The second day of Rally Sweden has come to an end. Oliver Solberg retained his lead after the second day of the event.
SS2, #42 Brattby 1
Oliver Solberg kicked off the second day with a stage win. Posting a time 2.1 seconds faster than Sami Pajari to top the stage. Georg Linnamäe finished third fastest on the stage, 4.4 seconds slower than Pajari. Emil Lindholm set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 3.7 seconds slower than Linnamäe. Lauri Joona rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.8 seconds slower than Lindholm.
SS3, Norrby 1
Oliver Solberg also took home the stage win on the third stage of Rally Sweden. As Solberg set a time 0.8 Georg Linnamäe. Roope Korhonen finished third fastest on the stage, 0.3 seconds slower than Linnamäe. Sami Pajari posted the fourth fastest time, 3.6 seconds slower than Korhonen. Mikko Heikklä rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.3 seconds slower than Korhonen.
SS4, Floda 1
Oliver Solberg claimed the stage win on the fourth stage to sweep the morning loop. Solberg posted a time 8.8 seconds faster than Sami Pajari to top the stage. Georg Linnamäe finished third fastest on the stage, 0.4 seconds slower than Pajari. Roope Korhonen set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 2.4 seconds slower than Linnamäe. Mikko Heikklä rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing one second slower than Korhonen.
SS5, #42 Brattby 2
Georg Linnamäe took home the stage win on the fifth stage of Rally Sweden. Linnamäe set a time 2.4 seconds faster than Oliver Solberg to claim the stage victory. Mikko Heikklä finished third fastest on the stage, 0.2 seconds slower than Solberg. Lauri Joona posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.5 seconds slower than Heikklä. Fabrizio Zaldivar rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.5 seconds slower than Joona.
SS6, Norrby 2
Georg Linnamäe also took the stage win on the second stage of the afternoon. Posting a time 5.2 Fabrizio Zaldivar to win his second stage of the weekend. Roope Korhonen finished with the third fastest time on the stage, 0.1 seconds slower than Zaldivar. Oliver Solberg set the fourth fastest time on the stage. 0.5 seconds slower than Korhonen. Sami Pajari and Lauri Joona tied for fifth fastest on the stage. With both drivers finishing 1.9 seconds slower than Solberg.
SS7, Floda 2
Oliver Solberg was back to his winning ways on the penultimate stage of Rally Sweden day two. As Solberg set a time 6.1 seconds faster than Mikko Heikklä. Sami Pajari finished third fastest on the stage, 2.5 slower than Heikklä. Roope Korhonen posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.6 seconds slower than Heikklä. Georg Linnamäe rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 2.7 seconds slower than Korhonen.
SS8, Umeá Sprint 2
Oliver Solberg capped off the day with a stage win. Posting a time 3.9 seconds faster than Georg Linnamäe to top the final stage of the day. Emil Lindholm finished third fastest on the stage, 0.1 seconds slower than Linnamäe. Roope Korhonen set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 3.2 seconds slower than Lindholm. Hikaru Kogure rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.2 seconds slower than Korhonen.
Overall After Rally Sweden Day Two
Oliver Solberg held onto his event lead after the first full day of stages. Solberg now holds a 29.4-second lead over Georg Linnamäe heading into the penultimate day. Sami Pajari sits third overall, 15.7 seconds behind Linnamäe. Roope Korhonen ended the day in fourth, 2.8 seconds slower than Pajari. Mikko Heikklä rounds out the top five in class at the end of the day. Sitting 10.4 seconds behind Korhonen.
The first day of Rally Sweden has come to an end. Oliver Solberg leads the WRC2 class after the days lone stage.
Rally Sweden Shakedown
Oliver Solberg topped the shakedown stage, posting a time 0.6 seconds faster than Georg Linnamäe. Mikko Heikklä finished third fastest, 2.6 seconds slower than Linnamäe. Swede Isak Reiersen set the fourth fastest time, 0.1 seconds slower than Heikklä. 2022 WRC2 champion Emil Lindholm rounded out the top five on the shakedown stage, finishing 0.1 seconds behind Reiersen.
