Rally Sweden 2024

13:18

Sunday ranking:

13:13

Ranking Rally Sweden 2024:

Drivers Championship and Upcoming Manufacturers' Championship

 

  • His patience was rewarded. Esapekka Lappi (Hyundai) had to wait… almost 6 years before achieving a second success in the World Rally Championship (WRC). The Finn, winner at home in 2017 with Toyota, added a new victory to his record this Sunday February 18 by winning the 2024 Rally Sweden.
  • Comfortably in the lead since Takamoto Katsuta (Toyota) went off the track on Saturday morning, Esapekka Lappi (who has a partial program in 2024) managed his lead without flinching. The ideal weather conditions at the end of the event also helped him.
  • Elfyn Evans (Toyota) finished 2nd. The Welshman, in difficulty at Monte-Carlo, carried out the best operation among the title contenders. Not only did he score the points for 2nd place, but also the 7 points reserved for the best performer in the Sunday specials, as well as the XX points for the time recorded in the Power Stage! It's a great day for him.
  • The French Adrien Fourmaux and Alexandre Coria (M-Sport Ford) are also happy. They achieved their best career performance, with a very first podium in WRC ! Despite their absence in 2023, and therefore less experience than rivals at Toyota or Hyundai, the French duo has not made any missteps, unlike favorites like Ott Tänak (Hyundai) and Kalle Rovanperä (Toyota). Definitely a major result in their career!
  • Handicapped by his role as opener and sweeper during the first stage, Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) limited the damage by moving up to 4th place this Sunday. The Belgian is doing well, he was 14th on Friday evening with a penalty and engine problems!
  • In WRC2, Oliver Solberg (Skoda) produced an exceptional performance. The Swede was the first driver in the category to appear on the provisional podium of a stage since… his father Petter Solberg in Wales in 2019! This 3rd place, which he occupied on Friday evening thanks to snowfall, logically did not last with the return of the sun. However, he finished as the winner of WRC2, ahead of Sami Pajari (Toyota), who brought the Japanese manufacturer its first podium in WRC2.
  • The next WRC event will be the Kenya Safari Rally, scheduled for March 28-31.

ALSO READ > Malcolm Wilson: “I continue to believe that the WRC puts on an incredible show”

13:10

Esapekka Lappi wins the Swedish Rally, it's official!

13:06

Elfyn Evans finished with the 2nd best time, 1 tenth behind Rovanperä following two hits against snow walls!

13:05

Fourmaux: “It’s great to make this podium. We never gave up, and this first podium in Sweden feels very special. That's great. »

13:01

It’s the podium for Adrien Fourmaux! Despite a collapsed rear wing, the Frenchman finished with the 5th provisional time!

12:52

Thierry Neuville finishes without a rear wing! The Hyundai takes a nosedive on the jumps but finishes with the 2nd best time, 2 tenths behind Rovanperä

12:46

Rovanperä: “I could have gone faster, I should have taken two more wheels in the car! One of my front tires was not in good condition. I'm sorry to the team, I can't be happy with my performance. » The Toyota finished with the best provisional time by a handful of tenths over Tänak.

12:42

Ott Tänak: “I made too many mistakes at the start of the season,” he explains. He went off the track yesterday morning.

12:25

Oliver Solberg (Skoda) wins the WRC2 class after a perfect weekend. He is ahead of Sami Pajari, who brings Toyota its first podium in the category.

12:23

For those who are more impatient, Adrien Fourmaux should start around 12:50 p.m.

12:22

The special is only 10 km long and takes place under the sun.

12:14

Here is the starting order on this Power Stage. The WRC2 competitors are the first to leave, in descending order of the general classification.

12:13

In 2024, the points scale has evolved. We take stock with this article published in the WRC Guide in January:

In 2023, the observation that the WRC is heading towards the wall has been (finally!) admitted. There have been a large number of discussions around the future of the discipline between the FIA, the promoter (Red Bull Media House) and the various stakeholders (manufacturers, sponsors, organizers, federations, etc.). Crew members were invited to the debates. They gave their opinions, made proposals… for nothing.

In response to their complaints and desires for a change of format in WRC, they were surprised to see a new points system appear. This is broken down into two parts. A first distribution will take place on Saturday evening. The first 10 in the ranking will be rewarded... if they finish the rally on Sunday where two new prizes will be made, first at the end of the stage, then at the end of the Power Stage. Over a weekend, it will be possible to score a maximum of 30 points.

Concretely, the ten best ranked crews on Saturday evening will be candidates for the first units (1)… but to do so they will have to complete the event. So far, it was: 25, 18, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 1 at the end of the race on Sunday. From now on, during this last day of Sunday, the 7 drivers who are the fastest will be rewarded (2). Finally, the principle of the Power Stage is retained (3) and its scale unchanged. The winner of the rally remains the one who has been the most efficient against the clock, but you will have to take out the calculator to find out who will have carried out the best accounting operation at the end of the weekend.

1. Points awarded on Saturday evening

1st = 18 points
2nd = 15 pts
3nd = 13 pts
4nd = 10 pts
5nd = 8 pts
6nd = 6 pts
7nd = 4 pts
8nd = 3 pts
9nd = 2 pts
10th = 1 pt

2. Points awarded at the end of Sunday

1st = 7 points
2nd = 6 pts
3nd = 5 pts
4nd = 4 pts
5nd = 3 pts
6nd = 2 pts
7th = 1 pt

3. Points awarded at the end of the Power Stage

1st = 5 points
2nd = 4 pts
3nd = 3 pts
4nd = 2 pts
5th = 1 pt

Examples:

Case #1 – Perfect weekend: Sébastien Ogier was ranked 1st on Saturday evening, achieved the best cumulative time on the Sunday specials and finished 1st in the Power Stage: 30 points (18+7+5, maximum allocation).

Case no. 2 – Abandonment on Sunday: Sébastien Ogier is ranked 1st on Saturday evening, but gives up on Sunday: 0 points

Case n°3 – The winner does not score the most points: Sébastien Ogier won the rally by being classified 4th on Saturday evening, achieved the best cumulative time on the Sunday specials and finished outside the Top 5 in Power Stage: 17 points (10+7+0). Elfyn Evans finished 2nd in the rally while being classified 1st on Saturday evening, achieved the 4th cumulative time on the Sunday specials and finished 1st in the Power Stage: 27 points (18+4+5).

Case n°4 – Big points despite a withdrawal: Sébastien Ogier retires on Friday or Saturday, starts again in SuperRally on Sunday, achieves the best cumulative time on the Sunday specials and finishes 1st in the Power Stage: 12 points (0+7+5).

ALSO READ > Solberg, Rossel, Greensmith… What will the WRC2 championship look like in 2024?

12:12

Finally, M-Sport Ford and Adrien Fourmaux are on the verge of an anthology podium with 3rd place!

12:10

At Toyota, efforts are focused on the points on Sunday as well as the Power Stage. This is why Elfyn Evans and Kalle Rovanperä are attacking hard this morning!

12:08

A little video to enjoy the snowy and sunny landscapes of Sweden. Esapekka Lappi (Hyundai) drives to victory. Note that the South Korean manufacturer presented a new decoration this weekend with the “racing” branch highlighted, via the N on the sides.

12:06

Here is the general classification before this ES:

11:59

We meet up to attend the Power Stage, the very last special of the weekend!

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