Rally Sweden 2015

[BIRDIEMANGO]

OK GUYS,

SO THE IDEA WAS PRETTY MUCH THE SAME AS LAST YEAR.......WE FLY OUT FROM LIVERPOOL TO SANDEFJORD, NORWAY...HIRE A CAR,THEN DRIVE UP TO THE HORTEN-MOSS FERRY (190 NOK)ACROSS THE OSLO FJORD.

THEN WE HEAD EAST ON THE E18 ACROSS THE NORGE-SVENSKA BORDER INTO VARMLAND,AND BASE OURSELVES NEAR ARVIKA......WHICH GIVES RELATIVELY GOOD ACCESS,INTO THE RALLY STAGES WITH AN HOUR OR SO DRIVE FURTHER, IN THE MORNINGS...


THE DRIVE ACROSS TO VARMLAND,WAS EXCEPTIONALLY QUICK THIS TIME,WITH US ARRIVING NEARLY AN HOUR AND HALF EARLY,DUE TO THE SNOW FREE ROADS.TEMPERATURE WAS +2 DEG C,DURING THE DAYTIME

THE TRIP WAS GOING TO BE A BIG GAMBLE,AS THE PRESS WERE REPORTING THE POSSIBILITY OF THE ORGANISERS CANCELLING THE WHOLE EVENT,BACK ON TUESDAY.WE HAD KEPT A CLOSE EYE ON THE WEATHER FORECASTS....USING THIS WEBSITE.....

http://www.klart.se/

WHICH ALLOWS YOU TO PUT IN SMALL TOWNS AND VILLAGES,AS LOCATIONS AND TRACK EXACTLY WHATS GOING ON....?

IT HAD FORECAST SNOW FOR THE FRIDAY AND SATURDAY,AS A HASTILY PREPARED NEW RALLY ITINERARY WAS ISSUED FROM THE ORGANISERS.

THIS MEANT THE RALLY WOULD GO AHEAD,BUT WITH SOME STAGES CANCELLED....ALONG WITH THE HISTORICS....
http://www.rallysweden.com/tavlingen/maps-itinerary/


THIS TIME,MYSELF AND MY SON,AND A GOOD FRIEND '99 EMS' FROM UKSAABS CAME ALONG AS WELL.....

[BIRDIEMANGO]

AFTER SOME DISCUSSION IT WAS DECIDED WE SHOULD HEAD AROUND 2 HOURS NORTH FROM ARVIKA,EARLY ON FRIDAY MORNING.

THURSDAY EVENINGS STAGE IN KARLSTAD,HAD BEEN CANCELLED.....SO TORSBY SS2 WAS TO BE FRIDAY'S OPENING STAGE,BEFORE THEY HEADED OFF INTO THE NORWEGIAN BORDER.

EARLY FRIDAY,WE MADE OUR WAY TO 'SVULLRYA',OVER INTO THE NORWEGIAN BORDER,WHICH AT LEAST WOULD HAVE 2 RUNS THROUGH........LATE MORNING,AND EARLY AFTERNOON.......AND BY OUR CALCULATIONS,SHOULD AT LEAST HAVE SOME SNOW&ICE.......?

UNBEKNOWN TO EVERYBODY AT THE TIME,THE TOP DRIVERS.....WERE HAVING A MEETING AT 06.00 FRIDAY MORNING IN KARLSTAD,TO BOYCOTT 'TORSBY SS2'......BECAUSE OF THE CONDITIONS...

REPORTEDLY,THE DRIVER'S WERE ALL IN UNISON....APART FROM AUSTRALIAN(SORRY,NEW ZEALANDER !) HAYDEN PADDON,WHOM SAID THAT HE WOULD DRIVE TO THE START OF 'TORSBYSS2'......

SO THE RALLY BEGAN,AS INTENDED......WITHIN IT'S REVISED ITINERARY.....

OF COURSE,WE WERE HEADING UP THE E45 AT THIS POINT TO 'SVULLRYA',TOTALLY UNAWARE OF WHAT WAS GOING ON......

AS WE GOT WITHIN 10KM,THE ROADS STARTED TO BECOME LINED WITH SNOW........AND THEN THE TARMAC ITSELF,HAD PATCHES OF ICE....

HOWEVER,IT SEEMED THAT HALF OF SWEDEN....AND NORWAY ALSO HAD,HAD THE SAME IDEA AS US......HAVING TO QUEUE FOR HALF AN HOUR,UP THE FROZEN FOREST TRACK,BEFORE WE COULD FIND SOMEWHERE TO PARK?

EVEN THEN,THE 2KM WALK UP TO THE STAGE, ON THE ICE WAS TREACHEROUS.......

THEN THE SNOW STARTED....

