As any self-professed motorsport fan should know, the ‘flying Finns’ have a certain affinity for getting from A to B in a spirited, off-road manner. We think that the ‘swift Swedes™’ deserve a bit more attention for their love of speed and racing off the beaten path, which is exactly what they’ll get this weekend thanks to the FIA World Rally Championship’s second round in… you guessed it: Sweden!
The most advanced racers in the business will be looking to break a long-standing duck in the icy wastes, where Scandinavian drivers reigned from the inaugural championship in 1973 to Sebastien Loeb’s shock victory in 2004. The reigning world champion, Sebastien Ogier, is the only other non-Scandinavian driver to take top honours in Sweden, and the current rally roster face a hefty challenge if they’re to make history this time around. Frozen roads and snow-lined banks mean that drivers will have to acclimatise to light steering and low levels of traction, but who will get the job done? Catch our daily highlights programmes to find out.
How does ice skating for a second date sound? Ok, so you’ve probably sussed that we’re not particularly romantic, and quite frankly the venue isn’t either, as we’re heading off to a ruddy great ice racing track at Saint Die des Vosges for the Andros Trophy finale. But don’t worry, the ridiculously close fight at the top of the Elite and Elite Pro standings will make it worth your while. Indeed, Rallycross star Jean-Baptiste Dubourg and Former F1 driver Franck Lagorce find themselves separated by just 11 points in the Elite Pro category, whilst the two leading Elite racers square up a mere five points apart. If that seems fairly snug, wait until you see what happens when they’re let loose to grab the 60 points still available in both championships! If you aren’t worn out just thinking about it, make sure you catch all the action with our delayed-as-live coverage.
On a slightly random note, you’ll be interested to hear that the turn of the Chinese New Year ushered in the Year of the Monkey a couple of days ago. The ever-magnificent and bonkers celebrations will continue for a few days yet, so we thought we’d get in on the action too with coverage of the nail-biting Asian Le Mans Series finale. The Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia was the venue, and a coveted 24 Hours of Le Mans entry was the reward for the LMP2 and GT class titles, both of which remained unsettled going into the event. With one of the most rewarding prizes in motorsport up for grabs the competition was always going to be fierce, and the combatants certainly didn’t disappoint!
Fancy some more? Alrighty then – make sure you catch our review of Charlie Martin’s fascinating 2015 Go Charlie: Hillclimb Project, as well as our latest coverage of the Toyota Racing Series New Zealand and the somewhat unhinged Tractor Pulling European Championship.
So with all that and much more besides, need we ask if it’s a date?
Friday 12th February22:35 – FIA World Rally Championship daily highlights, Rd 2, Rally Sweden (Day 1)
Saturday 13th February13:40 – Tractor Pulling European Championship18:55 – Go Charlie: Hillclimb Project, 2015 season review19:25 – Toyota Racing Series New Zealand, Rd 3, Hampton Downs20:30 – Asian Le Mans Series, Rd 4, Sepang22:35 – FIA World Rally Championship daily highlights, Rd 2, Rally Sweden (Day 2)
Sunday 14th February12:10 – Delayed-as-live Andros Trophy, Rd 7, Saint Die des Vosges22:35 – FIA World Rally Championship daily highlights, Rd 2, Rally Sweden (Day 3)
