Rally Sweden: The years ending in ‘4’ / Les années en « 4 »

Since the creation of the FIA World Rally Championship in 1973, something unexpected has always occurred at Rally Sweden when the year has ended in a ‘4’. The 1974 edition, for example, never even took place...

Inaugurated in 1950, Rally Sweden – Minadttsolrally – was initially a summer event. It was only in 1964 that it moved to a date in the middle of winter, in the forests of the Värmland region.

In 1973, the simultaneous fall in value of the dollar and outbreak of the Arab-Israeli War (October 6-24) triggered the first fuel crisis. Between the end of October 1973 and January 1974, the cost of a barrel of oil quadrupled. In France, Prime Minister Pierre Messmer introduced an official ban outlawing motorsport. This was only lifted by FFSA President Jean-Marie Balestre on December 10 – too late for the 1974 edition of Rallye Monte-Carlo to be organised. Sweden – whose energy dependency stood at 77 per cent at the beginning of the 1970s – found itself subject to severe rationing of oil and gas, meaning that, like the Monte Carlo, Rally Sweden had to be cancelled, too. The upshot was that the 1974 World Rally Championship only began in Portugal, in contrast to the F1 and Sportscar World Championships, which both went ahead as planned.

In 1984, home hero Stig Blomqvist achieved his seventh and last Rally Sweden success behind the wheel of his Audi Quattro A2, going on to clinch the Drivers’ crown the same year and enabling the Scandinavian country to celebrate its second world champion after Björn Waldegård in 1979. Indeed, Audis monopolised the top four places in Sweden in 1984, as Blomqvist led home Per Eklund, Michèle Mouton and Lasse Lampi. The result marked the German manufacturer’s fourth and final triumph at Rally Sweden.

In 1994, Rally Sweden did not feature on the world championship calendar. That meant the 43^rdedition of the event did not yield points towards either the main Drivers’ or Manufacturers’ classifications, counting solely for the 2-litre ‘Formula 2’ Championship. The Swedes remained masters of their own turf, however, with Thomas Radström winning outright in a Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD and Per Svan prevailing in the 2-litre class in an Opel Astra GSi 16V.

In 2004, there was astonishment in Värmland. For the first time in Rally Sweden’s 54-year existence, a Latin driver ascended the highest step of the rostrum. True, Sébastien Loeb took advantage of the dramas that afflicted his chief rivals Marcus Grönholm, Markko Martin and Petter Solberg, but the result nonetheless ensured that the Frenchman went down in history as the first non-Nordic driver to add his name to the event’s winners list, before compatriot Sébastien Ogier followed suit last year.

Since 1950, Swedish drivers have tallied 39 victories at Rally Sweden, with the rest shared between Finns (19), Frenchmen (two) and a Norwegian (one). So how about 2014? If history is anything to go by, something out-of-the-ordinary looks sure to happen...

Depuis la création du Championnat du monde des Rallyes en 1973, il sait toujours passé quelque chose de particulier les années en « 4 » au Rallye de Suède. A commencer par l’édition 1974 qui n’a pas eu lieu…

Créé en 1950, le Rallye de Suède – Minadttsolrally - était un rallye estival. Ce n’est qu’après 1964 que l’épreuve fut organisée en plein hiver dans les forêts du Värmland.

En 1973, la baisse simultanée du dollar et la Guerre du Kippour (6 au 24 octobre) ont provoqué le premier choc pétrolier. Entre fin octobre 1973 et janvier 1974, le prix du baril de pétrole a quadruplé. En France, le Premier ministre Pierre Messmer avait pris un arrêté interdisant le sport automobile. Cette interdiction fut levée par Jean-Marie Balestre, président de la FFSA, le 10 décembre, trop tard pour que le Rallye Monte-Carlo 1974 soit organisé.

La Suède, dont la dépendance énergétique atteignait 77% au début des années 1970, fut touchée par de sévères rationnements en pétrole et gaz. Comme le Monte-Carlo, le Rallye de Suède dut être annulé. Le Championnat du monde des Rallyes 1974 a donc débuté au Portugal, alors que les championnats mondiaux de F1 et de Voitures de Sport se sont déroulé normalement.