SSS1, Umeá Sprint 1
2023 Rally Sweden WRC2 class winner Oliver Solberg kicked off his home event with a stage win. Setting a time 3 seconds faster than WRC3 champion Roope Korhonen. Sami Pajari and Fabrizio Zaldivar tied for third fastest on the opening stage. With both drivers finishing 1.1 seconds slower than Korhonen. Georg Linnamäe posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.2 seconds slower than Pajari and Zaldivar. Emil Lindholm rounded out the top five times on the stage, finishing 0.3 seconds slower than Linnamäe.
Rally Sweden Day Two Breakdown
The second day of Rally Sweden will see drivers contest 107.9 km across 7 special stages. The WRC2 drivers should have some of the best conditions on the road. Especially the ones first on the road. As this year the snow and ice isn’t as good as normal. Making conditions less than desirable. However, by the time the WRC2 cars start to run, they should have some pretty good roads. Nikolay Gryazin is first on the road. Jan Solans is the second driver on the road, while Oliver Solberg is third on the road. These should all be optional positions for road conditions. However, rally is anything but predictable. Meaning all the WRC2 drivers could have bad conditions. It all depends on how hard the Rally1 drivers attack the stages.
The second round of the 2024 World Rally Championship takes place this weekend with Rally Sweden. Find out more below.
Championship Rundown
Yohan Rossel leads the WRC2 championship heading into Rally Sweden once again this season. As Rossel holds a seven-point lead over Pepe López. Both Rossel and López will not be contesting this weekend’s event. Nikolay Gryazin sits third in the championship, three points behind López and 10 behind Rossel. Nicolas Ciamin, who also won’t be attending this weekend, sits three points behind Gryazin. Stephan Lefebvre rounds out the top five in the championship sitting two points behind Ciamin. Lefebvre also won’t be attending the event this weekend.
A Stacked Entry List
Rally Sweden is the first true stacked entry list for WRC2 of 2024. As Rallye Monte-Carlo had an underwhelming amount of stars contesting for points. This time around both Oliver Solberg and Sami Pajari will score points for the first time this season. After both contested Rallye Monte-Carlo but not for points. Emil Lindholm, Mikko Heikklä, William Creighton, Lauri Joona, Roope Korhonen and Gorg Linnamäe will make their season debuts. Heikklä has already won a snow event this season. Winning the Arctic Rally Lapland in Finland behind the wheel of his new Toyota Yaris GR Rally2 in preparation for Rally Sweden. Reigning WRC3 champion Roope Korhonen and Gorg Linnamäe will both also drive a Yaris Rally2. Lindholm will drive a Hyundai i20 Rally2 run by CHL Auto. While Joona will drive a Skoda Fabia.
Rally Sweden Event Rundown
Over the course of the four-day event drivers will contest 300.1 km across 18 stages. Day one will see drivers contest the events shakedown and a SuperSpecial stage to kick off the event. The second day of Rally Sweden will have drivers contest 107.9 km across seven stages. The third and longest day of the event will see drivers contest 125.96 km across seven stages. The fourth and final day of Rally Sweden sees drivers contest 61.08 km across three stages.
The fourth and final day of Rallye Monte-Carlo has come to an end. Yohan Rossel took the lead to win the event.
SS15, La Bréole – Selonnet 3
Yohan Rossel and Pepe López kicked off the final day by tying for a stage win. As both López and Rossel set a time 3.9 seconds faster than Nikolay Gryazin to top the stage. Nicolas Ciamin set the third fastest time, 18 seconds slower than Gryazin. Stephane Lefebvre posted the fourth fastest time on the opening stage. Posting a time 1.5 seconds slower than Ciamin. Jan Solans rounded out the top five times on the stage, finishing 17.8 seconds slower than Lefebvre.
SS16, Digne-les-Bains – Chaudon-Norante
Yohan Rossel topped the penultimate stage of Rallye Monte-Carlo. Posting a time 5.8 seconds faster than Pepe López to take his second consecutive stage win. Nikolay Gryazin finished third fastest on the stage, 2.8 seconds slower than López. Nicolas Ciamin set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 22.8 seconds slower than Gryazin. Stephane Lefebvre rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 2.3 seconds slower than Ciamin.
