Rally Sweden: ŠKODA trio Mikkelsen, Gryazin and Lindholm fight for WRC2 victory
Mladá Boleslav, 22 February 2022 – On the back of a WRC2 category victory at the season opener Rallye Monte-Carlo, the ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo team Andreas Mikkelsen / Torstein Eriksen (NOR / NOR) travels to Rally Sweden (24 – 27 February) with the goal about another top result. After almost 50 years in the Värmland region, the FIA World Rally Championships traditional winter events moved their base about 800 kilometers north to Umeå.
Andreas Mikkelsen feels well prepared for Rally Sweden, the second round of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC). “Rallye Monte-Carlo was the first event together with my new co-driver Torstein Eriksen – it worked perfectly right away! I also know that our ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo, excellently prepared as always by Team Toksport WRT, works well on the fast snow tracks in Sweden. As the special stages around Umeå are new in the championship, the conditions will be the same for everyone. It will surely be an exciting battle “, the reigning WRC2 champion from Norway looks forward.
Mikkelsen’s teammates in the ŠKODA Motorsport-backed team Toksport WRT, Nikolay Gryazin and co-driver Konstantin Aleksandrov from Russia, finished the season opener in Monte-Carlo third overall in WRC2 and second in the WRC Junior category. Although Gryazin has competed in the WRC’s only real snow rally only once before, Gryazin is among the favorites for the category victory. “I look forward to my debut with ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo in Sweden. I really hope that with the expected lower temperatures we again get snow walls along the tracks. They are very good at tilting the rally car to achieve a higher cornering speed “, Gryazin reveals some insights about driving techniques at the winter rally.
Also drive a Toksport WRT registered ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo, Marco Bulacia / Marcelo Der Ohannesian (BOL / ARG) are brand new in Rally Sweden. “At Rallye Monte-Carlo we experienced a bit of bad luck and could not take any points. I definitely want to take valuable points for the WRC2 overall and junior classification, even when most of the competitors have more experience on snow and ice”, Bulacia sums up his goal for the second WRC round.
Unlike the young South Americans, the reigning Finnish rally champions Emil Lindholm / Reeta Hämäläinen (ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo) have plenty of experience on fast and snow-covered forest roads. In preparation for their first WRC2 start of the season, they won the Arctic Lapland Rally under similar winter conditions. The talented mixed crew from Finland will be one to beat on the way to victory in the WRC2 category in Rally Sweden.
Technically, Toksport WRT runs two independent teams. Mikkelsen and Bulacia are registered under Toksport WRT, Gryazin and Lindholm are officially listed under Toksport WRT 2. Both teams are fighting for championship points on their own – after all also against each other.
The rally version of ŠKODA FABIA is very popular in Scandinavia, as the registration list for Rally Sweden shows: In the 30 registered strong field of Rally2 vehicles – including 24 WRC2 participants – a total of eleven crews compete with the successful rally car from Mladá Boleslav. Among them is also Mauro Miele / Luca Beltrame from Italy, who leads the WRC2 Masters classification. Bruno Bulacia (BOL), younger brother of Toksport WRT driver Marco Bulacia, celebrates his WRC2 debut alongside experienced Spanish co-driver Marc Martí at the wheel of a ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo.
To guarantee the best winter conditions, which have often been missed in recent years, Rally Sweden has moved its base from Karlstad in southern Värmland, where the event has been based since the WRC’s inaugural season in 1973. New rally town is Umeå about 800 kilometers further north by the Baltic Sea. beach.
The second round of the WRC season 2022 kicks off on Thursday evening (February 24) with a start ceremony in the center of Umeå. On Friday (February 25), the team will tackle seven special stages. On Saturday (February 26), another eight special stages follow before the last four special stages end the event on Sunday (February 27).
Did you know that…
… A predecessor to Rally Sweden was held for the first time in 1950, but this midsummer? It was originally called “Rally to the Midnight Sun” and has only been moved to its now traditional winter date in 1965.
… Every crew must have a shovel on board to dig their car out of the snow in case of shutdown?
… The cars are equipped with tires used in the FIA World Rally Championship only at Rally Sweden. The Pirelli tires on the ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo in category WRC2 are armed with 384 tungsten studs each. The figure depends on the regulations which state a maximum of 20 studs per square decimeter of the tire’s surface. Meanwhile, the length of the studs must not exceed 20 mm for a weight of 4 grams. Their shape must be cylindrical and they must be inserted from the outside.
… During Rally Sweden in the WRC’s inaugural season 1973, only winter tires without studs were allowed? The Swedish local hero and occasional ŠKODA factory driver Stig Blomqvist celebrated victory despite a loss of ten minutes early due to problems with the fuel pump.
… Pavel Sibera / Petr Gross won class A5 1993 with a ŠKODA FAVORIT 136L?
The best contributions to ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo (with start number):
20 Andreas Mikkelsen / Torstein Eriksen (NOR / NOR), Toksport WRT
21 Nikolay Gryazin / Konstantin Aleksandrov (RAF / RAF), Toksport WRT 2
22 Emil Lindholm / Reeta Hämäläinen (FIN / FIN), Toksport WRT 2
25 Marco Bulacia / Marcelo Der Ohannesian (BOL / ARG), Toksport WRT
Top-3 total WRC2 / driver (before Rally Sweden)
1. | Andreas Mikkelsen (NOR), ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo | 26 points |
2. | Erik Cais (CZE), Ford Fiesta Rally2 | 18 points |
3. | Nikolay Gryazin (RAF), ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo | 15 points |
FIA World Rally Championship 2022
Monte-Carlo Rally | January 20 – 23 |
Rally Sweden | February 24-27 |
Rally Croatia | April 21 – 24 |
Rally Portugal | 19 – 22 May |
Rally Italy Sardinia | June 2-5 |
Safari Rally Kenya | 23 – 26 June |
Rally Estonia | 14 – 17 July |
Rally Finland | 4 – 7 August |
Ypres Rally (Belgium) | 18 – 21 August |
Acropolis Rally Greece | September 8 – 11 |
New Zealand Rally | September 29 – October 2 |
RallyRACC Rally de España | October 20 – 23 |
Rally Japan | November 10 – 13 |