Andreas Mikkelsen fastest on Karlstad super special

Impressive drive, nothing else to say. The conditions were changing rapidly and the surface was all over the place with grip (grip you say?), but Andreas kept his cool and made full use of starting position and well tuned machinery. Not many drivers looked like they were out to push this evening, but Andreas did – maybe it’s just me, but it really looked like he was on the mission. I know he said his driving was a bit rusty, but you don’t actually take stage end comments seriously, do you?

Super special was just that, short blast full of traps and challenges. Luckily for us, even Mikko Hirvonen and Thierry Neuville managed to finish the stage and set competitive times. Real action begins tomorrow and who knows what kind of evil mixture of snow, ice and gravel Rally Sweden will throw at competitors. There are no huge gaps after this evening’s opening stage so brace yourself for some serious competition from the very first stage tomorrow. Starting positions could play a pretty important role, but just how important we can only guess.

Best thing about SS 1 of 2014 Rally Sweden. Well, Ott Tanak in third place, of course, and a nice mix of favourites vs. snow virgins. Come on, night, move over, we have a rally to enjoy!

Day 1 of Rally Sweden was also marked by a rather funny communication between two ex-team mates, Dani Sordo and Mikko Hirvonen. Apparently, Mikko felt… left out when Dani went on a cheering spree, cheering his team mates on. Luckily, Dani felt Mikko’s pain and made sure to tweet the instant consolation. Well done, Dani!

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