Rally of Scandinavia: Nordics dominate, Brynildsen in the lead

First^e The Royal Rally of Scandinavia opened Thursday evening with a 3,12 km superspecial stage. Won by Simone Tempestini, it was the only time a non-Nordic driver took the lead. Eight special stages were to be run on Friday, with just over 8 km of timed stages to be contested.

Under a grey and rainy weather that contrasted radically with the sunny conditions of the qualification, several drivers stood out during the morning. The Swede Isak Reiersen (Fabia) won the first two sections (SS2 and 3) then John Armstrong (Fiesta) won SS4 and Mads Osterg (C3) the last. However, it was Eyvind Brynildsen (Yaris) who came home as leader at the end of this loop. The Norwegian had consistently managed to finish just behind the overall winner. His lead was minimal since he was only 1 seconds ahead of his compatriot Ostberg, 2 seconds ahead of Reiersen and 2 seconds ahead of the all too rare Frank Tore Larsen who demonstrates that a Polo can still compete in the more modern Rally4. Surprisingly less aerial than in Hungary, the Finn Roope Korhonen (Yaris) was biding his time at the 4^e row at 8''.

On various stages, including the one through the famous Colin's Crest, the afternoon allowed Brynildsen to extend his lead. While Larsen in SS6 and Andrea Mabellini (Fabia) in the following one took scratch times, the leader only conceded a few seconds each time. By winning the 8^e In the final section, the double Norwegian champion (2015 and 2017) built up a gap of 4 seconds over Reiersen. The rain, which had stopped, reappeared in the last special stage and shook up the standings a little. Brynildsen pushed his lead to 9 seconds ahead of Reiersen and Korhonen passed Larsen for 5rd place.^e provisional place. The 4 crews being grouped in 8''6, this promises an interesting 2^e step.

Discovering the Toyota On gravel, Stéphane Lefebvre struggled to get into the rhythm on such fast terrain. Not forcing it, the Frenchman sometimes managed to get closer to the second pack, gaining miles and experience. Ranked 10th^e Tonight, he will try to gain positions on Saturday. To do this, he will have 8 special stages and 92,24 km of timed trials.

Provisional classification at the end of the first stage