[BIRDIEMANGO]

I HAD ASKED FOR A MERCEDES 'B' CLASS AS A HIRE CAR,BUT THEY PALMED US OFF WITH A NEW BMW 218i AUTOMATIC,WITH 1.5L 3 CYLINDER TURBOCHARGED PETROL MOTOR....IT SEEMED OK,FOR WHAT WE NEEDED ? SHOD WITH NOKIAN SNOW TYRES,THESE WOULD COME IN VERY HANDY LATER ON !

WE FOUND A GOOD SPOT TO SPECTATE AMIDST THE CARNIVAL ATMOSPHERE......

FIRES,GENTLY BURNING,FILLING THE AIR WITH SMOKE.......WHILST THE FINNS,SWEDES&NORWEGIANS ARRIVED,ALL SEEMINGLY IN GOOD SPIRITS.....

[BIRDIEMANGO]

EVERYBODY'S ATTENTION TURNED TO THE TRACK,AS 'OGIER' CAME THUNDERING THROUGH....

[sonett]

A few pics from our first stage.

[BIRDIEMANGO]

YEP,THE CLOWNS AND THE MEXICANS TURNED UP IN FULL DRESS,WAVING PLENTY OF SWEDISH FLAGS,CARRYING HUGE COOL BOXES......FULL OF BEER

IT WASN'T LONG BEFORE THEY WERE HAVING A 'SING OFF' AGAINST THE FINNS....

IT IS A PRETTY SURREAL ATMOSPHERE,WITH SO MANY DEDICATED RALLY FANS,IN THE FREEZING CONDITIONS.......WITH THE SMELL OF BURNING WOOD,AND KORV (NATIVE SWEDISH SAUASAGES)BEING ROASTED OVER THE FIRES........FIREWORKS A PLENTY !


OGIER'S PACE IN THE VW POLO WOULD PROVE PRETTY MUCH,ABSOLUTLEY OUTSTANDING THROUGHOUT THE RALLY......


MIKKELSEN,WAS OVER 24 SECONDS SLOWER ON THE FIRST RUN OF SVULLRYA THROUGH THE 15 MILE STAGE.....


JARI-MATTI LATVALA,ALTHOUGH GETTING PLENTY OF SUPPORT FROM THE FINNS,WAS STRUGGLING WITH A BROKEN FRONT DRIVESHAFT,ESSENTIALLY BECOMING REAR WHEEL DRIVE FOR THE WHOLE OF FRIDAY.....

THE HYUNDAI'S WERE QUITE A RECKONING,ALTHOUGH THIERRY NEUVILLE,SUFFERED A SEIZING REAR DIFF......BUT KIWI ,HAYDEN PADDON,WAS RIGHT ON THE PACE.

I BETTER NOT MENTION,THAT MY LAD...WAS JUST ONE OF MANY, TO FALL FOUL OF THIS PATCH OF ICE.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybutJSYoaoI

BIG,CHEERS AND HONKING OF HORNS....EVERYTIME SOMEBODY WEN'T DOWN....

HERE IS SOME CAMERA FOOTAGE,IN STAGE......ONE OF THE GUYS HAS POSTED.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10nVDXr ... 245zqDQv2w

[sonett]

Kris Meeke in his Abu Dhabi Racing Citroen DS3.

[sonett]

One of the fastest Hyundai's I have ever seen :)

[BIRDIEMANGO]

INBETWEEN THE MORNING AND AFTERNOON STAGES ,IT GAVE US TIME TO GET THE FIRE GOING....

AND COOK SOME 'GRILLKORV'.......

JUST LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE AROUND US.....

OUR BED&BREAKFAST HOST LENT US A FRYING PAN....AND THE GRILLKORV...

WE HAD THE WOOD FOR BURNING......

SHE HAD ALSO SAVED SOME OF THE FALUKORV,SHE HAD MADE THE NIGHT BEFORE....

SWEDISH SAUSAGE,WITH CREAM AND MUSTARD......

ONCE WE GOT THAT ON THE FIRE,NOSES WERE SNIFFIN EVERYWHERE.....

[BIRDIEMANGO]

NEAR TO 14.00,THE SECOND RUN THROUGH SVULLRYA,IN NORWAY CAME THROUGH....

BY NOW IT WAS SNOWING,QUITE HEAVILY....IT HAS POWDERED THE TRACK ENOUGH,TO LOSE ALL THE SIGHTING,OF THE LINES.......AND THE TEMPERATURE WAS DROPPING !! THE FIRES GOT BIGGER !!

MIKKELSEN,WEN'T OFF RIGHT IN FRONT OF US,IN THE VW POLO AND SPUN...HITTING A TREE....

BUT FOR NOW,HERE ARE SOME FURTHER DOWN THE FIELD.....

