The 2020 Rally Sweden (also known as the Rally Sweden 2020) (Swedish: Svenska Rallyt 2020) was a motor racing event for rally cars that was held over four days between 13 and 16 February 2020.[2] It marked the sixty-eighth running of Rally Sweden and was the second round of the 2020 World Rally Championship, World Rally Championship-2 and World Rally Championship-3. It was also the first round of the Junior World Rally Championship. The 2020 event was based in the town of Torsby in Värmland County and consists of eleven special stages. The rally was scheduled to cover a total competitive distance of 301.26 km (187.19 mi),[3] but was shortened to 171.64 km (106.65 mi) due to a lack of snow.[1]
| 2020 Rally Sweden 68. Rally Sweden | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Round 2 of 7 in the 2020 World Rally Championship
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.jpg) A lack of snow forced the rally to be shortened. | |||
| Host country |  Sweden | ||
| Rally base | Torsby, Värmland | ||
| Dates run | 13 – 16 February 2020 | ||
| Start location | Karlstad trotting track, Karlstad | ||
| Finish location | Torsby, Värmland | ||
| Stages | 10 (169.74 km; 105.47 miles)[1][a] | ||
| Stage surface | Snow | ||
| Transport distance | 643.83 km (400.06 miles) | ||
| Overall distance | 815.47 km (506.71 miles) | ||
| Statistics | |||
| Crews registered | 55 | ||
| Crews | 46 at start, 42 at finish | ||
| Overall results | |||
| Overall winner |  Elfyn Evans Scott Martin Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT1:11:43.1 | ||
| Power Stage winner |  Kalle Rovanperä Jonne Halttunen Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT10:55.1 | ||
| Support category results | |||
| WRC-2 winner |  Mads Østberg Torstein Eriksen PH-Sport1:15:53.1 | ||
| WRC-3 winner | Jari Huttunen Mikko Lukka 1:15:46.1 | ||
| J-WRC winner | Tom Kristensson Joakim Sjöberg Tom Kristensson Motorsport 1:22:51.3 | ||
Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja were the defending rally winners. Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT, the team they drove for in 2019, were the defending manufacturers' winners.[4] Mads Østberg and Torstein Eriksen were the defending winners in the World Rally Championship-2 category.[5][b] Ole Christian Veiby and Jonas Andersson were the reigning World Rally Championship-3 winners, but are not defending their WRC-3 title as they joined the WRC-2 category in 2020.[5][c] Tom Kristensson and Henrik Appelskog were the defending winners in the Junior World Rally Championship.[6]
Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin were the overall winners of the rally, winning the Rally Sweden for the first time. Their team, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT, were the manufacturers' winners.[7] Mads Østberg and Torstein Eriksen successfully defended their titles in the WRC-2 category.[8] Jari Huttunen and Mikko Lukka were the winners in the WRC-3 category, while Tom Kristensson and Henrik Appelskog won the junior class.[9][10]
Background edit
Championship standings prior to the event edit
Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul entered the round with an eight-point lead over the six-time world champions Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia. Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin were third, a further five points behind. In the World Rally Championship for Manufacturers, defending manufacturers' champions Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT held a two-point lead over Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT, followed by M-Sport Ford WRT.
In the World Rally Championship-2 standings, Mads Østberg and Torstein Eriksen held a seven-point lead ahead of Adrien Fourmaux and Renaud Jamoul in the drivers' and co-drivers' standings respectively, with Nikolay Gryazin and Yaroslav Fedorov in third. In the manufacturer' championship, M-Sport Ford WRT led PH-Sport by five points.
In the World Rally Championship-3 standings, Eric Camilli and François-Xavier Buresi led the drivers' and co-drivers' standings by seven points respectively. Nicolas Ciamin and Yannick Roche were second, with Yoann Bonato and Benjamin Boulloud in third in both standings, a further three points behind.
Entry list edit
The following crews were entered into the rally. The event was open to crews competing in the World Rally Championship, its support categories, the World Rally Championship-2, World Rally Championship-3, and Junior World Rally Championship and privateer entries that were not registered to score points in any championship. Fifty-five entries were received, with eleven crews entered in World Rally Cars, six Group R5 cars entered in the World Rally Championship-2, sixteen in the World Rally Championship-3. A further sixteen crews were entered in the Junior World Rally Championship in Ford Fiesta R2s.
