Pontus Tidemand ready for gravel premiere in the Swedish Championship
This weekend it’s time for the first gravel rally in the Swedish Championship when South Swedish Rally kicks off on Friday. Pontus Tidemand and Ola Fløene will continue focusing on training for the next JWRC rally and will participate in the two wheel drive class in a Ford Fiesta R2.
Pontus continues the Swedish Championship season in a Ford Fiesta R2.
South Swedish Rally runs for the thirty eight time and is a classic in the Swedish Championship. It’s based in the city Tingsryd with the service area at Tingsryd’s horse track. The rally consists of 16 special stages that stretches over two days and all stages are driven on gravel, except Friday’s last spectator stage, which mainly is driven on tarmac.
Pontus started the Swedish Championship season in a Ford Fiesta WRC to get some training prior to the WRC debut in Rally Sweden and is currently tied for the four wheel drive lead. With backing from EVEN Management and Tätab, the goal is now to win JWRC and therefore focus is set to getting as many kilometers as possible in a similar car. That means that Pontus and co-driver Ola Fløene now participates in the two wheel drive class with Team Tätab’s Ford Fiesta R2, the same car that they won the two wheel drive class with in Rally Sørland a couple of weeks ago.
“Our intention is to get training for JWRC and this time it’s perfect as the next JWRC rally in Greece is only two weeks away”, says Pontus.
Other participants in the same class are the class leaders Mattias Adielsson and Mattias Olsson as well as Fredrik Åhlin, who finished second after Pontus in Rally Sørland and competed against him in last year’s WRC Academy. In addition to the Swedes, there are also interesting names from neighbouring countries with Anders Kjaer and Frank Tore Larsen from Norway and Kalle Pinomäki from Finland.
“We had a very good time in the car in the last race and made a lot of progress. We’re hoping for an equally good weekend now, but most importantly is every kilometer training we can get before Greece”, finishes Pontus.
Live results can be found here.
Rally radio (only in Swedish) here.
Time schedule South Swedish Rally 2013
Friday 10 May
| SS1 | Fågelboda 1 – 6,40 km | 03:18 pm |
| SS2 | Bjällerhult 1 – 10,83 km | 03:36 pm |
| SS3 | Jönsamåla 1 – 6,41 km | 04:04 pm |
| SS4 | Fågelboda 2 – 6,40 km | 06:07 pm |
| SS5 | Bjällerhult 2 – 10,83 km | 06:25 pm |
| SS6 | Jönsamåla 2 – 6,41 km | 06:53 pm |
| SS7 | Tingsryd 1 – 2,50 km | 07:46 pm |
| SS8 | Tingsryd 2 – 2,50 km | 08:39 pm |
Saturday 11 May
| SS9 | Sibbahult 1 – 18,50 km | 09:08 am |
| SS10 | Kråksjö 1 – 11,60 km | 09:46 am |
| SS11 | Trällebo 1 – 6,07 km | 10:14 am |
| SS12 | Vrångebo 1 – 15,00 km | 10:57 am |
| SS13 | Sibbahult 2 – 18,50 km | 01:35 pm |
| SS14 | Kråksjö 2 – 11,60 km | 02:13 pm |
| SS15 | Trällebo 2 – 6,07 km | 02.41 pm |
| SS16 | Vrångebo 2 – 15,00 km | 03:24 pm |