WRC Event Preview: 2018 Rally Sweden (February 14, 2018)

The second round of the 2018 World Rally Championship is this weekend, with the 66th annual Rally Sweden. The 19-stage event begins Thursday, February 15, with a single stage, followed by seven stages Friday, eight stages Saturday and three stages Sunday. The 19 stages will be run at approximately 314.51 kilometers, or 195.43 miles.

The rally base is at Torsby in Varmland County – approximately 411 kilometers from the nation’s capital of Stockholm – and the stage surface is gravel and snow. As in the past, some of the stages will be held in neighboring Norway. The defending race winner is Jari-Matti Latvala, who staged a great back-and-forth race with Thierry Neuville last year.

Here are some statistics related to the Rally Sweden as well as the 2018 season.

Rally Sweden Statistics (Since 1950 unless noted)

- Most Victories (Driver): Stig Blomqvist (7)

- Most Victories (Manufacturer): Saab (10)

- Most Victories (Nation): Sweden (39)

- Previous Races Contested: 65

- Number of Stages

  - Most Stages: 40 (1970, 1975)

  - Fewest Stages: 12 (2016)

- Distance of Stages

  - Longest Event: 1800 kilometers (1973)

  - Shortest Event: 226.48 kilometers (2016)

- Drivers With At Least One Win: 36

- Most Consecutive Victories: Stig Blomqvist (3; 1971-1973)

Notes of Interest

- The 2017 Rally Sweden was won by Jari-Matti Latvala of Finland, his fourth career victory in the event. Latvala is third all-time in Rally Sweden victories.

- One of the scheduled 18 stages in 2017 was canceled. The last time all scheduled stages were contested came in 2015 (21 stages).

- Of the 65 previous Rally Sweden events, 61 have been won overall by a Scandinavian (39 Sweden, 21 Finland, 1 Norway). The last driver from Sweden to win Rally Sweden was Kenneth Eriksson in 1997.

- Carl-Magnus Skogh was the first multi-time winner and first back-to-back winner, triumphing in 1960 and 1961. Both times he drove a Saab.

- Bjorn Waldegard was the first driver to win the Rally Sweden three times as well as first to win it three times consecutively, when he won in 1968, 1969 and 1970.

- Hannu Mikkola was the first driver from outside Sweden to win Rally Sweden, when he won in 1981. Swedes had won the first 30 Rally Sweden events.

- Stig Blomqvist holds the all-time record with seven victories, earning the seventh in 1984.

- A total of 36 drivers, plus their co-drivers, have won Rally Sweden.

- At least one Scandinavian driver has finished on the podium in every Rally Sweden since the inaugural running in 1960.

- Swedish manufacturer Saab holds the record for most wins in Rally Sweden with 10. Eleven manufacturers have won the Rally Sweden at least twice.

- The Rally Sweden has been held annually since 2010. WRC’s rotation system left the race off the calendar in 2009. Twice more since its inception, the event has been canceled – in 1974 due to the world energy crisis and 1990 due to weather.

Full List of Rally Sweden Winners (36)

- Stig Blomqvist: 7

- Marcus Gronholm: 5

- Jari-Matti Latvala: 4

- Bjorn Waldegard: 3

- Sebastien Ogier: 3

- Carl-Magnus Skogh: 2

- Bengt Soderstrom: 2

- Tom Trana: 2

- Hannu Mikkola: 2

- Mikko Hirvonen: 2

- Per-Fredrik Cederbaum: 1

- Gunnar Bengtsson: 1

- Grus-Olle Persson: 1

- Sture Nottorp: 1

- Carl-Gunnar Hammarlund: 1

- Allan Borgefors: 1

- Harry Bengtsson: 1

- Ture Jansson: 1

- Gunnar Andersson: 1

- Erik Carlsson: 1

- Berndt Jansson: 1

- Ake Andersson: 1

- Per Eklund: 1

- Anders Kullang: 1

- Ari Vatanen: 1

- Juha Kankkunen: 1

- Timo Salonen: 1

- Markku Alen: 1

- Ingvar Carlsson: 1

- Kenneth Eriksson: 1

- Mats Jonsson: 1

- Thomas Radstrom: 1

- Tommi Makinen: 1

- Harri Rovanpera: 1

- Sebastien Loeb: 1

- Petter Solberg: 1

***

2018 World Rally Championship Statistics

- Total Rallies Contested: 1

- Overall Winners (By Driver): Sebastien Ogier (1; Monte Carlo)

- Overall Winners (By Manufacturer): Ford (1; Monte Carlo)

- Overall Winners (By Tire): Michelin (1; Monte Carlo)

- Overall Winners (By Country): France (1; Monte Carlo)

- Total Stages Contested: 17

  - Longest Stage: 36.58 kilometers/22.73 miles (Thoard-Sisteron – Rallye Monte Carlo)

  - Shortest Stage: 13.58 kilometers/8.44 miles (La Cabrarette – Col de Braus – Rallye Monte Carlo)

- Stage Winners (By Driver): Thierry Neuville (5), Sebastien Ogier (4), Ott Tanak (4), Elfyn Evans (2), Kris Meeke (1)

- Stage Winners (By Country): Belgium (5), France (4), Estonia (4), United Kingdom (3), Norway (1)

- Stage Winners (By Manufacturer): Ford (6), Hyundai (6), Toyota (4), Citroen (1)

- Stage Winners (By Tire): Michelin (17)

- Total Time: 4:18:55.5

- Drivers to Lead Points Standings: 1 (Sebastien Ogier)

***

World Rally Championship Statistics

- Total Rallies Contested: 572

- Drivers With At Least One Win: 77 (First: Jean-Claude Andruet; 77th: Elfyn Evans)

- Manufacturers With At Least One Win: 21

- Nations With At Least One Win: 17

- Most Victories (Driver): Sebastien Loeb (78)

- Most Victories (Manufacturer): Citroen (98)

- Most Victories (Nation): France (186)

- Most Championships (Driver): Sebastien Loeb (9)

- Most Championships (Manufacturer): Lancia (10)

- Most Championships (Nation): France (15)

Notes of Interest

- Sebastien Ogier leads the points standings after winning the season-opening Rallye Monte-Carlo.

- Citroen is two victories away from its 100th victory in WRC competition.