Rally Sweden 2022

[AnttiL]

The car is Veiby’s Polo, likely second WRC2 car so they are walking on the stage quite early on. Difficult to understand.

[Hartusvuori]

It's the fact the guy's filmed it and put it on Twitter that really bugs me, like it's something to be proud of, "great banter"... anyone can make a mistake, that's bad enough, but boasting about how you're like a suicidal Group B fan is enough evidence for me that rallying would be better off without him and his mates being interested in it.

That's true. More often people should realize when is the moment to be ashamed of themselves.

[Hartusvuori]

It's the fact the guy's filmed it and put it on Twitter that really bugs me, like it's something to be proud of, "great banter"... anyone can make a mistake, that's bad enough, but boasting about how you're like a suicidal Group B fan is enough evidence for me that rallying would be better off without him and his mates being interested in it.

I'm slow this morning, but that video must've been made on purpose. I mean, how many of you keep the phone filming while walking out of a live stage during the winter?

[Sulland]

SS3 1,5 hours before first car.
First, the "envelope" area at junction was about 300 - 400 meters long. WTF? Second, marshals did not allow tu use it (1,5 hours before) and forced the spectators to ditch. There was about 60 - 70 cm snow there, I literally sank in up to the balls. Got myself back to road, told marshals to fuck off and marched to the spectator area. Majority of law abinding locals followed the ditch though. Poor them.
In conclusion (based on many things) - one of the most terribly organised rallies in my 45 years long spectating history. Not worth going next year.

The marshall boss said they have aprox 50/50 of old marshalls from old rally org in Värmland, and new team from motorclubs in Västerbotten county. So if there is a new guy, they tend to do as they are told, afraid to make a mistake.

But it is always allowed to use your head, especially a long time before the rally and quick cars.

We have well many times jumped over the snowbank, as the people did for Veiby. The high snowbanks will muffle the sound, along with your beany, so you need to be aware.
These days when 95% have music from their mobile in their ears, that need to be forbidden walking in and out of stages!!

[Lancia Stratos]

They only got what they deserved.
Never seen such aggressive and stupid marshals before.
If you cannot do your job, stay at home.

Been to Rally Finland for 20 years, zero problems. Top notch marshaling.

Oh dear me..... Embarrassing.

[the sniper]

That's true. More often people should realize when is the moment to be ashamed of themselves.

I guess he realised, as the tweet has gone now.

[BleAivano]

Svenska Bilsportförbundet (Swedish car sports federation) has bought all of Uvåns Näringslivscenter's shares in Rally Sweden and
Svenska Bilsportförbundet have now assumed management of Rally Sweden together with Umeå.

https://www.sbf.se/Nyheter/SvenskBilsport/svenskabilsportforbundettaroverrallysweden/
https://www.svt.se/nyheter/lokalt/vasterbotten/svenska-bilsportsforbundet-tar-over-rally-sweden
https://emotorsport.se/nyheter.php?in=2&nyhets_id=21579

[WRCStan]

Svenska Bilsportförbundet (Swedish car sports federation) has bought all of Uvåns Näringslivscenter's shares in Rally Sweden and
Svenska Bilsportförbundet have now assumed management of Rally Sweden together with Umeå.

https://www.sbf.se/Nyheter/SvenskBilsport/svenskabilsportforbundettaroverrallysweden/
https://www.svt.se/nyheter/lokalt/vasterbotten/svenska-bilsportsforbundet-tar-over-rally-sweden
https://emotorsport.se/nyheter.php?in=2&nyhets_id=21579

Is that a good or bad thing?

[BleAivano]

Is that a good or bad thing?


I don't know to be honest. However it did say in the press release that the actual organisation (behind the rally) won't change. SBF certainly have high ambitions but we'll see if they can deliver.

[PetrolheadHeaven]

So as I'm reading, we were not the only ones who had problems with the safety marshals that weekend :) We arrived on Shakedown roughly one hour before the start, and walked from the start line. We wanted to go a bit further into the middle part of the stage, but after 3 kilometres they were not letting anyone through (I heard it was the same if you walked from the finish line of the stage). So at that point, we decided not to argue, because it was Shakedown, first stage, everything still fresh and unknown, and we decided to obey, even though my friend did get shouted at and called a "fucking idiot" by the safety marshal when he crossed the road right after one of the R5 car passed by (then you know you have around 2 minutes before the next one arrives) and it's not like he was walking on the stage, he literally just crossed the road to be able to walk on the designated walking path on the other side, he was on the stage for around 3-5 seconds. Anyway, after the shakedown, on the next day, we've decided we're not going to put up with this bullshit, so we've arrived literally around 2h & 30min before the Friday morning stage start, just to make sure we can walk the stage to our designated spot without being shouted at, and so we did, because there were no marshals at that time yet, it was way early... But later during the day and also Saturday, there was one stage where we were 2 hours before the start. Yes, 2 HOURS!!! And we're walking the stage to get out from the main spectator area, because as always, we want to get to our chosen spot further in the stage. Marshals at the last control point going out from the main spectator area spotted us - immediately shouting to get back, don't go any further etc. We knew this would happen, we were prepared, and we said to each other - no matter what they say - we don't stop. I just shouted back to them - it's still 2 hours to the start, relax - and we just kept walking. There was another stage, where we were also around 1h & 30 min before the start, and as we entered the stage we started walking towards our spot again, one of the marshals started walking behind us on the stage for like 300 metres, because they were also not letting anyone go into that direction, but after 300 metres when he realised we are not stopping, he just turned around. So yeah, very fucking annoying and UNNECESSARY rules by the organisers, completely against true rally fans. I spoke to some of the safety marshals during the weekend - they were never on Rally Sweden before... So a lot of new guys, but also I think that was the way the Umea based organisers did everything - set up a few main spectator zones with car parks and don't let anybody out of it. I'm expecting the next year in Umea it will be the same, but we will be ready - just keep going and don't stop. It will be a bit worse if there will be Police, but hopefully not... In that case, some snow walking rackets will be needed to go around them 🤣

