Melting snow and ice threatened the season’s only pure winter rally as frozen roads turned to soft, muddy gravel. Studded tyres are compulsory in the recce and the rally, but the thaw prompted fears the spikes would damage the roads and make them unusable. However, organisers submitted a revised route to teams this morning with the 21 scheduled stages reduced to 13, and the competitive distance cut from 331.21km to 241.48km. While temperatures in the rally region are hovering at 4˚C today, colder weather is forecast later in the week. Overnight temperatures are set to plunge to -11˚C around Hagfors, where much of the action is based, and organisers are hopeful further cuts will not be...
Full Story »