En 1984, le Suédois Stig Blomqvist a remporté son 7^e et dernier Rallye de Suède au volant de l’Audi Quattro A2 avant de décrocher le titre mondial cette même année. La Suède tenait son second Champion du monde après Bjorn Waldegard en 1979. Quatre Audi ont terminé aux quatre 1^ères places du Rallye de Suède 1984 avec Blomqvist, Per Eklund, Michèle Mouton et Lasse Lampi. Ce fut le 4^e et dernier triomphe d’Audi au Rallye de Suède.

En 1994, pas de Rallye de Suède au calendrier mondial. La 43^e édition du Rallye de Suède ne comptait ni pour le Championnat du monde Pilotes, ni pour le Championnat du monde Constructeurs, mais uniquement pour le Championnat 2-Litres. Les Suédois sont restés maîtres chez eux avec Thomas Radström, vainqueur du classement général sur une Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD, et Per Svan, vainqueur de la catégorie 2-Litres sur une Opel Astra GSi 16V.

En 2004, stupeur dans le Värmland. Pour la 1^ère fois depuis la création du Rallye de Suède en 1950, un Latin s’est imposé. Certes, Sébastien Loeb a profité des ennuis de ses rivaux Marcus Grönholm, Markko Martin et Petter Solberg, mais il restera dans l’histoire comme le 1^er non-nordique à inscrire son nom au palmarès, avant Sébastien Ogier l’an passé.

Depuis 1950, les Suédois ont remporté 39 victoires, les Finlandais 19, les Français 2 et les Norvégiens 1. Et 2014 ? Il va forcément se passer quelque chose d’historique !

5 forgotten facts about 1954

The debuts of the Mercedes ‘Gullwing’ and the Jaguar D-type meant that 1954 was a vintage year for motor cars – but as we discover here, there were also some wider-world happenings of interest taking place six decades ago…

Ernest Hemingway survives 2 plane crashes in as many days

Ernest Hemingway was blessed with an extraordinary writing ability, but his aviation fortunes were the polar opposite. During a trip to Africa in 1954, Hemingway’s plane crash-landed. The next day, he boarded another aircraft in search of medical help – only for it to explode on take-off. Incredibly, he survived this too, but the injuries he sustained (compounded by the burns he received in a bush fire later that year) attributed to the decline of his physical and mental health in later years.

Rock 'n' Roll is born

Many see 1954 as the dawn of the rock 'n' roll era, as it not only saw a young Elvis Presley make the transition from truck driver to worldwide superstar, but also the launch of the Fender Stratocaster. In addition, The Crows’ song ‘Gee’ – credited by genre authority Jay Warner as “the first rock 'n' roll hit by a rock 'n' roll band” – first charted in April, having been released a year earlier.

Godzilla: King of... the octopi?

Representing a metaphor for the nuclear weapons that were making the news at the time, Godzilla terrorised Japanese cinema-goers of 1954 (and a couple of years later, American audiences too). But it could all have been very different, had the special effects director had his way: rather than a reptile, he envisaged Godzilla as a giant octopus.

11 April 1954: The most boring day of the century

Back in 2010, Cambridge scientist William Tunstall-Pedoe fed a self-constructed computer programme three million newsworthy facts about ‘people, places, businesses and events’, and determined that 11 April 1954 was outstanding only for its insignificance. Bar a general election in Belgium and the birth of a Turkish academic named Abdullah Atalar, the date was said to be the most ‘exceptionally boring’ of the 20th Century, according to Tunstall-Pedoe.

Marilyn Monroe and 'that' dress

It was in 1954 that Marilyn Monroe and her ivory cocktail dress had their legendary ‘encounter’ with a ventilation grate. The image would not only prove to be one of the most memorable of the 20th Century, but also cause the disagreement with husband Joe DiMaggio that would eventually lead to their divorce later that year. In 2011, against an estimate of $1-2 million, the now-ecru dress fetched $5.6 million – thought to be a record price paid for an item of clothing.

