WRC Sweden WP1-4: Volkswagen dominance.

"Fred (FreddsterExprs)" (freddsterexprs) 02/06/2014 at 09:02 • Filed to: WRC Sweden, Rally

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VW Youngster Andreas Mikkelsen took the lead yesterday in the first stage which was held in a RoC like stadium. He was one second faster than his teammate Ogier.

Today, the first proper stages were tackled by the Offroad Elite, and VW showed why they are the team to beat: Ogier leads by 1.6 seconds, with Mikkelsen and Latvala behind. All 3 are driving the mighty Polo WRCs.

Ogier won Stage 2 and 3, but Mikkelsen didn't even think of backing down and launched a counter attack on stage 4 by setting the fastest time. Latvala could follow them both and will surely try to chase them both down too.

The first surprise was Ott Tänak. He is racing in a part WRC2, part WRC program this year but showed consistent times in his Fiesta WRC.

Sweden Experts Hirvonen and Östberg are sitting in fifth and sixth. Especially Östberg isn't happy with his performance after being !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

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The new Hyundais are running behind in terms of pure speed. Neuville reported of too much wheelspin which in Sweden is a major drawback.

As for the rest of the big names, Kris Meeke (11) and Robert Kubica (12) are as slow as one could have predicted. To be fair, it is their first ever Rally in snow, so that's okay. Both drivers will be looking to gain experience for next year.

Let's see how the event unfolds, I am rooting for Mikkelsen. Will VW put an end to the team mate duel by team order? I hope not.

Top 10 after WP4:

01. Sebastien Ogier (Volkswagen) - 20:56,7 Minuten
02. Andreas Mikkelsen (Volkswagen) +1,6 Sekunden
03. Jari-Matti Latvala (Volkswagen) +6,1
04. Ott Tänak (Ford) +8,3
05. Mikko Hirvonen (Ford) +15,0
06. Mads Östberg (Citroen) +18,0
07. Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) +25,0
08. Juho Hänninen (Hyundai) +25,5
09. Pontus Tidemand (Ford) +27,8
10. Henning Solberg (Ford) +27,9

Hoccy > Fred (FreddsterExprs) 02/06/2014 at 10:35

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Not much between these drivers after the first day, top 10 will probably be inside 1 min after the short SS7 Torsby. The rally is still wide open.

Fred (FreddsterExprs) > Hoccy 02/06/2014 at 10:40

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Latvala or Mikkelsen will crash, and Hirvonen and Östberg will fight for the remaining podium spot. That's my prediction.

Dusty Ventures > Fred (FreddsterExprs) 02/06/2014 at 13:54

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Dat droop

Dusty Ventures > Fred (FreddsterExprs) 02/06/2014 at 13:55

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I suppose it would be too much to hope for Ogier to crash...

Pockets > Fred (FreddsterExprs) 02/06/2014 at 17:20

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I'm going to this tomorrow & Saturday and I have done absolutely no planning, what's the best stages to see?

Fred (FreddsterExprs) > Pockets 02/06/2014 at 17:31

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On Saturday, try to get a good spot at Vargåsen, on Colins Crest specifically. It seems as there are many people around, so there will be a good atmosphere:

For Friday, I have no idea. Here is the plan:
WP8: Lesjöfors 1: 15,0 Kilometer
WP9: Fredriksberg 1: 18,15 Kilometer
WP10: Rämmen 1: 22,76 Kilometer
WP11: Hagfors Sprint 1: 1,87 Kilometer

WP12: Lesjöfors 2: 15,0 Kilometer
WP13: Fredriksberg 2: 18,15 Kilometer
WP14: Rämmen 2: 22,76 Kilometer
WP15: Hagfors Sprint 2: 1,87 Kilometer
WP16: Super Special Karlstad 2: 1,9 Kilometer

Karlstad Super Special is RoC Style heat battle in a stadium, that could be interesting.

And don't forget to take pictures, I would love to see some!

Pockets > Fred (FreddsterExprs) 02/06/2014 at 18:57

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Thanks. I'd got mixed up and thought the Colins Crest bit was on a different stage and I'd missed it, good to know its still to come :)

I think I'll try and see that on the Saturday and Hagfors 2 and the SuperSpecial stage on Friday. Thanks for reminding me my camera needs charging up too!

Hoccy > Dusty Ventures 02/07/2014 at 03:02

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I were going to comment with the controversial Ogier crash scenario yesterday. Well he just got stuck in a snowbank, but he's not out though!

Dusty Ventures > Hoccy 02/07/2014 at 03:06

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I'll take it. It still means a non-Seb win ;)

Fred (FreddsterExprs) > Pockets 02/07/2014 at 04:53

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Pleasure to help!

Have a great time, I am quite a bit jealous I have to admit. :D

Pockets > Fred (FreddsterExprs) 02/08/2014 at 13:45

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If it helps with the jealousy, I overslept then got really lost and spent most of the day driving around in circles. To say thanks, though, here's a picture of some suspension.