MORNING CHAPS,

2018 RALLYE SVERIGE....

LOTS OF VERY DEEP SNOW....WE WEN'T FULLY EQUIPPED...

THIS TIME A 'FIFTH' MEMBER OF THE TEAM CAME ALONG,HE IS A VERY DEAR FRIEND........BUT, IS RATHER DIFFICULT TO GET ALONG WITH?

I WAS TRYING TO GET HIM TO DRINK SOMETHING WARM HERE? BUT HE ENDED UP SULKING,INSISTED HIS FEATHERS KEPT HIM QUITE WARM ENOUGH,AND SUBSEQUENTLY SAT IN A TREE....(EMU'S CANNOT FLY!) WITH MY HELP....

HMMMM,HE IS NOT THAT CLEVER !!

AND HE HAD TO SIT BEFORE THE FLAMES,FOR AN HOUR TO DRY OUT....

NEVER MIND,WE HAD PLENTY OF SUPPLIES TO FEED ALL FIVE OF US,AND ONCE 'EMU' HAD DRIED OUT? HE STAYED IN THE RUCKSACK,DECIDING THAT SNOW? WAS NOT THE BEST PLACE TO PRACTICE FLYING....

IT WAS WORTH TAKING A FEW TARPAULIN'S ,TO KEEP THE RUCKSACKS OFF THE SNOW,AND THE SNOW OFF US !!

FIRST STAGE WAS SS2,'HOF FINNSKOG'......THE FURTHEST NORTH WE HAVE BEEN IN NORWAY! WE STAYED JUST 8KM FROM THE STAGE FINISH,THE NIGHT BEFORE IN A VERY OLD FARMHOUSE,SELF-CATERING......BUT NICE AND WARM,INSIDE....

BUT, IT WAS STILL AN 05.30 BREAKFAST,BEFORE THE DRIVE UP ,DEEP INTO THE FOREST.....

SLEDGE LADEN,WITH WOOD AND THICK MATS,TO SIT,OR KNEEL ON......FOR THE PHOTOGRAPHY.

WRC CARS,FIRST TO COME THROUGH....

AFTER 'PER EKLUND' AND 'MICHELLE MOUTON' IN THE SAFETY CARS.....

WE HAD GOT A CITROEN C3,3 CYLINDER TURBO AUTO TRANSMISSION,WITH ' NOKIAN 'SNOW TYRES....IT WASN'T QUITE AS FAST AS THE 'WRC C3',AND HAD A BIT MORE WEIGHT IN IT !!

AFTER THE 'WRC' CARS CAME THUNDERING THROUGH,WHICH WERE RATHER QUICK TO SAY THE LEAST,WITH AMAZING LEVELS OF GRIP,FROM THE STUDDED NARROW SECTION SNOW TYRES......WE HAD AROUND A HOUR BREAK,TO LIGHT THE EARLY MORNING FIRE,AND GET A 'BREW' ON THE GO !!

AMAZING HOW MUCH SNOW YOU NEED,TO FILL A 'BILLY CAN',JUST FOR FOUR CUP'S OF TEA.....

THE RAUCOUS SOUND OF SIDE-DRAUGHT CARBS,THEN THE UNMISTAKABLE 'HOWL' OF A STRAIGHT CUT 'BOX,AND A HIGHLY TUNED 'A' SERIES MOTOR?.......CAME THE FIRST OF THE 'HISTORICS'....

AS THIS WAS THE FIRST 'PROPER' STAGE AFTER THE PREVIOUS EVENING'S 'OPENER' AT 'KARLSTAD',MANY OF THE 'WRC' CARS,HAD BEEN CATCHING THE CAR IN FRONT,DUE TO THE 'SOFT' SNOW BANKS,DRAGGING THE CAR'S IN,IF THEY TRIED TO LEAN ON THEM,TOO MUCH...

THE 'HISTORICS' WOULD,BE JUST THE SAME....

THEN I JUST DROPPED EVERYTHING,APART FROM THE CAMERA.....

THE DEEP ECHO,THROUGHOUT THE WOODS.......

IT JUST HAD TO BE A V4.....

A GENUINE EX-WORKS CAR,INSCRIBED ON THE FRONT PANEL....?

''A REPLICA? NO DUDE,THIS IS A REAL ONE......''

THIS REALLY TOOK ME BACK,TO WHEN I WAS A JUST A KID IN THE EARLY SEVENTIES,WHEN 'SIMO LAMPINEN' WOULD HAVE BEEN AT THE WHEEL,IN THE 'FINNISH' WORKS CAR......

AND THEN A STRANGE COMBINATION,WAS IT A MINI,OR ANOTHER V4,OR BOTH.....?

THE V4,GOT PAST THE MINI 'JUST 'OUT OF THIS FINAL SHOT.......

AT THIS POINT,THE EARLY MORNING SUN,WAS TRIED TO BREAK CLOUD COVER,TEMPERATURE WAS AROUND -2 DEGREES C.....BUT THE AIR IS SO DRY,IT REALLY IS NOT COLD,AS WE ARE USED TO HERE IN THE UK.....?

THEN IT STARTED SNOWING,EH UP KETTLE IS BOILING....?

OH WOW,HERE COME'S THE SONNET....

IT REALLY IS SOMETHING,TO BE SO FAR INTO THE WOOD'S,EARLY MORNING......

IT IS ABSOLUTLEY STUNNING.....

HERE COMES AN 'EMS'.....

AND,COME ON...KEEP UP AT THE BACK A RENAULT 'ALPEEN'

THE RATHER UNUSUAL VOLVO 242 IS 'APLENTY' OVER IN SWEDEN,AND MOST OF THEM ARE DRIVEN WITH 'GUSTO' WHETHER IN SUMMER OR WINTER....!!

ALL THE 'HISTORICS' SEEMED TO BE USING A 'MICHELIN' CONTROL TYRE......?

A SOLITARY BMW 2002TII....


NOT SURE ABOUT THE 'ORANGE' LICENCE PLATES...? MAYBE THIS A HISTORIC INTRODUCTION..?

AND THEN CAME THE 'CELICA' , TRIUMPH TR8 AND THE HOWL OF 'ANTERO LAINE'S QUATTTRO'........