| Rally Sweden | |
| Status: | active |
| Genre: | motorsporting event |
| Date: | February |
| Frequency: | annual |
| Location: | Umeå, Västerbotten |
| Country: | Sweden |
The Rally Sweden (Swedish: Svenska rallyt), formerly the KAK-Rally, the International Swedish Rally, and later the Uddeholm Swedish Rally, is an automobile rally competition held in February in Värmland, Sweden and relocated to Umeå in 2022. First held in 1950, as a summer rally called the Rally to the Midnight Sun (Swedish: Midnattssolsrallyt) with start and finish at separate locations, seventeen years later both start and finish became located in Karlstad. The main service park is located in the town of Torsby, which is actually much closer to the special stages than Karlstad. The competition is spread out over three days with the start of the first part on Friday morning and the finish on Sunday afternoon.
In 1973 the rally was introduced to the World Rally Championship and started to get international attention; the Swedish Rally has been also traditionally the only rally held on snow. Like Rally Finland, this rally is known to be very difficult for non-Nordic drivers. The first driver to win the Swedish Rally who wasn't from Sweden or Finland was Frenchman Sébastien Loeb in 2004; Frenchman Sébastien Ogier was the second non-Nordic winner (with wins in 2013, 2015 and 2016), with Belgian Thierry Neuville and Estonian Ott Tänak also recording wins in 2018 and 2019 respectively.[1] [2] Spaniard Carlos Sainz finished second four times and third two times.
The rally has been cancelled three times; in 1974 due to the oil crisis, in 1990 because of the mild weather and in 2021 due to COVID-19 pandemic. The rally was also not held in 2009 due to the WRC's round rotation system. Weather continues to be a concern, as rising global temperatures reduce the likelihood of appropriately snowy conditions every year. The 2005 event was one of the warmest ever, turning many stages into mud and destroying the special studded snow tires used by the teams.
In 2021 it was announced that Rally Sweden would relocate to the northern Swedish city of Umeå after being held in the province of Värmland since its foundation. The primary reason for its relocation was that Umeå is considered a more snow safe region.[3]
| Rally name | Stages | Podium finishers | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Driver Co-driver | Team Car | Time | |||
| 1st International Swedish Rally 1950 | – | 1 |  BMW | – h : – m : – s | ||
| 2nd International Swedish Rally 1951 | – | 1 |  Talbot-Lago | – h : – m : – s | ||
| 3rd International Swedish Rally 1952 | – | 1 | Porsche | – h : – m : – s | ||
| 4th International Swedish Rally 1953 | – | 1 | Porsche | – h : – m : – s | ||
| 5th International Swedish Rally 1954 | – | 1 | Porsche | – h : – m : – s | ||
| 6th International Swedish Rally 1955 | – | 1 | Porsche | – h : – m : – s | ||
| 7th International Swedish Rally 1956 | – | 1 | Volkswagen | – h : – m : – s | ||
| 8th International Swedish Rally 1957 | – | 1 |  Volvo | – h : – m : – s | ||
| 9th International Swedish Rally 1958 | – | 1 | Volvo | – h : – m : – s | ||
| 10th International Swedish Rally 1959 | – | 1 | Saab 93 | – h : – m : – s | ||
| 11th International Swedish Rally 1960 | – | 1 | Saab | – h : – m : – s | ||
| 12th International Swedish Rally 1961 | – | 1 | Saab | – h : – m : – s | ||
| 13th International Swedish Rally 1962 | – | 1 | British Motor Corporation | – h : – m : – s | ||
| 14th International Swedish Rally 1963 | – | 1 | Porsche | – h : – m : – s | ||