SS17, La Bollène-Vésubie – Col De Turini
Yohan Rossel also took home the stage win on the final stage of the event. Setting a time 4.8 seconds faster than Pepe López to clinch the rally win. Nikolay Gryazin finished third fastest on the stage, 4.9 seconds slower than López. Nicolas Ciamin posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 2.9 seconds slower than Gryazin. Stephane Lefebvre rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 3.1 seconds slower than Ciamin.
Final Rallye Monte-Carlo Overall
Yohan Rossel ended the event with a 4-second lead over standout Pepe López. Nikolay Gryazin finished third overall, 11.4 seconds behind López and 15.4 seconds behind teammate Yohan Rossel. Nicolas Ciamin ended the event three minutes and 58.9 seconds behind Gryazin. Stephane Lefebvre rounded out the WRC2 top five, finishing the event a minute and 44.2 seconds behind Ciamin.
The third day of Rallye Monte-Carlo has come to an end. Nikolay Grayzin retained his lead on the day.
SS9, Esparron – Oze 1
Pepe López kicked off the penultimate day of Rallye Monte-Carlo with a stage win. As the Spaniard posted a time 0.2 seconds faster than Nikolay Gryazin to top the stage. Yohan Rossel finished third fastest on the stage, 6.5 seconds slower than Gryazin. Nicolas Ciamin set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 4.5 seconds slower than Rossel. Stephane Lefebvre rounded out the top five on the stage, 15.4 seconds slower than Ciamin.
SS10, Les Nonières – Chichilianne 1
Nikolay Grayzin took home his first stage win of the day on the second stage of the day. Posting a time 2.9 seconds faster than Pepe López. Yohan Rossel finished third fastest on the stage, 0.8 seconds slower than López. Nicolas Ciamin set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 12.2 seconds slower than Rossel. Stephane Lefebvre rounded out the top five on the stage, 9.9 seconds slower than Ciamin.
SS11, Pellafol – Agnières-en-Dévoluy 1
Yohan Rossel topped the final stage of the morning loop. Setting a time 1.8 seconds faster than Nikolay Gryazin to top his first of the weekend. Pepe López finished third fastest on the stage, 1.9 seconds slower than Grayzin. Niclas Ciamin posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 8.1 seconds slower than López. Stephane Lefebvre rounded out the top five on the stage once again, finishing 4.8 seconds slower than Ciamin.
SS12, Esparron – Oze 2
Pepe López kicked off the afternoon loop with a stage win. Setting a time 6.4 seconds faster than Yohan Rossel to top the stage. Nikolay Gryazin finished third fastest on the stage, 4.4 seconds slower than Rossel. Nicolas Ciamin posted the fourth fastest time on the stage 0.9 seconds slower than Gryazin. Stephane Lefebvre rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.3 seconds slower than Ciamin.
SS13, Les Nonières – Chichilianne 2
Yohan Rossel topped the penultimate stage of the third day of Rallye Monte-Carlo. Posting a time 2.8 seconds faster than Nikolay Gryazin. Pepe López finished third fastest on the stage, 0.7 seconds slower than Gryazin. Nicolas Ciamin set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 16.1 seconds slower than López. Stephane Lefebvre rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 3.4 seconds slower than Ciamin.
SS14, Pellafol – Agnières-en-Dévoluy 2
Yohan Rossel took home his second consecutive stage win to cap off the day. With the Frenchman posting a time 0.5 seconds faster than Nikolay Gryazin to top the stage. Pepe López finished third fastest on the stage, 4.4 seconds slower than Gryazin. Stephane Lefebvre set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 15.7 seconds slower than López. Nicolas Ciamin rounded out the top five on the stage, 5.9 seconds slower than Lefebvre.
The second day of Rallye Monte-Carlo has come to an end. Nikolay Grayzin took the WRC2 class lead after the day.
SS3, St-Léger-Les-Mélèzes – La Bâtie-Neuve 1
Nikolay Gryazin kicked off the second day with a stage win. As the Bulgarian posted a time 0.7 seconds faster than Yohan Rossel to top the stage. Stephen Lefebvre finished third fastest on the stage, 12 seconds slower than Rossel. Pepe López set the fourth fastest time, 3.4 seconds slower than Lefebvre. Nicolas Ciamin rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.2 seconds slower than López.
