Rally of Scandinavia: Who will succeed Oliver Solberg in Sweden?

For his third consecutive ERC entry, the Royal Rally of Scandinavia is finally shaping up to be a tough contest. In the first two editions, local boy Oliver Solberg had been uncompromising. In his absence, several are keen to ascend to the throne. For his first race in a Yaris in the ERC, Stéphane Lefebvre will have to rediscover his gravel skills.

Published 27/05/2025 à 08:34

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Rally of Scandinavia: Who will succeed Oliver Solberg in Sweden?

After a stint on Colin's Crest, who will be able to succeed Oliver Solberg on the Royal Rally of Scandinavia podium? (Photo: Red Bull)

Competitors competing in the championship ERC have a date for another very fast round on the dirt. It is surprising to note that the Nordic event attracted only 33 crews, including only 4 Swedes, which demonstrates the lack of interest from the locals. Organized in the Karlstad region where the rally from Sweden to WRC (but in winter!), this Rally of Scandinavia (May 29-31) offers 17 special stages (9 different routes) and 184,38 km against the clock. This division has the particularity of extending between Thursday and Saturday evening when the final finish is judged. By proceeding in this way, the organizers can put together a memorable party that will end in the early hours of Sunday.

The main characteristic of the roads in the Värmland region (near the border with Norway) is their speed. They wind through the woods and you need a big heart to negotiate the curves with beautiful, long slides. As always on dirt, sweeping can be a problem and rails are not to be excluded during the 2^es passages, because the ground is sometimes soft. With such a profile, this terrain could be favorable to specialists who will try to succeed Oliver Solberg who will be absent because he will be testing to prepare for Sardinia (June 4-8).

In this category, there are several who meet this criterion, first and foremost Roope Korhonen. With his Yaris, the recent winner in Hungary in the ERC also finished 4th.^e in WRC2 in Portugal. Will he continue his splendid spring? As surprising as it may seem, he is the only Finn competing in Rally2. They will be barely more numerous among the Swedes since Mille Johansson (Fabia) and Isak Reisersen (Fabia) will be the only ones able to aim for victory. With no appointment in WRC or ERC, the Norwegian neighbors have, on the contrary, responded. Mads Ostberg (C3) will be the leader of a contingent bringing together several well-known guys: Frank Tore Larsen (Polo), Eyvind Brynildsen (Yaris) and Henning Solberg (Fabia) who will defend the family honor. Beating the Nordics will not be easy, but Mikolaj Marczyk (Fabia), current championship leader, Andrea Mabellini (Fabia) or Jon Armstrong (Fiesta) will do their best to upset the odds. In a delicate situation in Hungary on a terrain where he had a lot to learn, Jos Verstappen (Fabia) will once again have to gain experience, while Max McRae (C3) will try to have a less eventful weekend than in Hungary.

On the French side, two will be tackling stages where the WRC played several years ago in winter. Stéphane Lefebvre will be discovering the Yaris on gravel. Having not driven on this surface for four years, the Northerner knows that the challenge will be significant. Very unlucky in Hungary where he should have won in ERC4, Tristan Charpentier (Fiesta Rally3) will try to take his revenge on roads on which he has some aptitude after several rallies in Finland.

The championship after two races