| 15th International Swedish Rally 1964 | – | 1 | Volvo | – h : – m : – s | ||
| 16th International Swedish Rally 1965 | – | 1 | Volvo | – h : – m : – s | ||
| 17th International Swedish Rally 1966 | – | 1 | Saab | – h : – m : – s | ||
| 18th International Swedish Rally 1967 | – | 1 |  Ford | – h : – m : – s | ||
| 19th International Swedish Rally 1968 | – | 1 | Porsche | – h : – m : – s | ||
| 20th International Swedish Rally 1969 | – | 1 | Porsche 911 L | 13 h : 21 m : 42 s | ||
| Rally name | Stages | Podium finishers | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Driver Co-driver | Team Car | Time | |||
| 21st International Swedish Rally 11 to 15 February 1970 Round 2 of the International Championship for Manufacturers | 40 stages 1282 km | 1 | Porsche 911S | 12 h : 20 m : 50 s | ||
| 2 | Saab 96 V4 | 12 h : 44 m : 6 s | ||||
| 3 | Opel Kadett Rallye | 12 h : 59 m : 33 s | ||||
| 22nd International Swedish Rally 17 to 21 February 1971 Round 2 of the International Championship for Manufacturers | 39 stages | 1 | Saab 96 V4 | 8 h : 35 m : 29 s | ||
| 2 | BMW 2002 TI | 8 h : 40 m : 42 s | ||||
| 3 |  Lancia Fulvia 1.6 Coupé HF | 8 h : 41 m : 36 s | ||||
| 23rd International Swedish Rally 17 to 20 February 1972 Round 2 of the International Championship for Manufacturers | 37 stages 802 km | 1 | Saab 96 V4 | 7 h : 43 m : 28 s | ||
| 2 | Porsche 911S | 7 h : 47 m : 44 s | ||||
| 3 | Lancia Fulvia 1.6 Coupé HF | 7 h : 52 m : 32 s | ||||
| 24th International Swedish Rally 15 to 18 February 1973 Round 2 of the 1973 World Rally Championship | 36 stages 1800 km | 1 | Saab 96 V4 | 9 h : 18 m : 31 s | ||
| 2 | Saab 96 V4 | 9 h : 20 m : 53 s | ||||
| 3 | Alpine Renault A110 1800 | 9 h : 34 m : 12 s | ||||
| 1974 rally cancelled | ||||||
| 25th International Swedish Rally 13 to 15 February 1975 Round 2 of the 1975 World Rally Championship | 40 stages 800 km | 1 | Lancia Stratos HF | 7 h : 19 m : 46 s | ||
| 2 | Saab 96 V4 | 7 h : 21 m : 33 s | ||||
| 3 | Lancia Beta Coupé | 7 h : 31 m : 22 s | ||||
| 26th International Swedish Rally 20 to 22 February 1976 Round 2 of the 1976 World Rally Championship | 34 stages 722 km | 1 | Saab 96 V4 | 8 h : 8 m : 26 s | ||
| 2 | Saab 96 V4 | 8 h : 10 m : 2 s | ||||
| 3 | Opel Ascona | 8 h : 31 m : 10 s | ||||
| 27th International Swedish Rally 11 to 13 February 1977 Round 2 of the 1977 World Rally Championship Round 3 of the 1977 FIA Cup for Rally Drivers | 472 km | 1 | Saab 99 EMS | 8 h : 2 m : 17 s | ||
| 2 | Bror Danielsson Ulf Sundberg | Opel Kadett GT/E | 8 h : 8 m : 19 s | |||
| 3 | Opel Kadett GT/E | 8 h : 8 m : 32 s | ||||
| 28th International Swedish Rally 10 to 12 February 1978 Round 2 of the 1978 World Rally Championship Round 3 of the 1978 FIA Cup for Rally Drivers | 39 stages 615 km | 1 | Ford Escort RS1800 | 6 h : 42 m : 40 s | ||
| 2 | Ford Escort RS1800 | 6 h : 44 m : 8 s | ||||
| 3 | Fiat 131 Abarth | 6 h : 45 m : 26 s | ||||
| 29th International Swedish Rally 16 to 18 February 1979 Round 2 of the 1979 World Rally Championship | 38 stages 630 km | 1 | Saab 99 Turbo | 6 h : 34 m : 49 s | ||
| 2 | Ford Escort RS1800 | 6 h : 36 m : 9 s | ||||
| 3 | Vauxhall Chevette 2300 HS | 6 h : 39 m : 31 s | ||||
| 30th International Swedish Rally 15 to 17 February 1980 Round 2 of the 1980 World Rally Championship for Drivers | 29 stages 414.5 km | 1 | Opel Euro Handler Opel Ascona 400 | 4 h : 17 m : 52 s | ||
| 2 | Saab Scania Saab 99 Turbo | 4 h : 19 m : 22 s | ||||
| 3 | Fiat Sweden Fiat 131 Abarth | 4 h : 21 m : 39 s | ||||
| 31st International Swedish Rally 13 to 15 February 1981 Round 2 of the 1981 World Rally Championship for Drivers | stages km | 1 | Audi Sport Audi Quattro | 3 h : 48 m : 7 s | ||
