The 2019 Rally Sweden (also known as the Rally Sweden 2019) () was a motor racing event for rally cars that was held over four days between 14 and 17 February 2019. It marked the sixty-seventh running of Rally Sweden and was the second round of the 2019 World Rally Championship. It was also the second round of the World Rally Championship-2 and the newly created WRC-2 Pro class, and the first round of the Junior World Rally Championship. The 2019 event was based in the town of Torsby in Värmland County and consists of nineteen special stages. The rally covered a total competitive distance of .
Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul were the defending rally winners. Their team, Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT, were the defending manufacturers' winners. Takamoto Katsuta and Marko Salminen were the defending winners in the World Rally Championship-2 category. Denis Rådström and Johan Johansson were the reigning World Rally Championship-3 and defending Junior World Rally Championship winners, but didn't defend their WRC-3 title as the category was discontinued in 2019.
Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja became the fourth non-Nordic crew to win the event. Their team, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT, were the manufacturers' winners. The Citroën Total crew of Mads Østberg and Torstein Eriksen took the victory in the WRC-2 Pro category, while Ole Christian Veiby and Jonas Andersson won the wider WRC-2 class, finishing first in the combined WRC-2 category. This marked the first R5 class victory in the WRC for the new Volkswagen Polo GTI R5. The first round of the J-WRC championship was taken by Tom Kristensson and Henrik Appelskog crew in their maiden appearances.
Jari-Matti Latvala surpassed the record for most starts in the history of the World Rally Championship with his 197th start. The previous record was set by Carlos Sainz, with 196 starts.
Background Championship standings prior to the event Defending world champions Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia entered the round with an eight-point lead over the defending rally winners Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul. Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja were third, a further four points behind. In the World Rally Championship for Manufacturers, Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT held a five-point lead over Citroën World Rally Team and the defending manufacturers' champions Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT.
In the newly created World Rally Championship-2 Pro standings, Gus Greensmith and Elliott Edmondson held a seven-point lead ahead of Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen in the drivers' and co-drivers' standings respectively. In the teams' championship, M-Sport Ford WRT led Škoda Motorsport by seven points.
In the World Rally Championship-2 standings, Yoann Bonato and Benjamin Boulloud led the drivers' and co-drivers' standings by seven points respectively. Adrien Fourmaux and Renaud Jamoul were second, with Ole Christian Veiby and Jonas Andersson in third in each standings, another slender three points behind.
Entry list The following crews were entered into the rally. The event was open to crews competing in the World Rally Championship, World Rally Championship-2 and WRC-2 Pro, the Junior World Rally Championship, and privateer entries not registered to score points in any championship. A total of sixty-two entries were received, with fourteen crews entered with World Rally Cars and twenty-three entered the World Rally Championship-2; of these, five were nominated to score points in the Pro class. A further thirteen entries were received for the Junior World Rally Championship. No. Driver Co-Driver Entrant Car Tyre World Rally Car entries 1 Sébastien Ogier Julien Ingrassia Citroën Total WRT Citroën C3 WRC 3 Teemu Suninen Marko Salminen M-Sport Ford WRT Ford Fiesta WRC 4 Esapekka Lappi Janne Ferm Citroën Total WRT Citroën C3 WRC 5 Kris Meeke Toyota Yaris WRC 7 Pontus Tidemand Ola Fløene M-Sport Ford WRT Ford Fiesta WRC 8 Ott Tänak Martin Järveoja Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota Yaris WRC 10 Jari-Matti Latvala Miikka Anttila Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota Yaris WRC 11 Thierry Neuville Nicolas Gilsoul Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 19 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT 33 Elfyn