[WRC] Rally Sweden 2024

[doubled1978]

I can’t help but feel that is a disappointing entry list, particularly Rally2.

[CeskyOndra]

Sweden is do specific rally that no many drivers want to be there. It is always like this

[Sulland]

Sweden is do specific rally that no many drivers want to be there. It is always like this

Agree that driving on snow and ice is for most people very special and rare.

But for many of us up here asphalt rally is about as cool as watching paint dry. Reason, we drive very few rallies on the black stuff, and most on snow and gravel.

Rally Sweden used to be the highlight for many locals. They worked on getting together the budget to drive our local world championship round. Swedes, Finns and Norwegians got more km in one rally than all the nationlal series in total.

Then it came more and more regulations on tyres, petrol, much higher entry fee and so on.
Now with european economies struggeling, less and less people have the possibility.
With few locals driving, you loose a lot of spectators wanting to watch a friend or one or more local boys and girls.

Maybe FIA need to cut entry fees for locals, so more local drivers can drive their rally!

[Steve Boyd]

Sweden is do specific rally that no many drivers want to be there. It is always like this

Back in the GpA days I chap I know drove from Liverpool to Sweden for the rally a couple of times because he enjoyed driving on snow with proper tyres even more than driving on gravel in the UK.

[Morte66]

Can anybody tell me what "authorised neutral athlete" (the asterisk) means?

[Myrvold]

Can anybody tell me what "authorised neutral athlete" (the asterisk) means?

"Russian that are allowed to compete without a flag".

[EstWRC]

Just checked the itinerary and nice long stages every day. Two times 28km on Friday and Saturday and two times 25km on Sunday.

[CeskyOndra]

Just checked the itinerary and nice long stages every day. Two times 28km on Friday and Saturday and two times 25km on Sunday.

And I have seen that on stage Brattby, there is #42 ... We all know why.. Nice gesture!

[Rallyest]

And I have seen that on stage Brattby, there is #42 ... We all know why.. Nice gesture!

That is nice, still gutted that the Mayor isnt with us anymore, cant believe its been almost a year

[Myrvold]

Rally Sweden used to be the highlight for many locals. They worked on getting together the budget to drive our local world championship round. Swedes, Finns and Norwegians got more km in one rally than all the nationlal series in total.
Then it came more and more regulations on tyres, petrol, much higher entry fee and so on.
Now with european economies struggeling, less and less people have the possibility.
With few locals driving, you loose a lot of spectators wanting to watch a friend or one or more local boys and girls.

Maybe FIA need to cut entry fees for locals, so more local drivers can drive their rally!

One thing is money and regulations, but you also see where the most Norwegian drivers are located. That's also where their sponsors were located. Doing Rally Sweden in Värmland&Norway, getting the biggest sponsors to their service park, VIP'ing them around (as VIP as you can make it as a Rally2/Rally3/Rally4 privateer), it gave the sponsors a reason to chip in a little bit extra. It was worth it. They could drive up after work on Friday, either do a full party on Saturday and sleep of the alcohol on Sunday, or watch rally and service on Saturday, go home again and sleep in their own bed on Saturday night. Perfect.

In Umeå... that's not the case. Solberg in WRC2, Johansson in JWRC. Then there is Reiersen as a one off. That's it with Norwegian-Swedes/Swedes (I claim both Solberg and Reiersen as Norwegians!). With 4 Finns (Manufacturer-drivers in Rally1 not included) it's not really much more Finns than usual either.
It's just not worth it. It takes a lot more time for everyone involved. It takes 12 hours to drive, in perfect conditions, with no stop from where I live and up to Umeå, and I live closer than many of the Norwegian privateers that have showed up now and again.