On Sunday, the accounts were made for this year’s first World Rally Championship event in Monte Carlo with double French at the top, when temporarily returned Sébastien Loeb won before his compatriot Sébastien Ogier.
Now the focus is on northern Sweden when Umeå hosts the WRC series second round of the season. However, it happens without the French rally duo as both only made a brief guest appearance behind the wheel at home in France, where Loeb stepped down his career already in 2012.
In the WRC1 class, however, the entry list is full of world class drivers, including the winners of the last three Rally Sweden. Race leader Stig-Rune Kjernsli points out a trio of favorites for the victory in Umeå.
The last time Rally Sweden was completed, before the pandemic hit in 2020, the British Elfyn Evans was seen as the winner before Ott Tänak and with Kalle Rovanperä as third place.
Tänak got a tough start to the season and was forced to retire on SS 11 due to the radiator overheating.
– I think that all of these will be involved in re-running the victory in Umeå together with Thierry Neuville, says Kjernsli.
Estonian Ott Tänak, who won the Rally Sweden in 2019, is the only one from the quartet who has a World Rally Championship title (2019) to lean against. However, Thierry Neuville, Belgium, (who won the Rally Sweden in 2018) has the most special stage victories of these four, 290 against Tänaks 284 where both Evans and Rovanperä with their 100 and 32 special stage victories in the WRC is a bit behind.
M-Sport Ford brings a quartet to WRC1. Craig Breen, Gus Greensmith and Adrien Formaux, where the latter is ready to start again after the violent crash in Monte Carlo. Lorenzo Bertelli is also piloting a Ford Puma Hybrid Rally1 as a fourth driver, not competing about the manufacturer points.
In addition to Elfy Evans and Kalle Rovanperä, Esapekka Lappi will get the chance in Toyota Gazoo Racing. Takamoto Katsuta will pilot a fourth GR Yaris for the Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team NG operation.
The Hyundai Shell Mobis Team, which did not make it work fully in Monte Carlo, will start with three drivers, where the swedish talent Oliver Solberg, who was forced to break Monte Carlo, joins Ott Tänak and Thierry Neuville.
Now the only winter rally of the WRC awaits in Umeå with a new environment and new challenges. In recent years, Umeå has offered a fantastic winter landscape
– It will be a fantastic rally. I visited Umeå at the beginning of December and got to experience some of the routes. It will go really fast, says Kjernsli.
Provisional entry list Rally Sweden 2022
The provisional entry list can still be updated.
WRC1
M-Sport Ford WRT, Ford Puma Hybrid Rally1:
Craig Breen/Paul Nagle, Irland,
Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria, Frankrike,
Gus Greensmith/Jonas Andersson, Storbritannien/Sverige.
Lorenzo Bertelli/Simone Scattolin, Italien.
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT NG, Toyota GR Yaris Rally 1:
Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston, Japan/Irland.
Elfy Evans/Scott Martin, Storbritannien,
Kalle Rovanperä/Jonne Halttunen,
Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm, Finland.
Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT, Hyundai i20 N Rally 1:
Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson, Sverige/Storbritannien,
Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja, Estland,
Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe, Belgien,
WRC2
Toksport WRT: Andreas Mikkelsen/Torstein Eriksson, Norge, Skoda Fabia Evo,
Toksport WRT2; Nikolay Gryazin/Konstantin Aleksandrov, Ryssland, Skoda Fabia Evo.
Toksport: Marco Bulacia/Marcelo Der Ohannesian, Bolivia, Skoda Fabia Evo.
M-Sport Ford WRT: Jari Huttunen/Mikka Lukka, Finland, Ford Fiesta, Mattias Adielsson/David Arhusiander, Sverige, Ford Fiesta.
ALM Motorsport: Georg Linnamae/James Morgan, Estland/Storbritannien, Volkswagen Polo GTI.
