Gronholm’s team-mate,
Mikko Hirvonen is also setting his sights high and will be out to better considerably his best result to date in Sweden, a ninth place finish.
“I scored solid points on the first round in Monte Carlo and now I really want to get down to business on this rally - and in conditions that I enjoy,” he confirmed. "The weather conditions look good for this year and if it stays like that then I will be happy."
OMV Kronos Citroen WRT:
[Manfred Stohl, car #5 and Daniel Carlsson, car #6].
Daniel Carlsson will make his debut for the OMV Kronos Citroen World Rally Team this week, when he starts his home event, the Uddeholm Swedish Rally.
The ex-Peugeot man, who sat out the Rallye Monte Carlo, the opening round in the 2007
FIA World Rally Championship, managed to take his first ever WRC podium finish on the Karlstad-based event last year, when he held off
Gigi Galli in his privately entered Mitsubishi Lancer WRC05. Now he is hoping to be able to repeat that feat although it won’t be easy.
Indeed not only will he have to get to grips with a new car, in the shape of the Citroen Xsara WRC, but he will also have to gel with a new co-driver, having linked up with Denis Giraudet, who has previously called the notes for the likes of Didier Auriol and Juha Kankkunen.
"I haven’t had too many opportunities to test the new car so far, but I am sure that we will get along with the Xsara very well," said Carlsson. "It is surely an advantage that I will start into the season at my home rally. Yet I am convinced that we will be even stronger barely two weeks from now in Norway.
"I definitely plan to fight for a podium place in front of my fans in Sweden and their support will push me to a peak performance."
Manfred Stohl meanwhile will drive the sister car and while he hasn't had much luck in Sweden thus far, missing the event in 2004 for example, after a big crash in the shakedown, he is still keen to try and get points.