Route edit
The brand-new 18.94 km (11.77 mi) Nyckelvattnet stage was introduced into the rally. The Finnskogen stage, which runs across the border in Norway, returned to the itinerary.[12] The Svullrya, Röjden and Rämmen stages, which were featured in the 2019 rally,[13] were not included in the 2020 route.
The route was heavily revised in the week before the rally. Eight stages were cancelled due to unseasonably light snowfall in the region; tyre supplier Pirelli provided teams with studded tyres designed for driving on snow and ice, but without the expected snowfalls, the winter studs would be unable to properly grip the road surface. The changes to the route saw the second leg of the rally cancelled and the first leg split in two and run over separate days.
Original itinerary editAll dates and times are CET (UTC+1).
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Revised itinerary editAll dates and times are CET (UTC+1).
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Report edit
World Rally Cars edit
Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin broke clear in the lead to win the rally.[7] Defending world champions Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja inherited second after Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen dropping vital seconds when he stalled his engine in the final test of Friday. Jari-Matti Latvala made his championship return with ex-driver Juho Hänninen, but they retired from the rally due to mechanical issue.[14]
Classification edit
Special stages edit
| Date | No. | Stage name | Distance | Winners | Car | Time | Class leaders |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 February | — | Skalla [Shakedown 1] | 7.21 km | Rovanperä / Halttunen | Toyota Yaris WRC | 3:57.7 | — |
| — | Karlstad SSS [Shakedown 2] | 1.90 km | Latvala / Hänninen | Toyota Yaris WRC | 1:26.1 | ||
| 14 February | SS1 | Hof-Finnskog 1 | 21.26 km | Evans / Martin | Toyota Yaris WRC | 9:43.9 | Evans / Martin |
| SS2 | Finnskogen 1 | 20.68 km | Tänak / Järveoja | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 10:13.4 | ||
| SS3 | Nyckelvattnet 1 | 18.94 km | Evans / Martin | Toyota Yaris WRC | 9:02.9 | ||
| SS4 | Torsby Sprint 1 | 2.80 km | Tänak / Järveoja | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 1:42.4 | ||
| 15 February | SS5 | Hof-Finnskog 2 | 21.26 km | Evans / Martin | Toyota Yaris WRC | 9:25.2 | |
| SS6 | Finnskogen 2 | 20.68 km | Evans / Martin | Toyota Yaris WRC | 9:53.7 | ||
| SS7 | Nyckelvattnet 2 | 18.94 km | Evans / Martin | Toyota Yaris WRC | 8:53.1 | ||
| SS8 | Torsby Sprint 2 | 2.80 km | Neuville / Gilsoul | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 1:42.4 | ||
| 16 February | SS9 | Likenäs 1 | 21.19 km | Stage cancelled | |||
| SS10 | Likenäs 2 [Power Stage] | 21.19 km | Rovanperä / Halttunen | Toyota Yaris WRC | 10:55.1 | Evans / Martin | |
Championship standings edit
| Pos. | Drivers' championships | Co-drivers' championships | Manufacturers' championships | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Move | Driver | Points | Move | Co-driver | Points | Move | Manufacturer | Points | ||||
| 1 |  2
|
Elfyn Evans | 42 | 2
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Scott Martin | 42 | 1
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Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT | 73 | |||
| 2 |  1
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Thierry Neuville | 42 | 1
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Nicolas Gilsoul | 42 | 1
|
Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT | 63 | |||
| 3 | 1
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Sébastien Ogier | 37 | 1
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Julien Ingrassia | 37 | 
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M-Sport Ford WRT | 40 | |||
| 4 | 1
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Kalle Rovanperä | 30 | 1
