorrow is when it starts!"
"A bit inconsistent, but generally okay."
"We played around with the car here and it definitely didn't work! Looking forward to tomorrow - bring it on!"
"Okay, it's not a 'real' stage - it's completely ice - but the car is working really well. A lot of fun."
"The Yaris went well - better than the driver! A bit slippery but a nice stage for the spectators."
"I made a mistake after the jump. I need to concentrate tomorrow."
"I'm quite happy - Shakedown was my first time in this car and I was fastest there."
"On the start there was a mistake - we thought we had two more minutes to go, but we only had one!"
"It's my first time on snow, so this is a learning rally for me. This one if all about the mileage. It was good fun though."
"It was a neat and clean stage for me - I'm happy with that. Very comfortable for now."
"Quite slippery - not good for me."
"I enjoyed it. A great atmosphere, lots of slides!"