| 2 | Rothmans Rally Team Ford Escort RS1800 | 3 h : 50 m : 0 s | ||||
| 3 | Rothmans Rally Team Ford Escort RS1800 | 3 h : 51 m : 47 s | ||||
| 32nd International Swedish Rally 12 to 14 February 1982 Round 2 of the 1982 World Rally Championship for Drivers | 25 stages 358 km | 1 | Audi Sport Sweden Audi Quattro | 3 h : 40 m : 15 s | ||
| 2 | David Sutton Motorsport Ford Escort RS1800 | 3 h : 42 m : 51 s | ||||
| 3 | Rothmans Opel Rally Team Opel Ascona 400 | 3 h : 44 m : 29 s | ||||
| 33rd International Swedish Rally 11 to 13 February 1983 Round 2 of the 1983 World Rally Championship for Drivers | 24 stages 466 km | 1 | Audi Sport Audi Quattro A1 | 4 h : 28 m : 47 s | ||
| 2 | Audi Sport Audi 80 Quattro | 4 h : 29 m : 34 s | ||||
| 3 |  Privateer Audi Quattro A1 | 4 h : 32 m : 51 s | ||||
| 34th International Swedish Rally 10 to 12 February 1984 Round 2 of the 1984 World Rally Championship for Drivers | 27 stages 450 km | 1 | Audi Sport Audi Quattro A2 | 4 h : 16 m : 45 s | ||
| 2 | Audi Sport Audi Quattro A2 | 4 h : 24 m : 12 s | ||||
| 3 | Clarion Audi Quattro A2 | 4 h : 33 m : 27 s | ||||
| 35th International Swedish Rally 15 to 17 February 1985 Round 2 of the 1985 World Rally Championship | 29 stages 505 km | 1 | Peugeot Talbot Sport Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 | 4 h : 38 m : 49 s | ||
| 2 | Audi Sport Audi Sport Quattro | 4 h : 40 m : 38 s | ||||
| 3 | Peugeot Talbot Sport Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 | 4 h : 42 m : 15 s | ||||
| Rally name | Stages | Podium finishers | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Driver Co-driver | Team Car | Time | |||
| 36th International Swedish Rally 14 to 16 February 1986 Round 2 of the 1986 World Rally Championship | 30 stages 558 km | 1 | Peugeot Talbot Sport Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 E2 | 5 h : 9 m : 19 s | ||
| 2 | Martini Lancia Lancia Delta S4 | 5 h : 11 m : 13 s | ||||
| 3 |  Ford Motor Company Ford RS200 | 5 h : 15 m : 35 s | ||||
| 37th International Swedish Rally 13 to 14 February 1987 Round 2 of the 1987 World Rally Championship | 26 stages 400.39 km | 1 |  Mazda Rally Team Europe Mazda 323 4WD | 4 h : 11 m : 0 s | ||
| 2 | Martini Lancia Lancia Delta HF 4WD | 4 h : 11 m : 23 s | ||||
| 3 | Martini Lancia Lancia Delta HF 4WD | 4 h : 12 m : 46 s | ||||
| 38th International Swedish Rally 4 to 6 February 1988 Round 2 of the 1988 World Rally Championship | 35 stages 491.96 km | 1 | Martini Lancia Lancia Delta HF 4WD | 5 h : 2 m : 31 s | ||
| 2 | Rallysport Sweden Ford Sierra XR 4x4 | 5 h : 4 m : 8 s | ||||
| 3 | Privateer Audi Coupé Quattro | 5 h : 10 m : 3 s | ||||
| 39th International Swedish Rally 6 to 8 January 1989 Round 1 of the 1989 World Rally Championship for Drivers | 37 stages 504.47 km | 1 | Mazda Rally Team Europe Mazda 323 4WD | 4 h : 58 m : 15 s | ||
| 2 | Clarion Team Europe Lancia Delta Integrale | 4 h : 59 m : 18 s | ||||
| 3 | Toyota Team Sweden Toyota Celica GT-Four ST165 | 4 h : 59 m : 57 s | ||||
| 40th International Swedish Rally 16 to 18 February 1991 Round 2 of the 1991 World Rally Championship for Drivers | 29 stages 520.01 km | 1 | Mitsubishi Ralliart Europe Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 | 4 h : 56 m : 16 s | ||
| 2 | Toyota Team Europe Toyota Celica GT-Four ST165 | 4 h : 56 m : 36 s | ||||
| 3 | Subaru Rally Team Europe Subaru Legacy RS | 4 h : 57 m : 20 s | ||||
| 41st International Swedish Rally to February 1992 Round 2 of the 1992 World Rally Championship for Drivers | stages km | 1 | Toyota Team Sweden Toyota Celica GT-Four ST165 | 5 h : 24 m : 37 s | ||