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Jonne Halttunen | 30 | ||||||
| 5 | 1
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Esapekka Lappi | 24 | 1
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Janne Ferm | 24 | ||||||
World Rally Championship-2 edit
Ole Christian Veiby and Jonas Andersson took an early lead, but Mads Østberg and Torstein Eriksen gained the top spot after they overcame brake issues to win the class.[15][8]
Classification edit
| Position | No. | Driver | Co-driver | Entrant | Car | Time | Difference | Points | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | Class | Class | Event | |||||||
| 12 | 1 | 20 | Mads Østberg | Torstein Eriksen | PH-Sport | Citroën C3 R5 | 1:15:53.1 | +23.4 | 25 | 0 |
| 13 | 2 | 22 | Ole Christian Veiby | Jonas Andersson | Hyundai Motorsport N | Hyundai i20 R5 | 1:16:16.5 | +23.4 | 18 | 0 |
| 15 | 3 | 25 | Pontus Tidemand | Patrick Barth | Toksport WRT | Škoda Fabia R5 Evo | 1:16:30.8 | +37.7 | 15 | 0 |
| 18 | 4 | 23 | Adrien Fourmaux | Renaud Jamoul | M-Sport Ford WRT | Ford Fiesta R5 Mk. II | 1:18:59.6 | +3:06.5 | 12 | 0 |
| 19 | 5 | 24 | Rhys Yates | James Morgan | M-Sport Ford WRT | Ford Fiesta R5 Mk. II | 1:19:07.3 | +3:14.2 | 10 | 0 |
| 21 | 6 | 21 | Nikolay Gryazin | Yaroslav Fedorov | Hyundai Motorsport N | Hyundai i20 R5 | 1:20:03.7 | +4:10.6 | 8 | 0 |
Special stages edit
| Date | No. | Stage name | Distance | Winners | Car | Time | Class leaders |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 February | — | Skalla [Shakedown 1] | 7.21 km | Østberg / Eriksen | Citroën C3 R5 | 4:16.1 | — |
| — | Karlstad SSS [Shakedown 2] | 1.90 km | Tidemand / Barth | Škoda Fabia R5 Evo | 1:31.0 | ||
| 14 February | SS1 | Hof-Finnskog 1 | 21.26 km | Veiby / Andersson | Hyundai i20 R5 | 10:14.5 | Veiby / Andersson |
| SS2 | Finnskogen 1 | 20.68 km | Østberg / Eriksen | Citroën C3 R5 | 10:48.2 | Østberg / Eriksen | |
| SS3 | Nyckelvattnet 1 | 18.94 km | Østberg / Eriksen | Citroën C3 R5 | 9:38.1 | ||
| SS4 | Torsby Sprint 1 | 2.80 km | Østberg / Eriksen | Citroën C3 R5 | 1:46.6 | ||
| 15 February | SS5 | Hof-Finnskog 2 | 21.26 km | Veiby / Andersson | Hyundai i20 R5 | 10:03.2 | |
| SS6 | Finnskogen 2 | 20.68 km | Østberg / Eriksen | Citroën C3 R5 | 10:30.8 | ||
| SS7 | Nyckelvattnet 2 | 18.94 km | Østberg / Eriksen | Citroën C3 R5 | 9:25.5 | ||
| SS8 | Torsby Sprint 2 | 2.80 km | Østberg / Eriksen | Citroën C3 R5 | 1:46.8 | ||
| 16 February | SS9 | Likenäs 1 | 21.19 km | Stage cancelled | |||
| SS10 | Likenäs 2 | 21.19 km | Østberg / Eriksen | Citroën C3 R5 | 11:29.2 | Østberg / Eriksen | |
Championship standings edit
| Pos. | Drivers' championships | Co-drivers' championships | Manufacturers' championships | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Move | Driver | Points | Move | Co-driver | Points | Move | Manufacturer | Points | ||||
| 1 |
|
Mads Østberg | 50 |
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Torstein Eriksen | 50 |
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M-Sport Ford WRT | 52 | |||
| 2 |
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Adrien Fourmaux | 30 |
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Renaud Jamoul | 30 |
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PH-Sport | 50 | |||
| 3 |
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Nikolay Gryazin | 23 |
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Yaroslav Fedorov | 23 |
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Hyundai Motorsport N | 41 | |||
| 4 |
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Rhys Yates | 22 |
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James Morgan | 22 | Toksport WRT | 15 | ||||
| 5 |
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Ole Christian Veiby | 18 |
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Jonas Andersson | 18 | ||||||