[BIRDIEMANGO]

OF COURSE,IT WOULD NOT REALLY BE NATURAL FOR US TO GO TO SWEDEN AND NOT BRING BACK SOME SAAB PARTS....

SO WE HAD ASKED THE 'SVENSKA SAAB KLUBBEN' TO POST A 96 REAR GEARBOX MOUNT,TO THE BED&BREAKFAST ADDRESS

ONLY,WHEN I GOT BACK HOME DID I REALISE THAT THE OLD METAL BUSH,IN THE CENTRE OF THE MOULDED RUBBER HAD DROPPED ABOUT 5MM OVER 40 YEARS OF USE.....WHEN I COMPARED THE TWO,SIDE BY SIDE....

[BIRDIEMANGO]

THE SNOW BEGAN TO FALL QUITE HEAVY,MID AFTERNOON.......BUT THIS, DID NOT DETER THE CROWD.

THE NATURAL LIGHT HOWEVER,WAS FALLING FAST.......AROUND 15.30

[BIRDIEMANGO]

OK,SO MOVING ON.....

HERE WAS MIKKELSEN'S SPIN,CLIPPING A TREE STUMP......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aE9f6nWa-8I


AFTER THE SECOND RUN THROUGH,THE SNOW HAD BEEN FALLING FOR A GOOD HOUR OR TWO,AND IT WAS ALONG WALK BACK DOWN THE STAGE,A GOOD 2 MILES BACK TO THE CAR....

LEAVING THE FOREST AROUND 16.15...WE CROSSED THE BORDER BACK INTO SWEDEN.....FOR THE 2 HOUR DRIVE SOUTH,THROUGH VARMLAND...

[BIRDIEMANGO]

ON THE SMALLER ROADS,WE WERE THE ONLY CAR FOR MILES AND MILES......THE SNOW WAS GETTING DEEPER,SCRAPING THE UNDERSIDE OF THE BMW....

WE CAUGHT UP A 4WD VOLVO XC90,FOLLOWING IT.........AS IT LEFT A POWDERY WHITE MIST,IN IT'S WAKE.......

AFTER ABOUT 20 MINS,THEY SIGNALLED FOR US GO PAST.......THINKING WE MUST HAVE KNOWN THE ROADS....? WHICH WE DIDN'T !!


SO STAYED PUT,DROPPING BACK A LITTLE, TO GET A GLIMPSE OF THE ULTRA BRIGHT LED REAR LAMPS,IN THE DARKENING EVENING LIGHT.....

THE LITTLE FARTBOX BMW STRUGGLED AT ONLY ONE POINT,TRYING TO NEGOTIATE A STEEP WINDING HILL,THE SNOW EVEN DEEPER HERE.......BUT THE 'NOKIAN' SNOW TYRES JUST BIT THROUGH,GIVING UP SOME MUCH WANTED GRIP.....


WE DIDN'T KNOW HOW LONG IT TOOK TO BET BACK TO THE BED&BREAKFAST THAT EVENING,BUT IT WAS A VERY ENJOYABLE EXPERIENCE IN THE FRESH SNOW......AND THAT WAS JUST FROM WHERE I WAS SAT,IN THE BACK !!

FINALLY REACHING OUR DESTINATION,THE SNOW HAD BUILT UP IN SEVERAL PLACES ON THE CAR,UNBEKNOWN TO US

[BIRDIEMANGO]

FRIDAY NIGHT,AS WE ENJOYED A HOME COOKED MEAL SWEDISH STYLE........IT WAS TIME YET AGAIN,TO RE-DISCUSS OUR PLANS FOR SATURDAY'S STAGES...

OUTSIDE THE TEMPERATURE WAS -8 DEG C,IN FACT THE TEMP HAD BEEN HOVERING AROUND -4 DEG C TO -6 DEG C ALL DAY.........BUT THE GOOD NEWS, WAS THAT IT WAS STILL SNOWING,AND WOULD BE TILL 4AM....

AS FAR AS TRAVELLING GOES IN THE SNOW,I HAVE LEARNT TO ADD ANOTHER 15 MINS,PER HOUR JOURNEY TIME....(NOT INCLUDING BLIZZARDS!)


SO WE CAME TO THE CONCLUSION,THAT THE NEARBY 'VARGASEN' STAGE,INCLUDING 'COLIN'S CREST' WOULD BE OUR TARGET FOR EARLY SATURDAY MORNING DEPARTURE....AS IT AGAIN,WAS ONE OF THE FEW STAGES,THAT STILL HAD 2 RUNS THROUGH IT,MID MORNING,AND EARLY AFTERNOON...BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY,IT WAS THE FIRST STAGE OF THE DAY,NOW WITH MEDIUM SNOW COVERAGE....

UP AT 06.00,THIS WAS WHAT WE WERE GREETED WITH, OUTSIDE......