Torsby (Sweden) (AFP)

After his impressive crash at Monte Carlo in January, the Estonian Ott Tänak takes the wheel in competition during a version of the Rally of Sweden, second round of the WRC World Championship, further shortened on Wednesday due to the lack of snow and ice cream.

After the removal of eight stages last week, the opening super-stage at the Karlstad racetrack scheduled for Thursday evening has been canceled. The rally will therefore only start the next day, ending on Sunday if the weather permits.

Tänak and his co-pilot Martin Järveoja, who had left in barrels at more than 180 km / h to a sunken road at the end of January, have already had the opportunity to make their mark during a test session in the country .

They "are ready for the fight and to speak their rhythm where they imposed themselves last year," promises their Hyundai team.

"From the + Monte +, I feel better day by day, also assures the reigning world champion, whose spectacular accidents have long enamelled his career. We have learned a good lesson and now know that, each time we drive on a new section, we need to focus more than ever. "

The pair, who abandoned and therefore did not score any points during the first rally of 2020, will be keen not to be left behind in the driver classification by Thierry Neuville and Sébastien Ogier.

The Belgian from Hyundai, winner for the first time at Monte-Carlo this year, leads the way with 30 points, eight lengths ahead of the French from Toyota.

For the record, after Sébastien Loeb who paved the way for them in 2004, Ogier in 2013, 2015 and 2016, Neuville in 2018 and Tänak in 2019 are the only non-Nordic drivers to have won in Sweden!

- Lack of snow and ice -

For crews, the state of the roads is a big unknown. Snow and ice are indeed lacking, the fault of an abnormally mild weather which long threatened the holding of the event, confirmed on February 4 only.

The usually iced asphalt has given way to dirt on many parts of the route, not making it easier for studded tires to grip on open ground.

"I am not to ride in such conditions", storm besides Neuville Wednesday. "The danger is losing the nails after a few kilometers and ending up in places with traces of snow," he explains.

Ogier, who will start in second position behind the Belgian on Friday, tries to make him look good: "The conditions seem to be rather favorable for those who start in front (...), but we are going into unknown this weekend. "

"It will be a big challenge to get through without making any mistakes," he predicts.

- Short course -

As it stands, the route of the 2020 edition of the Rally Sweden has only ten specials instead of 19, or 169.74 km timed instead of 300, around Torsby (west-central Sweden).

The same three-stage loop between Sweden and neighboring Norway is on the program for the first two days Friday and Saturday, followed each time by a 2.8 km sprint. One of them (Nyckelvattnet, ES4 / 7) is new, another (Finnskogen, ES3 / 6) is on the menu for the first time since 2012.

On Sunday, a final SS will be run twice, the second, the Power Stage, offering bonus points in the driver classification.

Finally to note at Hyundai, the presence in the third car of the Irishman Craig Breen in place of the Frenchman Sébastien Loeb, the team and the latter having estimated that he was not in a position to bring back the maximum points in the title fight at the manufacturers.

Loeb took a disappointing sixth place in Monte Carlo. Second in Sweden in 2018 with Citroën, Breen contested two races with the South Korean brand last year (7th in Finland and 8th in Great Britain).

© 2020 AFP