Ole Christian Veiby/Stig Rune Skjärmoen, Norge, Volkswagen Polo GTI, Joshua McEWrlean/James Fulton, Irland, Hyundai i20 N, Jaroslawl Koltun/Ireneusz Pleskot, Polen, Ford Fiesta, Egon Kaur, Estland, Volkswagen GTI. Mario Miele/Luca Beltrame, Italien, Skoda Fabio Evo, Eerik Pietarinen/Antti Linnaketo, Volkswagen Polo GTI, Michal Solowow/Maciek Baran, Österrike/Polen, Volkswagen Polo GTI, Rakan Al-Rached/Hugo Magalhaes, Saudiarabien/Portugal, Volkswagen Polo GTI, Joakim Roman/Jörgen Fornander, Sverige, Skoda Fabio Evo, Jörgen Jonasson/Nicklas Jonasson, Sverige, Skoda Fabio Evo, Eamonn Boland/MJ, Irland, Ford Fiesta, Kyle Tilley/Martin Brady, USA/Irland, Ford Fiesta, Alexander Villanueva/Rodrigo Sanjuan, Spanien, Citroën C3, Enrico Oldrati/Elia De Guio, Italien, Skoda Fabio Evo, Bruno Bulacia/Marc Marti, Bolivia/Spanien, Skoda Fabia Evo, Emil Lindholm/Reeta Hämäläinen, Finland, Skoda Fabia Evo, Frédéric Rosati/Philippe Marchetto, Frankrike, Hyundai i20, Bertrand Pierrat/TBA, Frankrike, Hyundai i20.
RC2: Stig Andervang/Robin Eriksson, Skoda Fabio Evo, Luca Hoelbling/Federico Fiorini, Italien, Hyundai i20 N, Daniel Alonso Villarón/Adrian Péres, Spanien, Citroën C3, Glenn Ström/Pierre Ellison, Sverige, Hyundai i20 N, GNM Sweden AB, Per-Gunnar Andersson/Anders Fredriksson, Ford Fiesta, Tuomas Skatnz/Kari Kallio, Skoda Fabia Evo.
WRC3: TBA
RC4: Isak Reiersen/Johan Johansson, Ford Fiesta.
Rally Sweden Historic
Klass 5 (-1965): Martin Lindén/Mattias Lago, Team Skogsåkarna, Volvo PV 544 Sport, Ted Malm/Katharina Malm, Arlövs MC, Volvo PV 544, Nils Bergqvist/Karl-Erik Magnusson, Västerås MS, Volvo Amazon
Klass 8 (-1975): Kenth Bååth/Denso Melwinsson, SMK Vingåker/SMK Trollhättan, Volvo 164 E, Johnny Sundström/Anton Sundström, Vara MK, Opel Ascona A, Curt Jonsson/Lars-Erik Henriksson, Tväråns IF/Luleå MS, Volvo 142, Ulf Zetterström/Lars-Gunnar Karlsson, Vallentuna MK, Ford Escort RS 2000
Klass 9 (-1981): Stig Roar Holter/Alina Drazkowski, Norge, Volvo 240, Christer Hedlund/Ida Lidebjer Granberg, Lyksele MK/Asarums MS, Ford Escort RS 1800, Anton Mattsson/Erika Eriksson, Umeå AK, Volvo 242, Kjell Fransson/Peter Fansson, Vimmerby MS, Renault A310, Mathias Engh/Andreas Wilhelmsson, Grangärde RRC/Fredriksberg MK, Toyota Starlet, Peter Engström/Jonny Olofsson, NMS Boden/Umeå AK, Ford Escort RS 1800, Jonas Wallén/Mats Jägerhult, Vallentuna MK, Volvo 244, Pelle Palmqvist/TBA, SMK Gävle, Ford Escort RS, Arne Rådström/Thomas Nilsson, MK Ratten/NMS Boden, Volvo 262, Lars Wikman/Lennart Hasselgren, Sandviken MK, Ford Escort.
Klass 10 (-1990): Ricardo Hillesjö/Petri Väätänen, Haninge MK, Suzuki Swift GTI, Seppo Raittila/Janne Karhunen, Finland, Toyota Corolla GT, Arne Bäckström/Björn Wessel, Haninge MK/Carlstad Rallyclub, Opel Kadett GSI, Anders Söderberg/Lotta Strand, Botkyrka MK/SMK Valdemarsvik, Opel Kadett GSI, Anders Nystedt/Björn Wulff, Vallentuna MK, Opel Kadett GSI 16v, Lars Storm/Ulf Storm, Nils Östgård/Fredrik Andrén, Vännäs MK/Umeå AK, Mazda 323.
