The second round of the 2012 World Rally Championship after the opening race at Monte Carlo is the only event held on snow, which means that making predictions about the outcome of Rally Sweden is almost impossible.
In tests carried out before the race, some teams experienced freezing temperatures and most expected heavy snowfall during the event. However, during the race, there was much less snow than initially anticipated – and that was a game changer for most teams.
Citroen’s new signing, Mikko Hirvonen, put things into perspective before the beginning of the race: “I’ve seen the stages in better condition and I’ve seen them in worse condition. In the end, there’s no point debating it much, because there’s not a lot you can do.”
The Finn was right but he drove brilliantly to finish the race in second place, trailing Ford’s Jari-Matti Latvala by only 16.6 seconds. Two stages before the end of the race he was less than 8 seconds behind, having a chance at scoring his first victory for his new team at only his second race.
The driver who claimed third place, Mads Ostberg in the other Fiesta RS WRC, summed up Latvala’s win perfectly: “Mikko is quick in Sweden. But Jari-Matti is a bit crazy.”
Crazy or not, the winner joked afterwards that he needed “to get to hospital to check my heart rate… it’s incredible how exciting this sport can be.” It was Latvala’s second win in Sweden, and an effective morale-booster after retiring in Monte Carlo.
On the other hand, eight-time world champion Sebastien Loeb, who won the season opener, was never fond of snow. His accident on day one didn’t help much, either, but he managed to maintain his lead on the championship by finishing in sixth place.
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