Only an oil embargo, a warm winter and two shots at a rotation policy have been enough to keep Sweden off the World Rally Championship roster, and on only four occasions since 1973. It’s that tradition that has motivated Hyundai Motorsport boss Andrea Adamo to call for the event to remain on the calendar for next season.
In last week’s most recent running of Rally Sweden, local temperatures above freezing meant just nine of the scheduled 19 stages took place, as much of the route was without the snow and ice required for the mandatory studded tires.
And during the truncated rally, FIA president Jean Todt made it clear that future snow-less championship rounds in Sweden would not be tolerated. “Clearly the Swedish Rally, the way it is, it has to be on snow,” he told DirtFish.
Amid talk of moving the WRC’s winter rally elsewhere – with some discussion of looking to include a second Finnish event on the calendar in the shape of January’s Rovaniemi-based Arctic Rally – Adamo said a Swedish inclusion remained key moving forward.
Asked for his view on the warm conditions which almost cost the WRC 2020 schedule its second round of the season last week, Adamo told DirtFish, “I’m sure we can find a place where it is snowing somewhere in Sweden for this weekend. And I’m sure we can find somewhere with some hotels where we can stay.
“I think it will be great to stay in Sweden – I’m the older guy and I love some tradition. Staying in Sweden is a nice thing to do. Of course life is about a compromise, but I’m sure we can find a way to make this happen, but not with the long road sections – I hate long road sections.”
Staying in Sweden but avoiding long road sections would mean moving north and out of the event’s hometown since 2017, Torsby.