SS4, Champcella – Saint-Clément 1
Pepe López took his first stage win of the second day on SS4. With the Spaniard posting a time 0.5 seconds faster than Yohan Rossel to top the fourth stage of Rallye Monte-Carlo. Nikolay Gryazin finished third fastest on the stage, 0.6 seconds slower than Rossel. Nicolas Ciamin set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 13.9 seconds slower than Gryazin. Stephane Lefebvre rounded out the top five on the stage, 2.1 seconds slower than Ciamin.
SS5, La Bréole – Selonnet 1
Pepe López ended the morning loop with a stage win. Setting a time 0.2 seconds faster than Yohan Rossel to top the stage. Nikolay Gryazin finished third fastest on the stage, 1 second slower than Rossel. Chris Ingram posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 17.9 seconds slower than Gryazin. Nicolas Ciamin rounded out the top five on the stage, 2.2 seconds slower than Ingram.
SS6, St-Léger-Les-Mélèzes – La Bâtie-Neuve 2
Nikolay Gryazin kicked off the afternoon loop of Rallye Monte-Carlo day two with a stage win. As Gryazin posted a time 0.6 seconds faster than Yohan Rossel to win his second stage of the day. Pepe López finished third fastest on the stage, 1.1 seconds slower than Rossel. Stephane Lefebvre set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 5.8 seconds slower than López. Nicolas Ciamin rounded out the top five on the stage, 0.1 seconds slower than Lefebvre
SS7, Champcella – Saint-Clément 2
Pepe López took home his third stage win of the second day on SS7. Posting a time 2.1 seconds faster than Yohan Rossel on the stage. Nikolay Grayzin finished third fastest on the stage, 3.5 seconds slower than Rossel. Nicolas Ciamin set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 4.4 seconds slower than Gryazin. Jan Solans rounded out the top five on the seventh stage of Rallye Monte-Carlo stage, 11 seconds slower than Ciaminz
SS8, La Bréole – Selonnet 2
Nikolay Gryazin ended the second day with a stage win. As the Citroen driver set a time 4.3 seconds faster than Yohan Rosssl on the stage. Pepe López finished third fastest on the stage, 1.3 seconds slower than Rossel. Nicolas Ciamin posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 14.9 seconds slower than López. Jan Solans rounded out the top five on the stage, 9.2 seconds slower than Ciamin.
Overall After Rallye Monte-Carlo Day Two
Nikolay Gryazin heads into the third day of the event in the WRC2 class lead. However, it is worth noting that Gryazin did receive a minute and 50-second penalty for being late to a time control. However, that time hasn’t been added to Gryazin’s time at the end of SS8. If the penalty is removed Gryazin will take a 1.3 second lead over Pepe López into the penultimate day. Yohan Rossel sits third, 4.9 seconds behind López. Nicolas Ciamin sits far back in fourth. As the Frenchman sits 1 minute and 48.3 seconds behind Rossel. Stephane Lefebvre rounds out the top five, sitting another minute and 9.3 seconds behind Ciamin.
What To Expect From Rallye Monte-Carlo Day Three
The penultimate day of Rallye Monte-Carlo is set to be a good one. As Evans, Ogier and Neuville will battle for the event lead, and maximum points to end Saturday. Tänak will look to fend off Fourmaux, who has been on a heater. Tänak will have to rely on Sunday’s new points system to regain points lost. Day three will see drivers contest 120.40 km across 6 stages. Leaving lots of room for time to be gained and lost for the drivers.
The first day of Rallye Monte-Carlo has come to an end. Pepe López leads the WRC2 class after the days stages.
SS1, Thoard – Saint-Geniez
Pepe López kicked off his 2024 season with a stage win. As the Spaniard posted a time 9.2 seconds faster than Yohan Rossel to top the stage. Nikolay Gryazin finished third fastest on the stage, 4.4 seconds slower than Rossel. Chris Ingram set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 4.5 seconds slower than Gryazin. Stephane Lefebvre rounded out the top five on the stage, 4.5 seconds slower than Ingram.
