WRC driver predicts that Sweden may become “the fastest average speed ever”
This weekend’s Sweden event will be held in the brand new location Umeå, approximately 800 km north of the event’s former home in Karlstad.
The move north means that the drivers will face 17 new stages that seem to be much faster than previous snow rallies, thanks to a number of long straight stretches that connect technical and narrow sections.
This combination has led several drivers to mark this rally as perhaps the fastest ever, which threatens the current record set by 2016 Rally Finland, when Kris Meeke won at an average speed of 126.60 km / h.
“This is the fastest rally ever held,” M-Sports Craig Breen said at the pre-event press conference.
“It is very fast, very straight, not so many peaks or jumps, but where it is narrow it is very narrow and also bumpy. But it will surely be the fastest average speed ever. “
His views were repeated by Hyundai’s Ott Tanak, who won in the WRC’s previous snow event when Arctic Rally Finland replaced Sweden on last year’s schedule.
“It may be one of the fastest and it looks the fastest I’ve seen in my career actually,” said Tanak, who finished today’s shakedown 0.3 s behind Toyota’s Kalle Rovanpera.
“It’s because of the long straights, it’s something I have not seen so much before.”
Tanak’s Hyundai teammate Thierry Neuville says that the stages differ from previous editions of Rally Sweden, and although he enjoys the high speed, he admitted that they could prove to be less interesting.
“The [the stage] is completely different if I am to be honest, there is not much that matches the snow stages last year in the Arctic, says Neuville.
“This year the conditions are quite good, the snowdrifts are high and the ice layer is much thinner, so we will be a little early on the gravel below.
“The floors are really fast, but from my point of view less interesting than I had expected.
“There are still some stages that are nice but some are not at the WRC level. If it is fast it is not a problem, but if it is straight and fast there is no interest.”
The prospect of long distances, fewer curves and powerful brake regeneration zones seems to be a factor when it comes to handling hybrid amplification. In addition to this, the hybrid kit will be set for perhaps its most rigorous test, which so far works in minus degrees.
“I think one thing that is clear is, and especially in the fastest stages, we will have much less chance of having the hybrid available because the car will be flat and we will not brake,” said Toyota’s Elfyn Evans.
“I think we can see long episodes where we do not use the hybrid.”
To combat a possible reduction in hybrid reinforcement possibilities, M-Sports Adrien Fourmaux believes that drivers may be forced to brake earlier and longer before curves to ensure that reinforcement is available.
“The only solution you can have is to try to get really effective braking, if you lock the tires, then you do not regenerate,” said Fourmaux.
“So you have to have pretty clean braking and maybe try to brake a little earlier a little longer. But that’s the only thing you can do.”
Rally Sweden starts on Friday, with crews who will tackle seven competition distances.