Evans M-Sport Ford WRT Ford Fiesta WRC 37 Lorenzo Bertelli Simone Scattolin M-Sport Ford WRT Ford Fiesta WRC 68 Marcus Grönholm Timo Rautiainen GRX Team Toyota Yaris WRC 89 Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 92 Janne Tuohino Mikko Markkula Janne Tuohino Ford Fiesta WRC World Rally Championship-2 Pro entries 21 Mads Østberg Torstein Eriksen Citroën Total Citroën C3 R5 25 Kalle Rovanperä Jonne Halttunen Škoda Motorsport Škoda Fabia R5 26 Eerik Pietarinen Juhana Raitanen Škoda Motorsport Škoda Fabia R5 34 Gus Greensmith Elliott Edmondson M-Sport Ford WRT Ford Fiesta R5 35 Łukasz Pieniążek Kamil Heller M-Sport Ford WRT Ford Fiesta R5 World Rally Championship-2 entries 41 Takamoto Katsuta Daniel Barritt Takamoto Katsuta Ford Fiesta R5 42 Ole Christian Veiby Jonas Andersson Ole Christian Veiby 43 Henning Solberg Ilka Minor Henning Solberg Škoda Fabia R5 44 Nikolay Gryazin Yaroslav Fedorov Nikolay Gryazin Škoda Fabia R5 45 Emil Bergkvist Patrik Barth Emil Bergkvist Ford Fiesta R5 46 Jari Huttunen Antti Linnaketo Jari Huttunen Škoda Fabia R5 47 Stig Rune Skjærmoen Johan Kristoffersson Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 48 Emil Lindholm Mikael Korhonen Emil Lindholm Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 49 Martin Berglund Joakim Gevert Martin Berglund Škoda Fabia R5 50 Patrik Flodin Göran Bergsten Patrik Flodin Škoda Fabia R5 51 Mattias Monelius Nicklas Edvardsson Mattias Monelius Škoda Fabia R5 52 Anton Eriksson Lars Andersson Anton Eriksson Škoda Fabia R5 53 Lars Stugemo Kalle Lexe Lars Stugemo Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 54 Joakim Roman Joakim Roman Škoda Fabia R5 55 Rhys Yates James Morgan Rhys Yates Škoda Fabia R5 56 Tamara Molinaro Lorenzo Granai Tamara Molinaro Citroën C3 R5 57 Yigit Timur Maxime Vilmot Yigit Timur Škoda Fabia R5 93 Eyvind Brynildsen Veronica Engan Eyvind Brynildsen Škoda Fabia R5 Junior World Rally Championship entries 71 Dennis Rådström Johan Johansson Dennis Rådström Ford Fiesta R2 72 Ken Torn Kuldar Sikk OT Racing Ford Fiesta R2 73 Julius Tannert Helmar Hinneberg ADAC Sachsen Ford Fiesta R2 74 Tom Kristensson Henrik Appelskog Tom Kristensson Ford Fiesta R2 75 Roland Poom Ken Järveoja Roland Poom Ford Fiesta R2 76 Mārtiņš Sesks Krišjānis Caune Ford Fiesta R2 77 Tom Williams Phil Hall Tom Williams Ford Fiesta R2 78 Jan Solans Mauro Barreiro Rally Team Spain Ford Fiesta R2 79 Raul Badiu Gabriel Lazar Raul Badiu Ford Fiesta R2 80 Nico Knacker Tobias Braun ADAC Weiser-Ems Ford Fiesta R2 81 Enrico Oldrati Elia De Guio Enrico Oldrati Ford Fiesta R2 82 Fabrizio Zaldívar Fernando Mussano Fabrizio Zaldívar Ford Fiesta R2 83 Sean Johnston Alex Kihurani Sean Johnston Ford Fiesta R2 Other Major Entries 104 Adrien Fourmaux Renaud Jamoul Adrien Fourmaux Ford Fiesta R2 Source:
Route The route of the 2019 rally is made up of in competitive stages, some longer than the 2018 event. The Rämmen stage will return replace the Torntorp stage. Rämmen is due to be run as SS9 and SS12 and will run in the opposite direction to previous years.
Itinerary
All dates and times are CET (UTC+1). Date Time No. Stage name Distance 14 February 9:00 — Skalla [Shakedown] 6.86 km Leg 1 — 139.31 km 14 February 20:08 SS1 Karlstad SSS 1 1.90 km 15 February 7:55 SS2 Hof-Finnskog 1 21.26 km 9:08 SS3 Svullrya 1 24.88 km 9:59 SS4 Röjden 1 18.10 km 13:54 SS5 Hof-Finnskog 2 21.26 km 15:17 SS6 Svullrya 2 24.88 km 16:08 SS7 Röjden 2 18.10 km 17:04 SS8 Torsby 1 8.93 km Leg 2 — 126.18 km 16 February 7:44 SS9 Rämmen 1 23.13 km 8:35 SS10 Hagfors 1 23.40 km 9:37 SS11 Vargåsen 1 14.21 km 13:02 SS12 Rämmen 2 23.13 km 13:53 SS13 Hagfors 2 23.40 km 15:08 SS14 Vargåsen 2 14.21 km 17:45 SS15 Karlstad SSS 2 1.90 km 19:30 SS16 Torsby Sprint 2.80 km Leg 3 — 51.31 km 7:50 SS16 Likenäs 1 21.19 km 9:51 SS17 Likenäs 2 21.19 km 12:18 SS18 8.93 km Source:
Report World Rally Cars Being first on the road meant Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia have to endure changeable conditions and unpredictable grip. As it turned out, it is highly risky. The six-time World Champions went off the road on Svullrya and stuck in the snowbank, which forced them to retire from the first leg. The other major victim was Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila crew, who went wide over a crest on the final stage of Friday and cost them nearly twenty-four minutes to get unstuck. They chose to run under Rally2 regulation so that they reduced the time loss to ten minutes.