Photos: Getty Images

A land of melting snow / Et fond la neige…

After the pristine wintry conditions that marked last week’s pre-event tests, positive temperatures in recent days have completely transformed the 2014 Rally Sweden landscape. The thermometer is expected to fluctuate between -2°C and +2°C this week.

This time last week, there were 40cm of snow as temperatures dipped to -10°C in the Hagfors region. Today, the different photos that can be seen on Facebook and Twitter reveal a distinct lack of the white stuff on the local gravel tracks. Indeed, during the 350km drive from Stockholm to Karlstad, we saw very little snow in the fields and, at 5pm today, the thermometer read 2°C as we arrived at Rally HQ in the brand new Congress & Culture Center (CCC) by the barely iced-over River Klarälven.

“’Torsby’ (SS2/7) and 'Kirkener' (SS3/5) are very muddy,” explained a Michelin technician after scouting the Norwegian part of the route today. “'Finnskogen' (SS4/6) is still fairly icy but the picture is changing very rapidly. There is talk of snow on Wednesday night but the weather should stay relatively mild and we could see rain on Friday and Saturday.” For the moment, however, the organisers don’t appear to be unduly worried…

It’s tough to predict what the ideal start position will be on Day 1 (Thursday) when competitors head for 62km of stages in Norway, without service. Could Sébastien Ogier – who will be first on the road – benefit from relatively good conditions? Or will he end up clearing a better line for his rivals? And in what state will the roads be for the second pass? The format of this year’s Rally Sweden features just 62km of competitive action on Day 1, but there will be almost twice that distance on Friday, and 142km on Saturday, so we could end up having an exciting finish…

Shakedown starts at 8am tomorrow (Wednesday) and will provide an initial idea of the pecking order. With Ogier, Latvala and Mikkelsen defending its colours, Volkswagen seems to be in a strong position, despite not having organised a test ahead of the season’s second round after its session in December. In contrast, Hyundai-Shell WRT followed up its week in 2013 with another two-day run at the beginning of the month.

Citroën-Total Abu Dhabi WRT also tested last week, with Kris Meeke and Mads Ostberg both on duty. The Briton, who has spent hours watching in-car footage of Loeb in Sweden, soon found his marks in the DS3 WRC and posted some promising times, while Mads Ostberg can hardly wait for the event to start…

In the M-Sport camp, four days of testing were planned for Hirvonen, Evans, Kubica and Ford privateers like Tidemand, Solberg and Tanak. After completing recce, Hirvonen described ‘Lesjofors’ and ‘Hara’ as impossible to drive. Meanwhile, it will be interesting to follow the battle between Solberg (16^th Rally Sweden start) and his son-in-law Tidemand, which will also be a fight between the WRC’s two most successful tyre manufacturers!

Les conditions étaient parfaites lors des tests la semaine passée, mais les températures positives de ces derniers jours ont complètement transformé les spéciales du Rallye de Suède 2014. Les prévisions annoncent entre -2°C et 2°C cette semaine.

Et dire qu’il y avait 40 cm de neige et -10°C la semaine dernière dans la région d’Hagfors…Aujourd’hui, les différentes photos postées sur Facebook et Twitter montrent des pistes en terre à peine enneigées. Sur les 350 km qui séparent Stockholm et Karsltad, nous avons vu que très peu de neige dans les champs bordant la E18. A 17h00, il faisait 2°C quand nous sommes arrivés au Rally HQ basé dans le tout nouveau « CCC » (Congress & Culture Center) qui se dresse sur les bords de la rivière Klarälven à peine glacée.

