The new WRC season gets underway in Sweden this weekend. Eager for a little headstart, we asked Swedish Red Bull driver Patrik Sandell who obliged with some inside information.
The 28-year-old Swede, who will be contesting the rally in a Skoda Fabia Super 2000, is competing in his home event for the fifth time this year…
It’s all about the snowbanks
"The snowbanks in Sweden are not just there to look pretty and form a winter wonderland. Drivers can ‘lean’ on them in order to push their cars round corners, a bit like a pinball machine or bobsleigh run. It’s a delicate balance though, as if you lean on them too hard, you simply go crashing through the snowbank and get stuck for a painful amount of time. Use with caution."
What a stud
"The snow tyres we use in Sweden are each covered in about 300 tiny studs that slice through the snow and bite into the ice below. Those small titanium tipped studs make the difference between setting a meaningful stage time and a trip into the scenery. So it’s vital to make sure that as many of them as possible stay in the tyre rather than become detached from heavy use. Look after your tyres and they will look after you."
Avoid cold feet
"With temperatures that often dip below minus 20 degrees centigrade, it’s really important to have the correct equipment to make sure that everything stays warm and functional. So some drivers even have battery-operated socks, which are basically like electric blankets for feet. The only thing is that the battery packs, which sit around your ankles, get in the way of the pedals on the stage so you have to take them off. But on the road sections and in the service park, they mean that you avoid frostbite!"
'Some drivers even have battery-operated socks'
Dig for victory
"There’s one bit of equipment essential for Sweden that we don’t carry anywhere else: a shovel. If you’re stuck in a snowbank – which can unfortunately happen quite often – there’s only one way out and that’s by digging. Some cars even carry two shovels so the driver and co-driver can both dig at the same time. In order to keep the weight down, the shovels are quite high-tech items, made from really light but strong materials."
Make the car dance
"A bit like Rally New Zealand, with its flowing cambers, Rally Sweden is all about rhythm. You have to find a really good feeling with the car so that it dances from corner to corner: there’s no point in pushing it. Overdriving is not the answer. Last year I felt that I wasn’t really getting the best out of the car, so this year I’m hoping for much more."
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Citroën Sport Photos
Citroën Sport Photos
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