WRC - 2016 Rally Sweden - Preview
Despite running on snow and ice, the event is one of the fastest on the calendar, an amazing amount of grip coming from narrow tungsten-tipped steel studded tyres.
Beautiful scenery abounds in Sweden, but competing in sub-zero temperatures requires specific preparation for both man and machinery. Aside from the special tyres, which bite through the frozen road surface, crews can often be seen wearing heated racing boots and anti-glare glasses, which provide greater definition of the snow covered landscape. Life for the mechanics is also tough, outdoor servicing in freezing conditions making the job even more challenging.
However, with above zero temperatures in large parts of Scandinavia at the moment, snow and ice is melting and amendments have had to be made to the route. The weather forecast does however state colder temperatures from the middle of the week.
THE 2016 ROUTE
For the 63rd edition of the rally, the service area moves to Karlstad Harbour after several years based to the north of the city in Hagfors. Unusually, there are no mid-leg service halts on any of the days.
The new itinerary can be found at: http://www.rallysweden.com/tavlingen/maps-itinerary/
RALLY DATA
Total distance: | 1,397.16 km |
MEDIA ACCREDITATION
The Accreditation Centre is located in the Rally HQ Press Centre, Karlstad CCC. The opening hours are:
Tuesday 9 February | 14:00 – 20:00 hrs |
RALLY SWEDEN TIMETABLE AND MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES ORGANISED BY THE FIA
Wednesday 10 February |
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FIA PRESS CONFERENCE ATTENDANCE
Thursday 11 February | Pontus Tidemand, FIA WRC 2 Championship |
ADDITIONAL MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES
‘Meet the Crews’: On Friday and Saturday the top three drivers will attend a ‘Meet the Crews’ session for media and fans. This will take place on the Michelin Experience WRC Stage at the earliest opportunity during the final service.
Autograph Signing Session: On Friday and Saturday selected crews will be available for a 15 minute autograph session. This will take place in the service park during the end of day service at the teams’ service areas.
FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP CLASSIFICATIONS
The provisional classifications for all the WRC Championships can be found on the following link.
STAGE CHART
Shortly after the finish of the event, a downloadable stage chart showing the progressive positions of the leading crews during the rally will be available. This is copyright free for editorial purposes and available at the following link.