| 2 | Subaru Rally Team Europe Subaru Legacy RS | 5 h : 25 m : 16 s | ||||
| 3 | Nissan Motorsport Nissan Sunny GTI-R | 5 h : 26 m : 9 s | ||||
| 42nd International Swedish Rally 12 to 14 February 1993 Round 2 of the 1993 World Rally Championship | 28 stages 519.63 km | 1 | Toyota Castrol Team Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD | 4 h : 49 m : 5 s | ||
| 2 | Toyota Castrol Team Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD | 4 h : 49 m : 18 s | ||||
| 3 | 555 Subaru World Rally Team Subaru Legacy RS | 4 h : 49 m : 33 s | ||||
| 43rd International Swedish Rally 4 to 6 February 1994 Round 2 of the 1994 FIA 2-Litre World Rally Cup for Manufacturers | 24 stages 431 km | 1 | Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD | 4 h : 12 m : 0 s | ||
| 2 | Mazda 323 RTR | 4 h : 12 m : 12 s | ||||
| 3 | Ford Escort RS Cosworth | 4 h : 12 m : 16 s | ||||
| 44th International Swedish Rally 10 to 12 February 1995 Round 2 of the 1995 World Rally Championship Round 2 of the 1995 FIA 2-Litre World Rally Cup for Manufacturers | 25 stages 501 km | 1 | Team Mitsubishi Ralliart Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution II | 4 h : 51 m : 27 s | ||
| 2 | Team Mitsubishi Ralliart Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution II | 4 h : 51 m : 39 s | ||||
| 3 | Toyota Castrol Team Toyota Celica GT-Four ST205 | 4 h : 52 m : 34 s | ||||
| 45th International Swedish Rally 9 to 11 February 1996 Round 2 of the 1996 World Rally Championship | 27 stages 490.64 km | 1 | Team Mitsubishi Ralliart Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution III | 4 h : 37 m : 10 s | ||
| 2 | Ford Motor Company Ford Escort RS Cosworth | 4 h : 37 m : 33 s | ||||
| 3 | 555 Subaru World Rally Team Subaru Impreza 555 | 4 h : 38 m : 15 s | ||||
| 46th International Swedish Rally 7 to 10 February 1997 Round 2 of the 1997 World Rally Championship | 24 stages 413.45 km | 1 | 555 Subaru World Rally Team Subaru Impreza WRC 97 | 3 h : 51 m : 49 s | ||
| 2 | Ford Motor Company Ford Escort WRC | 3 h : 52 m : 5 s | ||||
| 3 | Team Mitsubishi Ralliart Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV | 3 h : 52 m : 15 s | ||||
| 47th International Swedish Rally 6 to 8 February 1998 Round 2 of the 1998 World Rally Championship | 19 stages 381.34 km | 1 | Team Mitsubishi Ralliart Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV | 3 h : 32 m : 51.6 s | ||
| 2 | Toyota Castrol Team Toyota Corolla WRC | 3 h : 33 m : 43.2 s | ||||
| 3 | Ford Motor Company Ford Escort WRC | 3 h : 33 m : 50.4 s | ||||
| 48th International Swedish Rally 12 to 14 February 1999 Round 2 of the 1999 World Rally Championship | 19 stages 384.3 km | 1 | Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI | 3 h : 29 m : 15.6 s | ||
| 2 | Toyota Castrol Team Toyota Corolla WRC | 3 h : 29 m : 33.7 s | ||||
| 3 | Ford Motor Company Ford Focus WRC | 3 h : 29 m : 53.4 s | ||||
| Wins | Drivers | |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Stig Blomqvist | |
| 5 | Marcus Grönholm, Björn Waldegård | |
| 4 | Jari-Matti Latvala | |
| 3 | Kenneth Eriksson, Tommi Mäkinen, Sébastien Ogier | |
| 2 | Arne Hertz, Mats Jonsson, Carl-Magnus Skogh, Bengt Söderström, Tom Trana, Mikko Hirvonen, Hannu Mikkola,  Ott Tänak | |
| 1 | Elfyn Evans, Sébastien Loeb,  Thierry Neuville --> |
| Wins | Manufacturers |
|---|---|
| 10 | Saab |
| 9 | Ford |
| 8 | Porsche |
| 6 | Peugeot, Toyota |
| 5 | Mitsubishi |
| 4 | |
| Audi, Volkswagen, Volvo | |
| 2 | Lancia, Mazda, Subaru, Hyundai |
| 1 | |
| BMC, BMW, Citroen, Hyundai, Opel, Talbot --> |
