Prince gives royal stamp of approval to Rally Sweden
The Royal Rally fans, fourth in a row to the Swedish throne, will take part in Friday night’s Umeå Sprint speed test, which culminates in Red Barn Arena with 30,000 capacity within walking distance of the city center.
Prince Carl Philip is the competition winner in the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship and was a regular participant in the inauguration of Karlstad’s super special stage when the rally was based in Värmland. In 2020, he enjoyed a shakedown tour there with Sébastien Ogier.
The 2022 rally has been moved 700 km north to the Västerbotten region and the prince will walk on the first of three special stages at the arena – which is designed as Umeå’s equivalent of the famous Colin’s Crest fan area in Vargåsen at the event’s former home.
The 5.53 km sprint stage will be held in the dark on Friday night. It will be followed by two longer rehearsals on Saturday, the first just after noon and an evening rehearsal. The 1.5 km arena section includes three jumps, sweeping hairpin bends and twists.
There will be a range of additional entertainment. On Friday, the Swedish artist Dotter will create a party atmosphere from the stage.
The Red Bull Show snowmobile freestyle trio by Marcus Ohlson, Rasmus Johansson and Anders ‘Flanders’ Eriksson will show high-flying acrobatics both days and the Swedish artist Pidde P will perform twice on stage.
Between Saturday’s double WRC sessions, fantastic cars from the past will take the stage at the Rally Sweden Historic event, while large screens let fans follow the events elsewhere via WRC + All Live.
– Prince Carl Philip has a genuine interest in cars and we are happy and proud that the prince will be present when Rally Sweden is decided in Umeå for the first time, says Rally Sweden’s CEO Glenn Olsson.
“We are taking the rally into the city again. This is a fantastic chance for Umeå residents and all travelers to see the world’s best rally drivers up close.
“We have built a fast arena with three big jumps where the drivers can keep a high speed, which means that we still keep the rally feeling as if it were out in the woods.”