Craig Breen has admitted that it will not be an easy feat to repeat his Rally Monte Carlo podium heroism during the second round of the World Rally Championship in Sweden this weekend with M-Sport Ford.

n his first visit to the French Tarmac classic since 2018 last month, Breen disrupted the odds by finishing third overall for Blue Oval in their new title challenger – the Puma Rally1 car.

The highest of that performance with Paul Nagle has, however, been put in sharp perspective before Rally Sweden, which starts tomorrow when the WRC teams will take on the short Klabbole shakedown test.

With Sebastien Loeb and Sebastien Ogier both absent from the meeting with new looks, Breen will run second on the road behind Toyota driver Kalle Rovanpera during all 84.62 miles of the Friday leg.

Snow is expected that day and it will be a challenge for the early runners like Breen, especially for the first time during the stages as the efficiency of the studded tires on his car decreases and the loss of time increases.

“We start near the front of the road on the first stage, so it will be something new for me to discover,” said Breen, whose best result in Sweden was second place four seasons ago. “Being the second car on the road will not be the best conditions but it is a challenge that I look forward to. It will have a good position in the Championship table, so it is good for that reason.”

Like Hyundai and Toyota, M-Sport has tested before an event that has moved 430 km north to the Västerbotten region, as the organizers are guaranteed to have the postcard conditions that the recent rounds have lacked.

“I’m excited to discover a new rally,” said Breen. “I have ridden Rally Sweden many times before in Torsby but it will be completely new this time and I look forward to good conditions. This is also the first rally on loose ground with the new Rally1 cars and the Puma hybrid, so hopefully it will be good for the crew and spectators.

“I hope for a good event, try to build more confidence with the car, and to see if we can get another strong result. The most important thing is to keep the championship position strong on the way into Croatia when we switch to Tarmac.”