[Sulland]

Is that a good or bad thing?

Uvåns Näringslivscenter is the local Business organisation i Värmland, where the rally used to be located.
So it is only logical, that they now in the coming year will connect closer to local businesses in the Västerbotten region, where Umeå is the hub.
They saw this year what options they need to focus on, and money to be made!

[Sulland]

Looking back on the different stages I have a couple of lessons identified.

1. Too many of the stages are equal in that we have long straights, cross, straight, cross. More like Belgian rallies between the fields. I guess many roads are like that, but try to fine other roads with different challenges, or make new parts of the road, like long "joker laps" with some cool corners and jumps.

2. Water all stages so they have the right ice sole. I giess many of the roads have too little traffic to compress the snow enough.

3. Re introduce a frozen lake stage, as we used to see in the past.

A very good first year, that with som adjustments will be even better!!

[AnttiL]

On winter rallies with enough snow and freeze you are able to use small forest tracks, or even frozen lakes, swamps and fields as a part of the route to make it more technical and interesting instead of just long straight after another. I hope they start experimenting more next year, or find more interesting roads. But I think otherwise everyone has been happy with the rally. I don't even know if watering would be needed since conditions seemed to be quite good (apart from second runs after historic cars, but that's not something even freezing could help?)

[becher]

I've only sern the TV stages and found them pretty boring. Where the other stages better to watch?

[pantealex]

I've only sern the TV stages and found them pretty boring. Where the other stages better to watch?

Live (I mean real live not tv) each stage was interesting to watch. Except shakedown, it was boring, had to spectate too far from stage.

[SubaruNorway]

Live (I mean real live not tv) each stage was interesting to watch. Except shakedown, it was boring, had to spectate too far from stage.

You had to go 1km in from the finish to find the good corners as the finish had some new trees planted close to the road it looked like, there you could be pretty much anywhere you wanted. Read about some who got stopped but we could walk in just over 1 hour before. I think it's only Sweden that stoppes you from walking past where there are marshals? Like P2 on Vindeln you came into the gravel pit area and could not walk past the junction towards the finish, ended up walking through the forest but it ruins it for the normal spectator when you're left with a slow combination, opening clip of my movie is 1km in the other direction with much more open forest with better view and faster corners.

[er88]

I've only sern the TV stages and found them pretty boring. Where the other stages better to watch?They could make any TV stage boring to watch.

The general AllLive stages looked good and generally do on all rallies. I hate "TV" stages, they show the last 3mins of the stage for all top drivers and waste 30secs showing every crew delayed from the start line. Apart from that the whole rest of the stage goes uncovered, unless for the first car or two.

It gets annoying if there's a battle on for the lead, between 2 or 3 drivers. But they spend 3minutes at the end of the stage filming Greensmith in no man's land

[AnttiL]

When we talk about a rally being boring we can talk about three aspects:

1. What the drivers see throughout the route
2. What a spectator sees on the spots that they choose, how easy/difficult it is to choose the spots, how are the official spots
3. What a TV / All Live spectator sees on the spots that the WRC+ crew has chosen, and how the angles are

I would say that for the on-location spectator it's easiest to change the perception by just going to a different place, and it could be a matter of moving 100m. Also people like different things. Some people like the cars to go at 190 km/h on a straight, some like them brake and accelerate into junctions, and everything between.

I would say that having watched the onboards, these stages were a bit boring with the long straights and the narrow technical sections where the drivers can't make much of line choice. I would have liked more flat minus / medium corners on wider roads.

[Rallyper]

Very important that the videoinhouse crew do the right changes of pictures in the production.

For instance, when you see important driver coming in to a difficult part of a stage, they suddenly changes to the startline for 20-30 second instead of showing how did he manage that special corner. Agree with er88 that it´s a waste showing every driver at the start.

[AnttiL]

For instance, when you see important driver coming in to a difficult part of a stage, they suddenly changes to the startline for 20-30 second instead of showing how did he manage that special corner. Agree with er88 that it´s a waste showing every driver at the start.

Yeah, I get annoyed with that. Often it almost feels there's some sections they don't want to show, like a tarmac section on a gravel stage or more recently, the small houseyard part on the Långed stage in Sweden. But maybe it could also be just coincidental. I also agree as a rally nerd that seeing drivers on the start line is not informative, it's as much of a gimmick as seeing an fx camera showing the turbo or damper.