« Torsby (ES2/7) et Kirkener (ES3/5) sont même carrément boueuses », explique un technicien Michelin après avoir effectué les reconnaissances de la partie norvégienne aujourd’hui. « Finnskogen (ES4/6) était encore bien verglacée, mais les conditions changent très rapidement. On annonce des chutes de neige dans la nuit de mercredi à jeudi, mais les températures devraient rester douces et ça pourrait même virer à la pluie vendredi et samedi. » Pour l’heure, les organisateurs ne semblent pas inquiets…

Bien difficile de dire quelle position sera la meilleure le 1^er jour, une étape qui emmènera les concurrents en Norvège pour 62 km chronométrés sans assistance jeudi. Sébastien Ogier, qui ouvrira la route, va-t-il profiter de pistes encore praticables ? Ou au contraire, va-t-il faire la trace pour ses concurrents ? Et quel sera l’état des pistes au second passage ? Le découpage de ce Rallye de Suède 2014 est un peu particulier avec 62 km de spéciales le 1^er jour, près du double le 2^e jour et 142 km chronométrés samedi. Le suspense pourrait donc se prolonger...

Le Shakedown programmé demain à partir de 8h00 livrera un 1^er aperçu des forces en présence. Avec « Seb », « JML » et « Handsome One », l’équipe Volkswagen part bien armée. D’ailleurs, elle n’avait pas prévu d’essais supplémentaires avant cette 2^e manche de la saison, après ceux du mois de décembre dernier. Après une semaine d’essais fin 2013, l’équipe Hyundai-Shell WRT avait de son côté programmé deux jours supplémentaires début février.

Citroën-Total Abu Dhabi WRT était aussi en tests la semaine dernière avec Kris Meeke et Mads Ostberg. Le Britannique, qui a passé des heures à regarder des caméras embarquées de Loeb en Suède, a rapidement trouvé ses marques au volant de la DS3 WRC et signé des chronos très, très prometteurs. Quant à Mads Ostberg, il n’a jamais été aussi prêt…

Chez Ford, on avait prévu quatre jours de roulage pour Mikko, Elfyn, Robert et tous les « clients » ; Pontus Tidemand, Henning Solberg, Ott Tanak… A l’issue des reconnaissances, Mikko Hirvonen expliquait que les spéciales de Lesjofors et Hara étaient « inconduisibles ». On suivra avec attention le match entre Henning Solberg – 16^e participation – et son beau-fils Pontus Tidemand sur fond de bagarre entre les deux manufacturiers de pneumatiques les plus capés du WRC !

BLITZ R100 TRACKER

There are Boxer customs and then there are Blitz Boxer customs. Ubercool Parisians Fred & Hugo have not only mastered the art of taking BMWs agricultural workhorse and turning into a svelte streetbike, they’ve re-invented the phenomenon several times over, and blew us all away when they snuck a Honda tank, complete with Honda badge onto a BMW custom in the BMW museum. These guys have more front than Brighton.

Sticking a small, classic, Honda CB125s tank onto the chunky boxer frame and bulbous opposing twin transforms the bike from chunky heavyweight into a brawny Welterweight fighter, but the Blitz builds are not just about a tank-swap, it’s the whole stance, and the detail too.

The whole silhouette of the bike provides an old school scrambler vibe, with the flat seat and upswept, wide crosser style bars. The bike also looks skeletal and light, without the OEM Beemer toaster tank kissing the top of the engine cases and the curvy airbox or battery.

The wire spoked wheels are also a beautiful touch, although we have to confess we’re not sure where they’re from, but looking at the where the spokes attach to the rims they look like modern BMW tubeless rims.

The carbs run proper race style paper filters, which work a lot better than metal cones. The pipes are also very different from the usual fare in the cafe/custom scene, yes, they’re wrapped – in white – but the use of flared modern stubby end cans suits the stocky stance.

And on to the detail we mentioned… When you look closely, there are micro-switches, super minimal lighting, side-mounted instruments, and a modest little oil cooler, and there a tiny battery tucked under the slimline flat brat-style seat.

So our cards are on the table. We just subjectively like this bike. The Honda badge on the tiny tank will annoy all sorts of people, and some are just fed up with seeing another Boxer twin, but we think this build is the epitome of what this modern custom scene is all about; understated cool on a recycled bike that’s been turned from a plodding hairy work-horse to a handsome show-jumper. Some people won’t get it, but that’s a good thing, otherwise everyone will want one. Thanks to Fred & Hugo for the hi-res photos.