One day after the start of the 2019 Rally Sweden, we wanted to warm up a bit to the occasion by remembering the spectacular 45-metre-jump record which took place at its 2016 edition. A memorable feat in the history of Motorsport! That flight established a new record in the ‘speciality’. The lucky spectators present could not believe what they had just witnessed.

 A magical hill

The hill where the jump record took place is one of the most spectacular spots of, not only the Swedish Rally but of all of the WRC 2019 calendar locations. It is found in Vargasen, a spot renamed Colin’s Crest, in memory of deceased 1995 World Rally Champion, Colin MacRae.

The deep brow of the hill poses a challenge for all competitors. Approaching it with excessive caution means losing some precious seconds and the inertia of a vehicle at full speed. On the contrary, tackling it too fast could have fatal consequences. To make things even trickier a delicate bend awaits right after the landing.

The heroes and their flight

The jump record-breaking at the 2016 Rally Sweeden took place exactly at the SS16 section of the Vargasen stage on February the 13th, the second day of the competition. The authors of the heroic jump at the 2016 Swedish Rally were Norwegian driver Eyvind Brynildsen and his Swedish co-pilot Anders Fredriksson.

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On board their Ford Fiesta R5 Evo (#34) of the silver category of the World Championship (the WRC2), they arrived at Colin’s Crest at great speed taking off from the ground at 165 km/h! After a 45-meter-flight they managed a safe landing on the other side.

They had broken by one meter the jump record set a year earlier by Belgian driver Thierry Neuville on board his Hyundai I20 Coupé WRC. The Nordic couple were given the Colin’s Crest Award.

“I heard that Thierry didn’t believe that the Fiesta R5 could go that fast, but he can join me for a ride if he is unsure!”, Brynildsen commented jokingly after his exploit.

“We had a perfect combination of corners before the crest and I knew that we had quite a lot of speed. I decided before the stage that if everything went to plan then I would try to break the record. I just put my right foot on the pedal and held it down. No drama! Continued explaining the author of the daring manoeuvre.

There are other spots in the Swedish layout which are conducive to cars suddenly taking off. Almost jump records. The forests of Hagfors, for instance, have been the scene of a 44-meter-flight performed by the brave Kris Mekee and his DS3 WRC.

If you have enjoyed the jump record-breaking jump of the Rally Sweden 2016 and want to know more about previous records, here you have the ranking: