Elfyn: There’s No Business Like Snow Business

By Paul Evans

In recent years, unseasonably warm weather has seen a lack of snow on the World Rally Championship’s only snow rally – but not this year, as months of wintry weather and freezing temperatures have paved the way for a classic Rally Sweden (16-18 February) – with high snow banks and a thick layer of ice setting the scene for another thrilling encounter.

Now it can get pretty cold in Dolgellau, but snow banks aren’t something Elfyn Evans has grown up with – although that’s the challenge the 29-year old Ford driver faces next weekend, as he tackles the event in a M-Sport World Rally Team Fiesta RS WRC.

He does have four-wheel drive and studded Michelin X-Ice North tyres to help him, but he and co-driver Daniel Barritt face a tough test against their many Scandinavian rivals.

And this year the Karlstad-based event sees the return of some of the classic Rally Sweden stages, some of which have not been used since 2013 – and having made his first of four appearances at Rally Sweden in 2014, these stages will be completely new to Elfyn.

But one signature stage remains a firm fans favourite – Vargåsen, which contains the legendary Colin’s Crest jump, where the record leap stands at a massive 45 metres.

This year, Evans will be looking to improve on their career-best sixth place he achieved in Sweden in both 2015 and 2017.

“Rally Sweden is an event that everyone looks forward to,” says Evans. “On a classic Rally Sweden, like what we’re expecting this year, we can reach incredible speeds and if you get it right it’s easily one of the most enjoyable rallies on the calendar.

“The feeling on snow isn’t a million miles away from driving on gravel, but there are certain techniques that we’ll need to adapt and it can take a bit of getting used to at first.

“Vision can often be a challenge, particularly if there is a lot of fresh snow making it difficult to read the road ahead. Our pacenotes and recce are going to have to be spot on, but we’re ready for it and really looking forward to it.

“There’s something of a score to settle after Monte where we were capable of achieving more than we did, so let’s see what we can do in Sweden.”