World Rally Championship-3 edit
Emil Lindholm and Mikael Korhonen led WRC-3 after a trouble-free run, but they lost their lead to the eventual category winners Jari Huttunen and Mikko Lukka.[9] Roland Poom and Ken Järveoja retired from the rally with a big accident.[16]
Classification edit
Special stages edit
| Date | No. | Stage name | Distance | Winners | Car | Time | Class leaders |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 February | — | Skalla [Shakedown 1] | 7.21 km | Huttunen / Lukka | Hyundai i20 R5 | 4:15.2 | — |
| — | Karlstad SSS [Shakedown 2] | 1.90 km | Kristoffersson / Skjærmoen | Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 | 1:30.4 | ||
| 14 February | SS1 | Hof-Finnskog 1 | 21.26 km | Lindholm / Korhonen | Škoda Fabia R5 Evo | 10:21.3 | Lindholm / Korhonen |
| SS2 | Finnskogen 1 | 20.68 km | Lindholm / Korhonen | Škoda Fabia R5 Evo | 10:47.1 | ||
| SS3 | Nyckelvattnet 1 | 18.94 km | Lindholm / Korhonen | Škoda Fabia R5 Evo | 9:33.6 | ||
| SS4 | Torsby Sprint 1 | 2.80 km | Huttunen / Lukka | Hyundai i20 R5 | 1:46.2 | ||
| 15 February | SS5 | Hof-Finnskog 2 | 21.26 km | Solberg / Johnston | Škoda Fabia R5 Evo | 10:04.1 | |
| SS6 | Finnskogen 2 | 20.68 km | Huttunen / Lukka | Hyundai i20 R5 | 10:26.9 | ||
| SS7 | Nyckelvattnet 2 | 18.94 km | Huttunen / Lukka | Hyundai i20 R5 | 9:21.5 | Huttunen / Lukka | |
| SS8 | Torsby Sprint 2 | 2.80 km | Huttunen / Lukka | Hyundai i20 R5 | 1:46.4 | ||
| 16 February | SS9 | Likenäs 1 | 21.19 km | Stage cancelled | |||
| SS10 | Likenäs 2 | 21.19 km | Kristoffersson / Skjærmoen | Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 | 11:26.8 | Huttunen / Lukka | |
Championship standings edit
| Pos. | Drivers' championships | Co-drivers' championships | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Move | Driver | Points | Move | Co-driver | Points | |||
| 1 |
|
Eric Camilli | 25 |
|
François-Xavier Buresi | 25 | ||
| 2 | Jari Huttunen | 25 | Mikko Lukka | 25 | ||||
| 3 | 1
|
Nicolas Ciamin | 18 | 1
|
Yannick Roche | 18 | ||
| 4 | Emil Lindholm | 18 | Mikael Korhonen | 18 | ||||
| 5 | 2
|
Yoann Bonato | 15 | 2
|
Benjamin Boulloud | 15 | ||
Junior World Rally Championship edit
Tom Kristensson and Joakim Sjöberg held a healthy lead throughout the rally to seal the win.[10] Jon Armstrong and Noel O'Sullivan suffered a horrible high-speed crash, but they both walked away unharmed.[17]
Classification edit
Special stages edit
| Date | No. | Stage name | Distance | Winners | Car | Time | Class leaders |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 February | — | Skalla [Shakedown 1] | 7.21 km | Sesks / Francis | Ford Fiesta R2 | 4:45.6 | — |
| — | Karlstad SSS [Shakedown 2] | 1.90 km | Kristensson / Sjöberg | Ford Fiesta R2 | 1:41.0 | ||
| 14 February | SS1 | Hof-Finnskog 1 | 21.26 km | Kristensson / Sjöberg | Ford Fiesta R2 | 11:09.3 | Kristensson / Sjöberg |
| SS2 | Finnskogen 1 | 20.68 km | Kristensson / Sjöberg | Ford Fiesta R2 | 11:46.1 | ||
| SS3 | Nyckelvattnet 1 | 18.94 km | Sesks / Francis | Ford Fiesta R2 | 10:31.2 | ||
| SS4 | Torsby Sprint 1 | 2.80 km | Baidu / Lazar | Ford Fiesta R2 | 1:58.0 | ||
| 15 February | SS5 | Hof-Finnskog 2 | 21.26 km | Kristensson / Sjöberg | Ford Fiesta R2 | 10:45.6 | |
| SS6 | Finnskogen 2 | 20.68 km | Lönnström / Gustavsson | Ford Fiesta R2 | 11:29.5 | ||
| SS7 | Nyckelvattnet 2 | 18.94 km | Pajari / Salminen | Ford Fiesta R2 | 10:11.0 | ||
| SS8 | Torsby Sprint 2 | 2.80 km | Pajari / Salminen | Ford Fiesta R2 | 2:01.6 | ||
| 16 February | SS9 | Likenäs 1 | 21.19 km | Stage cancelled | |||
| SS10 | Likenäs 2 | 21.19 km | Lönnström / Gustavsson | Ford Fiesta R2 | 12:40.0 | Kristensson / Sjöberg | |
Championship standings edit
| Pos. | Drivers' championships | Co-drivers' championships | Nations' championships | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Move | Driver | Points | Move | Co-driver | Points | Move | Country | Points | ||||
