64. Rally Sweden 2016
12. 2. – 14. 2. 2016, Karlstad • snow - ice 331.21 km - (cancelled 104.73 km) • total distance including road sections - 1592.74 km • Other years
8 stages cancelled before the start of the race, due to lack of snow. SS20 cancelled during event.
Info
SS21
"Not the best weekend for us but hopefully we'll get another chance to get back in this car soon."
"Our tyre strategy early in the rally was wrong."
"This feels good now. The goal was always to get on the podium."
"There was some serious competition here so I'm very, very happy with another win!"
"It's been an amazing weekend. I love the rally here in Sweden. The weather came and the organizers did an incredible job. Two wins from two rallies, it's a great start to the year. Yesterday I took lots of risks I had a lot of luck!"
"I touched a couple of wooden posts coming down the hill."
"I'm very happy with third. Some really good battles this weekend. It's been a special rally. I'm pleased with the way we have increased the speed. I hope to continue that in Mexico."
"I did one mistake in there so not good enough for the win."
"I hit a big stone in here and thought it was over! It's been one year since I've been in the car and with no test! I'm very happy! When will I be back? I have to speak to [M-sport boss] Malcolm Wilson. If he loves me I'll get a car. If he doesn't I wont!"
"My rally was over when I got the puncture yesterday. I drove very slowly today. I wanted to keep this position for the championship points."
"Happy enough here at the wheel of my PlayStation! Getting to the end was the main aim, and I've got some very good experience. I think we can be really, really, happy."
"It's okay, but I went wide on a junction. I lost a second or two there, but otherwise a great stage."
"The rally was difficult for sure. My worst driving today - I backed off too much here. Hopefully I'll be back in Portugal"
"I had a reasonable run. A bit hesitant because the conditions have changed so much since the recce. I reckon the guys behind will be quicker."
"It was a good stage for me but I think the road will get faster. There is loose gravel in places and the ruts will clean. I don't think my time is enough to win but two or three points would be nice."
SS16
"Not very good. I took only one spare tyre this afternoon and I was too hard on the studs on the stage before. Just inexperience. I dropped a lot of time in the last split here. My time is surprising. I thought I'd lose a lot more."
"It's all about maintaining my position now. Okay, we started this stage trailing Ogier by 10 sec, but that's like being a minute behind any other driver. We need to be smart. We struggled a bit in here. We used our studs in the stage before."
"All day it has been frozen gravel and unfortunately that's not working for us. We saw yesterday it was different and in those conditions, with our tyres, we were able to fight for the podium."
"We didn't feel we pushed too hard but the time is not so bad compared to the others."
"My goal now is to hold this position."
"We have a broken damper."
"This stage was clean. I took it a bit steady after my moment on the previous one."
"Pushing hard in there - some moments."
SS14
"A big surprise to be honest. I'm not feeling so great, my eyes and my head hurt."
"I did a big mistake, I forgot to take off the engine blanking before the stage and the engine overheated near the end."
"It feels like its not possible to do much more. A good stage, I really enjoyed it."
"The feeling is not there and the confidence is not there. The car is fine. It's me."
"A strange feeling at the rear of the car here. We need to go and have a look."
"A good time, the fastest Rämmen I have ever done. It must be nearly a 130kph average. The car feels great. The set-up we did in the test was absolutely right."
"Very hard to know how the road will develop. I enjoyed it. We recced this one on full gravel. "
"My relationship with this car is not yet friendly but we are trying."
"The car stalled on the start and I couldn't get it going for ages! We lost about five seconds."
"Not so bad. Quite a bad feeling with the rear right, maybe I lost some studs, I don't know, but we have to be happy. Still building my experience."
"I was expecting more but Seb's obviously pushing. We were never going to catch him on speed alone and the conditions didn't come to us on this stage. We're trying to keep it smooth and steady and look after our tyres a bit too."
"Everyone knows it's not our day today. We can't do any more."
"Seb is really fast. Our stage was okay. We didn't take so many risks and the time is not so great."
"I pushed as hard as I could. Okay, Seb is faster but what can I do?"
"Quite a lot of grip on the stage. I tried to enjoy it. Looking at Seb's time he's done very well. I could see from the lines in the road that someone ahead went very wide!"
"A pace note was too positive, not 100 per cent accurate. We slid off and had to turn around. We lost a lot of time. That's it. If I had any chance to fight for third I had to do it here."
"It was completely flat out. I took so many risks. Great fun. I can say that absolutely I have done my best. Let's see."
SS12
"I can tell that all the pressure accumulated since the beginning of the season just went out with this stage win!"
"I'm pushing - oy oy oy! I have fun. Third fastest is good. I can still drive!"
"What can I say? A rocky start to my season but today is really good experience. We're playing around with the set-ups of the car."
"Not bad is it? I'm sure the road is cleaning but through this one I was shouting yee-ha! It's incredible. Like I'm playing on a PlayStation."
