The 2006
FIA World Rally Championship heads to Sweden this weekend, for the only true winter event on the schedule.
The Uddeholm Swedish Rally is usually very cold and it is not unusual for temperatures to plummet to minus 30 degrees C at this time of year. Full snow conditions though are not guaranteed and last year the event was relatively mild, giving a real mix of road conditions, including snow, ice and sections of frozen gravel.
Sweden will also play host to the first round in the 2006 FIA Junior WRC - a change to the norm, as it is usually part of the Production Car WRC.
The rally includes 19 special stages and a competitive distance of 349.02 kilometres, four stages fewer than 2005. The total route is also 300km shorter this year. The event will conclude on Sunday at 1502hrs when the winning car crosses the finish ramp back in Karlstad.
Special notes:
The Swedish Rally remains a specialist event that demands a totally different approach from other rallies.
With top speeds approaching 200kph, the ability to use the snow banks is essential and drivers 'lean' their cars against them on the exits of fast corners to help guide them round at maximum speed. To increase the grip, cars are run on narrow snow tyres fitted with tungsten carbide tipped studs that cut down through the icy surface to provide maximum traction.
Local knowledge of the conditions still counts for a lot though - in fact only one non-Scandinavian driver has won the event in the last 53 years.
FIA World Rally Championship news:
Marcus Gronholm took the early lead in the 2006 FIA World Rally drivers' championship following his victory on the opening round of the series' - the Rallye Monte Carlo. The Finn leads reigning world champion,
Sebastien Loeb, who finished second at the Principality by two points.
Ford meanwhile heads the Constructors' with 14 points, 3 up on the Kronos Total
Citroen WRT.
News from the Manufacturers' teams:
