WE HAD REALLY COME THIS TIME,TO SEE THE 'HISTORICS' AFTER LAST YEAR'S,LAST MINUTE CANCELLATION OF THE HISTORIC RALLY....

BUT THE PACE OF SOME OF THE 'WRC' WAS BLISTERING...AS THE SNOW CAME DOWN...

HERE WE GO.....

WE REALLY DON'T GET QUATTRO'S IN THE UK ANYMORE IN RALLYING,IF WE DO THEY ARE USED AS 'STAGE OPENING'.....OR ON SMALL PUBLIC DISPLAY EVENTS...

ONLY IN HILLCLIMBS,OR SPRINTS DO THEY SEEM TO SURFACE NOW....

IT WAS GOOD TO HEAR THE DEEP GROWL,OF AN IN LINE 5 CYLINDER UNDER FULL BOOST...

This years Sweden WRC winner.

Team TMR, Katsuta driving.

MK2 BDG 1975 Ford Escort.

SOME LIVE ACTION.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSZl3pQDevU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgbR7aZxgaM

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

FRIDAY'S RALLYING WAS ROUNDED OFF BY AN HOURS DRIVE SOUTH,TO TORSBY FOR THE SERVICE HALT....
WE HAD AROUND AN HOURS DAYLIGHT REMAINING,BEFORE THE 'WRC' CAME THROUGH THE ADJACENT 'SWECON ARENA'.....

IN ALL, IT WAS RATHER A DISSAPOINTMENT,WITH TOO MANY PEOPLE(CROWDS),AND NOT MUCH TO SEE,SO WE LEFT AFTER HALF AN HOUR AND HEADED SOUTH ONCE AGAIN,TO OUR OVERNIGHT STAY.....

A WELCOME HOT, 3 COURSE MEAL LATER,WE CRASHED INTO BED AT 21.30,EXHAUSTED AFTER A LONG DAY,AND VERY EARLY START.....

SATURDAY MORNING,WOULD BE ANOTHER EARLY BREAKFAST,BEFORE HEADING OFF TO 'VARGASEN' HOME OF 'COLINS CREST YUMP'.....

HOWEVER,DUE TO THE POPULARITY OF THIS STAGE,WE DECIDED TO APPROACH FROM THE EAST, VIA 'MUNKFORS' THIS YEAR,WHICH WAS A BIT OF A DETOUR....,BUT IT MEANT,WE COULD GET FURTHER UP THE STAGE,AND TRY AND AVOID THE MASSIVE CROWD'S....

DUE TO USING UP ALL THE LOGS FOR BURNING YESTERDAY,WE HAD SOME DIFFICULTY IN LOCATING MORE ,AS ALL THE SUPERMARKET'S,AND SERVICE STATIONS HAD SOLD OUT....!! EVENTUALLY,AFTER ASKING....WE CAME ACROSS SOME MORE

RATHER ESSENTIAL FOR KEEPING WARM,AND COOKING,IN THE DEPTHS OF THE FOREST? EVEN IF IT HAD WARMED A LITTLE TO -3 DEG C.

PARKED UP IN THE STAGE,WE HAD A RATHER FORTUNATE SHORT WALK,THROUGH A CAR PARK AND ON THE MARSHALS ADVICE......WE CAME ACROSS THIS ?

INSTEAD OF AN HALF HOUR WALK AROUND THE TOP OF THE LAKE,TO REACH THE STAGE...?
YOU CAN CATCH THE 'QUADBIKE' RIDE...ACROSS THE FROZEN LAKE,TAKING US STRAIGHT UP TO THE MIDDLE OF THE STAGE(RATHER COINCIDENTALLY,EXACTLY THE SAME PLACE WE WERE LAST YEAR).......

SO FORMING AN ORDERLY QUEUE,AND COUGHING UP 150 SEK,TO AN EAGER SWEDE...WE PATIENTLY WAITED? AND WATCHED ACROSS THE FROZEN LAKE,AS BEADY HEADLIGHTS,SLOWLY GOT CLOSER...........


TOBOGGAN,LOADED WITH LOGS AND FOOD......THE FOUR OF US,AND A RABBLE OF OTHER KEEN SPECTATOR'S ,GINGERLY STEPPED INTO THE TRAILER,BEFORE THE REAR CAGE DOOR SLAMMED SHUT.....AND THE QUADBIKE PILOT GUNNED THE ENGINE,SCRABBLING FOR GRIP,ON THE POLISHED ICE....

IT TOOK AROUND 6 MINUTES TO CROSS THE LAKE,AND I HAVE TO ADMIT IT WAS RATHER TERRYFYING,AS THE WHOLE CONTRAPTION PICKED UP SPEED,AND THE TRAILER(WITH ALL US IN IT) BEGAN TO SWING,SIDE TO SIDE......

EVEN WORSE,WE WERE BEING OVERTAKEN(ON THE LAKE) BY VOLVO ESTATE'S,AND THE LIKE,FULLY LOADED WITH PASSENGERS......

AS WE GOT TO THE OTHER SIDE,THE ICE WAS SCATTERED WITH DISCARDED MACHINERY,AS RALLY FANS HAD EAGERLY,CLIMBED UP THE HILL,INTO THE STAGE....

THE LAKESIDE SUMMER HOUSE,REDUNDANT AND PROMINENT, IN IT'S SHADE OF DULL COPPER RED,CONTRASTING THE BLANKET OF GREEN AND WHITE,ACROSS THE MID-MORNING HORIZON......

WE WERE JUST IN TIME TO CATCH THE REMAINING TWO THIRDS OF THE 'WRC' CARS,AS THEY WOULD RUN THROUGH 'VARGASEN' AGAIN IN THE LATE AFTERNOON.....

THE FESTIVAL HERE,WAS IN FULL SWING........THEY HAD EVEN MANHANDLED,A HUGE MODERN JUKE BOX,ACROSS THE LAKE,AND UP THE HILL,SO WE HAD PLENTY OF LIVE JOVIAL MUSIC,SINGING ALONG,AND PLENTY OF MERRIMENT...WITH SWEDES,FINNS,NORWEGIANS AND COUNTLESS OTHERS...

OF COURSE,IT IS QUITE EASY TO GET LOST IN ALL WHAT'S GOING ON AROUND YOU... WHILST A SOLITARY RALLY CAR,LEAPS THROUGH THE TREE'S EVERY MINUTE OR SO....? CHASED BY A HELICOPTER...

WHILST IN THE BACKGROUND BEHIND US,A FOCUS RS,THAT BLUE VOLVO 240 RALLY CAR,AND A FIESTA RALLYCROSS, SLID AROUND A HUGE ICE COVERED LAKE,THE DRIVERS THOROUGHLY ENJOYING THEMSELVES.....?

THE FULLY-LADEN QUAD-BIKE TRAILERED SPECTATORS,CONTINUED TO ARRIVE,ACROSS THE DUSKY FROZEN WILDERNESS......

WITH AN HOUR'S BREAK NOW,BEFORE THE 'HISTORICS' CAME THOUGH,IT WAS TIME TO GET THE FIRE GOING,AND HAVE A CUP OF TEA.......'EARY GREY' MIND YOU FOR ME,ESPECIALLY MID-MORNING.....OH THE DELICACIES,IN THE MIDDLE OF A SWEDISH FOREST...?

AND MAYBE TIME FOR SOME MORE 'KORV'....?

THE FIRES GENTLY CRACKLED AWAY,FILLING THE AIR........GIVING A LITTLE WARMTH,AMIDST THE MIDDAY FREEZE....WITH AN AROMA OF SIMMERING SWEDISH SAUSAGES&MUSTARD ....


ON A MIDDAY SATURDAY AFTERNOON,THERE REALLY IS NO BETTER PLACE TO BE....