"This stage helped us a bit more than the previous one. It was good for us. Okay, Ogier isn't really the target for us now, we want to build a buffer ahead of the guys behind."
"For sure it's cleaning. We expected something like this."
"Quite slippery and the times are getting better and better. For me it was the stage to get back into the rhythm."
"The road is cleaning a lot. Anders got something in his eye at the start but he managed to read the notes okay!"
"I'm very happy with my stage but this one was different. We might lose a lot here - especially to Hayden who is starting so far behind."
SS10
"The guys worked hard last night but we have the same problem as yesterday. I try to push but it's impossible. We believed it was something with the handbrake yesterday, now I don't know."
He completes with an overheating engine. "It looks like game over for us."
Fever and is feeling terrible
front left puncture
"The stage was very rough. I thought I had marked the stones well but his happened on the inside of the a long left-hander. I knew there were stones at the end, this was earlier on."
"You have to ride your luck a bit. Sometimes it works out but for the last two rallies it hasn't. I was really careful around the rocks on the road here."
front left puncture
"We slowed in the corner where Camilli went off. His car was a long way from the road, so I'm not sure they needed to do that."
"Different conditions compared to yesterday and that means more learning for me. We passed Eric's car on stage, it looks like a big accident and that was a bit of a distraction.'
"My road position is 50
"It happened about four kilometres before the finish. There were lots of stones in the road and I hit one. I will try to fight back."
"That was a crazy opening to the day. I had a big moment near the start when I slid wide in a corner. I was lucky to get away with it. I had 'don't cut' in my notes and I went too far to the outside. A big wake up!"
left front puncture
"It was a problem fixing the roll bar, but everything is okay now. In the car here we had a small misunderstanding near the start with a junction, I ended up braking in a straight line."
"I tried to follow Seb's lines and I can tell you he's in every ditch, hitting stones, taking big risks. He's pushing the boundaries!"
"Okay, first on the road is not the best position but it's not too bad I hope. For sure it's going to cost me, compared to the guys behind, but I'm happy with my stage and my drive. It would be difficult to do better."
SS9
"I didn't have a great run in here, the grip was changeable, but I'm definitely happy with my day. There are some big expectations after Monte and I'm keen to show it was no fluke."
"The engine stopped! I lost a minute, maybe more. After that I drove like crazy!"
"We had a spin just before the end. Something didn't feel right at the rear. Anyway, a very positive day. For the times to come so soon I'm very pleased."
"I'm happy with the afternoon. This one was hard, and an easy place to damage the car. I could have gone faster but I wanted to finish the day."
"The biggest problem in the last two stages has been the lack of traction in the snow. We are making changes to the dampers to try and get a better feeling."
Stopped, broken suspension.
"Road conditions have played a big part, but my confidence is growing all the time. Still more to come."
"I've pushed hard and thanks to the snow it's been good. We can be very happy with our first day in snow on the DMACKs."
"Overall a good day, but the car was moving around too much on the morning loop. I could push more here. It's a really nice fight."
"Being in the battle for second is encouraging. It's been an enjoyable afternoon. I needed time to get used to the car on this surface. Now I feel much better."
"This is the game. Sometimes life is hard. I feel like I'm doing a two-wheel drive championship in the last few races. We are getting used to it."
"A bit too careful in here. But a few mistakes too. It's difficult with the weather and the guys coming from behind too."
"Already this afternoon I struggled a lot [in the snow] I pushed hard because I know the guys behind will have a clean line. I do my best. I have to be happy because this stage was good for me and I got lucky earlier on."
SS8
"Very happy. I lost a couple of seconds in a corner but overall I enjoyed it. This car set-up works better in the fast stuff."
"Scary to drive with the throttle like this." He has made a temporary repair by attaching an elastic strap to the pedal.
"On the first corner I lost the rear. I started to spin and the front went into a ditch. We were stuck, that's all. Still, we are here. The most important thing is the experience. For sure I'm disappointed."
"Okay, tricky but I'm trying hard. Maybe I'm losing some time by attacking too much."
"I pushed flat everywhere. Fourth fastest is not bad for an old man."
"We had an overshoot near the end. I got a bit greedy with my braking. It cost me about 15sec, trying to find the right levers to turn around. The snow is making things really difficult."
"Very good. I was disappointed after the spin on the previous stage. I will push more given more time."
"We have an advantage of the road with the snow, but it's still really, really slippery. Untidy, but it's the same for everybody. We saw Kris. He's parked up at a junction but we couldn't see what was wrong."
"Better than the morning. I'm able to drive the car better now I'm used to the feeling. I just need to get this rally through. Manufacturer points are the most important thing."
Stopped, 9.8 km in the stage.
"I tried to catch but the car is moving about a lot at the rear."
"Now the snow is here the road is cleaning a lot. We wanted snow for so long, now it's here I don't want it..."