SS2, Bayons – Bréziers
Pepe López was once again the fastest driver on the second stage. As López would set a time 0.6 seconds faster than Nikolay Grayzin to go two-for-two on the first day of Rallye Monte-Carlo. Yohan Rossel finished third fastest on the stage, 10.1 seconds slower than his teammate Gryazin. Stephane Lefebvre posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 7.1 seconds slower than Rossel. Nicolas Ciamin rounded out the top five on the final stage of the day, finishing with a time 3.4 seconds slower than Lefebvre.
WRC2 Overall Heading Into Rallye Monte-Carlo Day Two
Pepe López takes a 14.2-second lead over Nikolay Gryazin into the second day of the event. Last year’s winner Yohan Rossel sits third overall, 5.7 seconds behind Gryazin. Stephane Lefebvre is fourth overall heading into day two, 20.5 seconds slower than Rossel. Nicolas Ciamin rounds out the top five in class after the day. Ciamin sits 4.5 seconds behind Lefebvre heading into day two.
What To Expect From Rallye Monte-Carlo Day Two
In about 11 hours the second day of Rallye Monte-Carlo will kick off. Drivers will contest 105.72 km across six stages. Drivers will face varying conditions throughout the day, including another night stage to cap off the day. Day two could end with a driver clear in the lead, or a driver leading by a handful of seconds. Anything can happen throughout the days stages.
The Rallye Monte-Carlo shakedown stage has come to an end. Ott Tänak and Nikolay Gryazin topped the stage in their respective classes.
Rally1
Ott Tänak set the fastest time on the first shakedown of the season. Tänak would set a time 0.1 seconds faster than championship rival Elfyn Evans to top the Rallye Monte-Carlo shakedown. Thierry Neuville finished third fastest, 0.7 seconds slower than Evans. 2023 Rallye Monte-Carlo winner Sebastien Ogier posted the fourth fastest time, 0.2 seconds slower than Neuville. Takamoto Katsuta rounded out the top five on the shakedown stage, finishing 2.2 seconds slower than Ogier.
WRC2
Nikolay Gryazin topped the Rallye Monte-Carlo shakedown for the WRC2 class. Gryazin would post a time 0.5 seconds faster than last year’s winner Yohan Rossel. Oliver Solberg finished third fastest on the shakedown stage, 1 second slower than Rossel. Pepe Lopez set the fourth fastest time, 2.4 seconds slower than Solberg. Sami Pajari rounded out the top five in the WRC2 class on the shakedown stage, finishing 1.3 seconds slower than Lopez.
What To Expect From Rallye Monte-Carlo Day One
In about 12 hours the first real day of the 2024 World Rally Championship season will kick off. Day one of Rallye Monte-Carlo will see drivers contest two-night stages. These stages total 46.20 km in length. Elfyn Evans will be first on the road tomorrow. As he finished second in the championship last season. Since Kalle Rovanperä won’t be competing this weekend, Evans moves up in the start order. As the reigning champion is supposed to start. At the end of day one’s stages we should get a slight idea of how the event will go. As there’s a lot of time to be gained and lost in 46 km. However, anything can happen as there are still lots of kilometers to race after day one.
We are weeks away from the start of the 2024 WRC season. Here are my predictions for the WRC2 class.
Solberg Wins The Championship
Oliver Solberg was arguably the fastest driver in the WRC2 championship. This season he will likely be the fastest again. All Solberg needs to find is the consistency to win. Solberg will make his season debut at the Rallye Monte-Carlo later this month. However, he won’t be scoring points. Solberg’s first points-scoring round will likely be his home event of Rally Sweden. An event that he won last season.
Greensmith Has Another Strong Season
Gus Greensmith finished second in the WRC2 championship last season. He was one of the only drivers to win multiple events last season. Greensmith is expected to have another strong season this year. However, I don’t have him winning the championship this year. For me, the championship is between him, Solberg and Pajari. However, as the previous section says, I have Solberg winning the championship. Greensmith will come close once again but will fall short again.
