WRC Event Recap: Rally Sweden, 2018 Season Thru Round 2 Statistics (February 18, 2018)

The 46th season of the World Rally Championship continued this weekend with the 66th annual Rally Sweden in Sweden and Norway.

The scheduled 19-stage, 314.25-kilometer event, was won by Thierry Neuville, who won by 19.8 seconds over Craig Breen.

Here are some statistics related to the 2018 season after Round 2 as well as Rally Sweden.

2018 Rally Sweden Statistics
- Overall Winner (Driver): Thierry Neuville
- Overall Results: Thierry Neuville, Craig Breen, Andreas Mikkelsen, Esapekka Lappi, Hayden Paddon, Mads Ostberg, Jari-Matti Latvala, Teemu Suninen, Ott Tanak, Elfyn Evans, Sebastien Ogier
- Overall Winner (Manufacturer): Hyundai
- Overall Winner (Tire): Michelin
- Overall Winner (Country): Belgium
- Total Stages Contested: 19
  - Longest Stage: 24.88 (Svullrya)
  - Shortest Stage: 1.9 kilometers/1.18 miles (Karlstad)
- Stage Winners (By Driver): Ott Tanak (6), Thierry Neuville (5), Craig Breen (3), Hayden Paddon (2), Espaekka Lappi (2), Andreas Mikkelsen (1)
- Stage Winners (By Country): Estonia (6), Belgium (5), Ireland (3), New Zealand (2), Finland (2), Norway (1)
- Stage Winners (By Manufacturer): Hyundai (8), Toyota (8), Citroen (3)
- Stage Winners (By Tire): Michelin (19)
- Total Time: 2:52:13.1
- Margin of Victory: 19.8 seconds

Notes of Interest
- This was the seventh career victory for Thierry Neuville, and his first in the Rally Sweden.
- Neuville is the second driver to win in WRC competition this season. Sebastien Ogier won the season-opening Rally Monte-Carlo in January.
- Neuville won five stages in Rally Sweden for a total of 10 stage victories on the season. He now has 144 stage victories in his career. Neuville is tied with Ott Tanak in stage victories this season.
- With his victory, Neuville moved into the points lead, moving ahead by 11 points over Sebastien Ogier.
- Neuville has now won at least one WRC rally in each of the last three seasons (one in 2016; four in 2017; and one in 2018).
- Neuville’s seventh victory came in his 87th career WRC event. He now has 28 podiums.
- Neuville shared the victory with co-driver Nicolas Gilsoul, who now also has seven victories in 82 rallies.
- Hyundai now has nine WRC victories, which is tied for 11th all-time with Nissan/Datsun.
- Belgium has claimed eight driver victories, from a total of two drivers (Thierry Neuville – 7; Francois Duval – 1).
- Thierry Neuville won the 2018 Rally Sweden, becoming the 37th driver to win the race. A total of 66 races have been held. His previous best finish came in 2015, when he finished second, six seconds behind Sebastien Ogier.
- Neuville became only the fifth driver born outside Scandinavia to win Rally Sweden, and the first from Belgium.
- Hyundai earned two spots on the podium – its first victory in Rally Sweden, as well as third place.
- Craig Breen earned a career-best second-place finish in both the Rally Sweden and his career.
- Andreas Mikkelsen finished third, ensuring that least one Scandinavian driver has finished on the podium in every Rally Sweden since the inaugural running in 1960.
- Defending Rally Sweden winner Jari-Matti Latvala finished seventh.
- All 19 scheduled stages were contested. It marked the most stages completed in Rally Sweden since 2015.
- The Rally Sweden has been held annually since 2010. The 2010 event was not run due to being removed from the World Rally Championship calendar.

***

2018 World Rally Championship Statistics
- Total Rallies Contested: 2
- Total Distance Covered: 708.99 kilometers
- Overall Winners (By Driver): Sebastien Ogier (1; Monte Carlo), Thierry Neuville (1; Sweden)
- Overall Winners (By Manufacturer): Ford (1; Monte Carlo), Hyundai (1; Sweden)
- Overall Winners (By Tire): Michelin (2; Monte Carlo, Sweden)
- Overall Winners (By Country): France (1; Monte Carlo), Belgium (1; Sweden)
- Total Stages Contested: 36
  - Longest Stage: 36.58 kilometers/22.73 miles (Thoard-Sisteron – Rallye Monte Carlo)
  - Shortest Stage: 1.9 kilometers/1.18 miles (Karlstad – Rally Sweden)
- Stage Winners (By Driver): Thierry Neuville (10), Ott Tanak (10), Sebastien Ogier (4), Craig Breen (3), Elfyn Evans (2), Hayden Paddon (2), Esapekka Lappi (2), Andreas Mikkelsen (2), Kris Meeke (1)
- Stage Winners (By Manufacturer): Hyundai (14), Toyota (12), Ford (6), Citroen (4)
- Stage Winners (By Tire): Michelin (36)
- Stage Winners (By Country): Belgium (10), Estonia (10), France (4), United Kingdom (3), Ireland (3), New Zealand (2), Finland (2), Norway (1)
- Drivers to Lead Points Standings: 2 (Sebastien Ogier – 1; Thierry Neuville – 1)
- Most Victories: Sebastien Ogier (1), Thierry Neuville (1)
- Most Podiums: Sebastien Ogier (1), Ott Tanak (1), Jari-Matti Latvala (1), Thierry Neuville (1), Craig Breen (1), Andreas Mikkelsen (1)
- Longest Distance Covered, Single Rally: 394.74 kilometers (Rally Monte-Carlo)
- Shortest Distance Covered, Single Rally: 314.25 kilometers (Rally Sweden)
- Most Stages in a Single Rally: 19 (Rally Sweden)
- Fewest Stages in a Single Rally: 17 (Rally Monte-Carlo)

Notes of Interest
- All seven of Thierry Neuville’s WRC victories have come in different Rallies (Germany, Sweden, France, Argentina, Poland, Australia and Sweden).
- Craig Breen earned a career-best second-place finish in both the Rally Sweden and his career. He now owns two career podiums.

***

All-Time World Rally Championship Statistics
- Total Rallies Contested: 573
- 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)

Sources:
- Wikipedia: Rally Sweden; List of World Rally Championship Drivers’ championships

- World Rally Championship website: http://www.wrc.com

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