"With all the snow I can do nothing. It's really difficult to drive the rear is sliding all the time. One more to go now until service. Hopefully we can get some points here."
"There's more snow about now. It's making things much more slippery."
SS7
"How do you explain that? I'm almost lost for words! I feel completely at one with this car. With this car I feel like I've been given a huge opportunity - It's like I've found a Willy Wonka golden ticket!"
"A spin near the end. I lost time on the hairpin. That's life. I'm quite happy with the feeling - I'm making progress but the time here is not very good."
"The feeling is not very different but the time is not so bad. The conditions are cleaning here so we should be quicker."
"The rhythm felt good. We made a few adjustments and they worked. So why not?"
"Not bad. The road position suited us better on the second pass. The car is feeling good."
"The car is moving a lot in the lines on the road."
"There was a lot of loose in there so I'm surprised. Its important to keep the pace. A good stage!"
"It's always more difficult on the second loop, when you're following the lines of the two-wheel-drive cars. The repair is okay, but the steering feels heavier."
"There was nothing we could do. The rear diff is broken. I'm in one-wheel drive so it's really strange to drive. Okay, we continue."
"I lost the rear a bit and hit a tree stump, it spun the car around and I stalled. I lost a lot of time. I think my chance for first place is gone. It's all about second place now."
SS5
"I lost the rear a bit and hit a tree stump, it spun the car around and I stalled. I lost a lot of time. I think my chance for first place is gone. It's all about second place now."
SS4
"The beginning of the stage was good, but we lost a lot of grip towards the end. The water splashes were deeper than they were on the recce, but they were okay."
"Lucky escape at the water splash. I could see the lines of the people in front. I understood something was going to happen. That saved us."
"We have a transmission problem. I don't know what. One-wheel-drive I think."
"We went off after the deep water, maybe 7km before the finish. We didn't see it on the recce and then, wow!"
"There was a big, big water splash in the stage, it was not in my notes. The organisers said it was a bump. I couldn't turn after it and went into the trees. I must go and work on the car."
SS3
"Really nice. Really enjoyable stage. I'm enjoying every minute of it. Just trying to improve stage by stage."
"Difficult. I feel a bit shocked. It felt good but the time is not."
"My notes are not perfect for these conditions. I am making some corrections."
"It felt better than the first one. I'm getting more used to the car. It's hard to have the confidence when it's all new. We had a water temperature alarm for much of the stage - which was a distraction."
"Quite a hard ice base. And that makes road position key. I thought my rhythm was okay, but obviously not."
"Not easy. Even in the fast stuff I feel the diff is slipping all the time. I do what I can. It happened after a jump before a corner. I have no idea why. A mechanical problem I think. Just one of those things."
"Very nice conditions. In some places I managed to touch the snow banks. The grip was better than the previous stage. The car feels good."
"I don't think we did very well here. A little bit confusing in some corners. The stage conditions are good though - I enjoyed a lot."
"The stage is nice but I struggled to find a good rhythm. Everything feels a bit new and I cannot push at the moment."
"Not happy with that run. The car is moving around a lot."
"That happened on the previous stage, nothing to worry about. This stage was alright. I'm happy enough with it. A beautiful stage and a lot of Norwegian flags about."
"Good. Really perfect conditions. Very enjoyable to drive. There is snow falling and there is a light covering on the road. No big mistakes. I tried my best."
SS2
"The [road] conditions are really hard. A surprise to many people I think. Pretty tricky to find the grip, but the feeling is good. The car is working well."
"I need more experience because the car has a lot of speed. It's scaring me and I need to respect that."
"I had a problem with the downshift. I did my best!"
"So, so fast. It was slushy on my test so it's hard to get my head around the different conditions."
"Not really good confidence here without the snow banks. It's not easy to find the limit on braking. No problem though."
"It's okay like this. So long as it stays frosty, it's better than we expected."
"It's my first time to drive in these unpredictable conditions. I tried hard to find the grip."
"Not so bad. Stage conditions were better than we'd anticipated. It will take time to adjust to the new car. No problems, just a bit too careful."
"Credit to the organisers, they've worked hard on this stage. I was quite steady at the beginning. It's all about picking your braking point. A good start. Not so bad."
"We have a problem. The driveshaft broke 2km before the end. I don't know what spares we have in the car."
"Very hard and slippery in places. I did my best. The ice on the next stage should suit us."
"Not so bad. Difficult to know how far you can push. We have a warning on the dash showing high water temperature."
"Not a good stage for me. unfortunately I suffered a bit, not a good feeling. I have to get used to driving the car in these conditions."
"It was okay. The car wasn't turning too well in the left-hand corners, but it was okay. The stage was okay at the beginning, but a bit rougher at the end."
"The base is hard, it felt like the tyres were going off a bit at the end. A decent start."
"The road is pretty hard. It was okay. With no test or shakedown in these conditions it's good to try hard."