Pajari Wins The Challenger Championship
Sami Pajari finished third in the WRC2 challenger championship last season. However, Pajari would fall just eight points short of winning the championship. The 2024 WRC season will be Pajari’s second full season in the WRC2 championship. Last year he drove a Skoda Fabia Rally2. This season he will drive a brand new Toyota GR Yaris Rally2. This will provide Pajari with a slight challenge to start the year. However, Pajari will use the Rallye Monte-Carlo as an event to get used to the car. He, much like Solberg, won’t be scoring points at the event, and will likely use his first point-scoring round at Rally Sweden next month.
Loubet Shines
Pierre-Louis Loubet has been moved down to the WRC2 category for the 2024 WRC season. This comes after a disappointing 2023 season. It wouldn’t come as much of a surprise to me if Loubet had a strong showing in the WRC2 championship this season. I don’t have him contending for the championship. However, I have him finishing fourth in the championship this season. Loubet will not contest the Rallye Monte-Carlo later this month. Loubet has previously won at the WRC2 level. However, that was some years ago.
Lindholm Bounces Back
Emil Lindholm had a disappointing 2023 season after winning the WRC2 championship in 2022. Lindholm spent part of the year driving a Skoda under Toksport, and the other part driving a Hyundai under Hyundai. Lindholm showed pace in the i20 Rally2. However, he didn’t win any events in the car. I have Lindholm finishing fifth in the championship this season. Which is four spots above where he finished last year.
Citroen Has A Down Year
Citroen was the only team besides Skoda to win an event in the WRC2 championship. However, I don’t see them doing as well this year. Last year Yohan Rossel finished third in the championship. I can’t see that happening again. As Toyota and Skoda are projected to dominate the class. A Citroen will still likely top a couple of events, but I can’t see either Rossel or Gryazin finishing high in the championship this season.
M-Sport Goes Winless Again
M-Sport was the only team besides Volkswagen to not win an event in the WRC2 class last season. A team of Adrien Fourmaux and Grégoire Munster just didn’t get it done in the class. Fourmaux led Rally Italia Sardegna heading into the Powerstage. However, the slick conditions resulted in Fourmaux going off the road and ending his event. Who will drive for M-Sport in the class is unknown at this time. Which makes predicting this slightly harder. However, I’m assuming they won’t have a contender to win at events.
Earlier this week it was revealed that Emil Lindholm would once again drive a Rally2 Hyundai in WRC2.
Sticking With Hyundai
2022 WRC2 champion Emil Lindholm will once again drive a Hyundai i20 Rally2 this season. Lindholm was rumored to be moving on from Hyundai. To join M-Sport for a Rally1 drive. However, that didn’t happen so Lindholm stayed with the Korean manufacturer. Teemu Suninen is expected to join Lindholm as the other WRC2 driver this season. However, Suninen has also been involved in rumors about leaving Hyundai.
Lindholm’s 2023 Season
Emil Lindholm had a down year last season. Failing to win an event after winning the championship the year before. Lindholm’s highest finish in 2023 was second overall at Rally Sweden. That was when he was with Skoda. Lindholm began the season in a Toksport backed Skoda Fabia Rally2. He would join Hyundai before Rally Estonia. The 27-year-old driver showed decent pace in the i20 Rally2. Challenging for the win at his home event in Finland. Which came after he challenged for the win at his first event in the car, Rally Estonia. Lindholm ultimately finished third in Estonia and 13th in Finland. With a suspension issue forcing Lindholm out of Rally Finland temporarily.
What To Expect
Emil Lindholm will make his season debut at the same event as last season, Rally Sweden. Lindholm will likely challenge for the event win. However, he may take some time to get back up to pace as it’ll be his first event in the car since the Central European Rally. Lindholm will have to shake off any rust quickly, as drivers such as Oliver Solberg, Sami Pajari, Mikko Heikklä among others will be looking for the event win as well. As far as Lindholm’s schedule goes, it’s unknown at this point. It’s almost certain that he’ll contest his home event of Rally Finland. Other than that everything is unknown. Nevertheless, Lindholm will be chasing not only the WRC2 championship, but also a Rally1 drive for next season.