Never has the WRC journeyed as far north in Sweden. So while the snow and ice-covered roads near host city Umeå are known to national championship contenders, everything is new to the current generation of WRC stars.
The city lies more than 600km up the east coast from capital Stockholm and the roads in the frozen and remote forests of the Västerbotten region are reported to be ultra-fast – even more so than those of the event’s previous home in Värmland.
After Thursday night’s start ceremony in Umeå, Friday’s leg journeys north for two loops of three speed tests, split by service in the city.
First up is Kroksjö (14.98km). It is followed by Kamsjön (27.81km), the rally’s most northerly stage, and finally Sävar (17.28km), the second pass of which will be driven in darkness.
The day closes with Umeå Sprint (5.53km), which ends in the 30,000-capacity Red Barn Arena within walking distance of the city centre. The 1.5km arena includes jumps and sweeping hairpins and will be attended by royal rally fan Prince Carl Philip.
The seven tests total 125.67km – the longest day of the event.
Saturday morning features runs through Brattby (10.49km) and Långed (19.49km), to the west of the city, but Örträsk, which was due to split the two stages, has been removed from the schedule to protect reindeer movements.
The loop ends with Umeå (11.17km), a longer version of the previous night’s stage which again ends in the arena.
The three stages are repeated in the afternoon after service, taking the day’s tally to 82.30km.
Four stages north-west of Umeå form Sunday’s finale. Vindeln (14.19km) and Sarsjöliden (14.23km) are driven twice, with the closing test forming the bonus points-paying Wolf Power Stage. The quartet add up to 56.84km.
The 17 stages cover 264.81km in a total route of 1223.22 km.
• Full coverage from Rally Sweden will be available on WRC+ All Live here, including every stage broadcast as it happens as well as key interviews, features and expert analysis from the service park.
* The video was produced before the removal of the Örträsk stage from the itinerary
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