The heat from the thousands of fans lining up the route makes up for the extremally low temperatures of up to –25 degrees Celsius. A popular spot for spectators is the Colin´s Crest (Vargasen), named after the deceased Scottish driver, and where cars perform some impressive jumps. The Norwegian driver, Eyvind Brynilds, has held the longest jump record at this spot since 2016 when he flew with his Ford Fiesta R5 for 45 meters. 

This year we expect a new head to head between WRC leader Sébastien Ogier (Citroën) and  Thierry Neuville (Hyundai), last season winner of the rally. Sébastien Loeb (Hyundai) and Ott Tänak (Toyota) are likely to join the two main contenders in their epic battle through the breathtaking Nordic landscapes. And the Scandinavian drivers Jari-Matti Latvala (Toyota) and Esapekka Lappi (Citroën) will be ‘on fire’ racing at the 2019 Rally Sweden.

Hyundai & Neuville: After their 1st win of the season

Despite being defeated by the Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia duo at the Rally Monte Carlo, Neuville arrives in  2019 Rally Sweden for the second race of the season in very good spirits. At Monte Carlo, the Belgian driver demonstrated great rhythm and consistency making things very difficult for the six-time WRC winner. Ogier could only beat him in the Power Stage, the special that closed the Monegasque race.

Neuville was very pleased with the great performance of the I20 Coupé WRC #11during the opening round of the championship. The Belgian driver wants to take advantage of his great vehicle to revalidate the title he achieved in Sweden a year ago. 

The Belgian would also want to break the winning drought that began on June the 10th after taking the Rally Italy 2018. For the following seven WRC races, six in 2018 and one in 2019, he hasn’t stepped to the top of the podium once. The time has come for him to steal Ogier’s crown… and it starts at the 2019 Rally Sweden. 

Along with the Thierry Neuville / Nicolas Gilsoul pair within the Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team are the crews made up of Andreas Mikkelsen / Anders Jaeger-Amland (# 89) and Sébastien Loeb / Daniel Elena (# 19) at the 2019 Rally Sweden.

The most successful rally driver in history (with 9 titles) is quickly familiarizing himself with his new car. After freshly landing from the Dakar Rally with hardly any time to test the vehicle he got the fourth position in Monte Carlo. Judging on talent and trajectory alone, Ogier is likely to win the Nordic podium although he hasn’t had a victory there since 2004. 

Also to consider is the other car from Alzenau. Andreas Mikkelsen and Anders Jaeger-Almand (#89) navigate this terrain like a duck takes to water; not in vain have they won the Scandinavian race on three occasions before.

Citroën and Ogier: Defending the top

The Citroën Total WRT team, as leaders of the drivers’ standings, arrive the big favourites to the 2019 Rally Sweede. Its chief lineup, Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia (#1), has adjusted perfectly to their new C3 WRC.

They are sure to put up a good fight for their second victory of the year. Moreover, the Finnish pair competing within the French team, Esapekka Lappi and Janne Ferm (# 4), will also be great contenders in the Nordic snow.

Toyota and Tänak: Fighting for a place at the top 

The third pair of ‘musketeers’ will be once again Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja (# 8). After scoring third place in Monte Carlo, the Lithuanian duo of the Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT wants to demonstrate that they are still strong candidates for the title and they are prepared to give it all they have in Sweden on board their combative Yaris WRC.

Their Finnish teammates, Jari Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila (# 10), will also be aspiring to the highest honour in this, one of their favourite events. Their first win in a World Rally Championship came in the 2008 Rally Sweden when Latvala was just 22 years old.

He then went on to win the 2012, 2014 and 2017 editions. Incidentally, after this weekend, Latvala will take over Carlos Sainz’s record as the driver with the most WRC appearances, 197 in total.

 ‘2019 Rally Sweden Preview’ Images: Toyota, Hyundai, Citroën and Rally Sweden.