The second leg of the rally appeared to be a total disaster for Teemu Suninen and Marko Salminen. Having led a rally for the first time ever, they beached their Fiesta at a left-hand corner, which dropped them down to eighth. Worse still, at the afternoon loop, they hit a tree and damaged their roll cage, which forced them to retire from the day. Following the retirement of Suninen and Salminen, Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja were comfortable in the lead.
Eventually, The Estonian crew comfortably took their first snow-surfaced rally victory. With the win, they led in both the drivers' and co-drivers' standings for the first time ever in their career by seven points. Their team, defending manufacturers' champions Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT also led the championship by one point. Esapekka Lappi and Janne Ferm crew managed to keep themselves ahead of Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul with just a three seconds of advantage.
Classification Position Driver Entrant Car Time Points Event Class Event Stage 1 1 8 Ott Tänak Martin Järveoja Toyota Yaris WRC 2:47:30.0 0.0 25 5 2 2 4 Esapekka Lappi Janne Ferm Citroën Total WRT Citroën C3 WRC 2:48:23.7 +53.7 18 1 3 3 11 Thierry Neuville Nicolas Gilsoul 2:48:26.7 +56.7 15 4 4 4 89 Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 2:48:35.4 +1:05.4 12 0 5 5 33 Elfyn Evans Scott Martin M-Sport Ford WRT Ford Fiesta WRC 2:48:38.2 +1:08.2 10 3 6 6 5 Kris Meeke Sebastian Marshall Toyota Yaris WRC 2:49:08.8 +1:38.8 8 0 7 7 19 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena 2:49:19.7 +1:49.7 6 0 8 8 7 Ola Fløene M-Sport Ford WRT Ford Fiesta WRC 2:51:07.7 +3:37.7 4 0 21 9 10 Miikka Anttila Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota Yaris WRC 3:02:14.4 +14:44.4 0 0 23 10 3 Teemu Suninen Marko Salminen M-Sport Ford WRT Ford Fiesta WRC 3:03:54.5 +16:24.5 0 0 29 11 1 Sébastien Ogier Julien Ingrassia Citroën Total WRT Citroën C3 WRC 3:11:49.0 +24:19.0 0 2
Special stages Date No. Stage name Distance Winners Car Time Class leaders 14 February — Skalla [Shakedown] 6.86 km Neuville / Gilsoul Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 4:05.0 SS1 Karlstad SSS 1 1.90 km Neuville / Gilsoul Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 1:34.9 Neuville / Gilsoul 15 February SS2 Hof-Finnskog 1 21.26 km Tänak / Järveoja Toyota Yaris WRC 10:09.1 Tänak / Järveoja SS3 Svullrya 1 24.88 km Suninen / Salminen Ford Fiesta WRC 12:47.0 SS4 Röjden 1 18.10 km Tänak / Järveoja Toyota Yaris WRC 8:42.5 SS5 Hof-Finnskog 2 21.26 km Evans / Martin Ford Fiesta WRC 10:02.8 Latvala / Anttila SS6 Svullrya 2 24.88 km Suninen / Salminen Ford Fiesta WRC 12:43.9 Suninen / Salminen SS7 Röjden 2 18.10 km Evans / Martin Ford Fiesta WRC 10:02.8 SS8 Torsby 1 8.93 kmLappi / Ferm Citroën C3 WRC 5:50.0 16 February SS9 Rämmen 1 23.13 km Latvala / Anttila Toyota Yaris WRC 11:23.1 Tänak / Järveoja SS10 Hagfors 1 23.40 km Ogier / Ingrassia Citroën C3 WRC 12:33.1 SS11 Vargåsen 1 14.21 km Ogier / Ingrassia Citroën C3 WRC 8:14.9 SS12 Rämmen 2 23.13 km Tänak / Järveoja Toyota Yaris WRC 11:21.4 SS13 Hagfors 2 23.40 km Tänak / Järveoja Toyota Yaris WRC 12:36.8 SS14 Vargåsen 2 14.21 km Ogier / Ingrassia Citroën C3 WRC 8:20.1 SS15 Karlstad SSS 2 1.90 km Tänak / Järveoja Toyota Yaris WRC 1:36.0 SS16 Torsby Sprint 2.80 km Neuville / Gilsoul Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 1:56.8 SS17 Likenäs 1 21.19 km Latvala / Anttila Toyota Yaris WRC 11:06.3 SS18 Likenäs 2 21.19 km Evans / Martin Ford Fiesta WRC 11:22.0 SS19 8.93 km Tänak / Järveoja Toyota Yaris WRC 5:15.1
Championship standings