| 1 | Tom Kristensson | 28 | Joakim Sjöberg | 28 | Sweden
|
25 | ||||||
| 2 | Mārtiņš Sesks | 19 | Renars Francis | 19 |  Latvia
|
18 | ||||||
| 3 | Ken Torn | 15 | Kauri Pannas | 15 |  Estonia
|
15 | ||||||
| 4 | Sami Pajari | 13 | Marko Salminen | 13 | Finland
|
12 | ||||||
| 5 | Raul Baidu | 12 | Gabriel Lazar | 12 |  Romania
|
10 | ||||||
Notes edit
- ^ The route of Rally Sweden was shortened from 301.26 km over 19 stages to 11 stages totalling 171.64 km. The route was shortened due to a lack of snow.[1]
- ^ The championship was known as the World Rally Championship-2 Pro in 2019.
- ^ The championship was known as the World Rally Championship-2 in 2019.
- ^ Entry supported by Citroën World Rally Team.
- ^ a b Entry prepared by RedGrey Rally Team.
- ^ a b Entry operated by TGS Worldwide.
- ^ Entry supported by Škoda Motorsport.
- ^ Entry operated by ACCR Czech Rally Team.
- ^ Entry operated by Palmeirinha Rally.
- ^ The stage was changed to Shakedown before the rally began.
References edit
- ^ a b c "Green light for Rally Sweden". rallysweden.com. Rally Sweden. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
- ^ Herrero, Daniel (27 September 2019). "Australia drops off WRC calendar in 2020". speedcafe.com. Speedcafe. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
- ^ a b c "The race". rallysweden.com. Rally Sweden. Archived from the original on 30 January 2019. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
- ^ "Sunday in Sweden:Victory for ice-cool Tänak". wrc.com. WRC. 17 February 2019. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
- ^ a b "WRC 2 in Sweden:Østberg seals Pro win". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 17 February 2019. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
- ^ "Junior WRC in Sweden:Tom's debut delight". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 17 February 2019. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
- ^ a b "Evans completes Rally Sweden". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 16 February 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
- ^ a b "Sunday in Sweden: Østberg seals WRC 2 victory". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 16 February 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
- ^ a b "Sunday in Sweden: Huttunen triumphs in WRC 3". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 16 February 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
- ^ a b "Sunday in Sweden: Tom tops junior standings". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 16 February 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
- ^ "Rally Sweden 2020 Entry List" (PDF). rallysweden.com. Rally Sweden. 27 January 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
- ^ "What's new for 2020". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. Archived from the original on 27 January 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
- ^ "The race". rallysweden.com. Rally Sweden. Archived from the original on 30 January 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
- ^ "Evans breaks clear to lead Rally Sweden". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 14 February 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
- ^ "Friday in Sweden: Østberg leads WRC 2". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 14 February 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
- ^ "Friday in Sweden: Lindholm on top in WRC 3". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 14 February 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
- ^ "Junior WRC driver Armstrong unhurt in high-speed crash". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 14 February 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
External links edit
- Official website (in Swedish and English)
- 2020 Rally Sweden at ewrc-results.com
- The official website of the World Rally Championship