Intense battle at Swedish ERC rally – one contender drops out

Norwegian drivers claimed a double lead in the gravel rally during the final stage of Friday morning’s loop. Eyvind Brynildsen currently holds the top spot, while Mads Østberg jumped into second after setting the fastest time on the second run through the Värmskog stage.

“The tyres were really bad at the start of the stage. There’s no point holding back – you just have to wear them out completely,” Østberg smiled.

“It was a decent stage for us. I lost the line a couple of times, but I think I saw some spectators smiling as I passed – so that’s a good thing,” the cheerful Norwegian veteran added.

Østberg is now just 1.2 seconds behind Brynildsen overall. Brynildsen, driving a Toyota Rally2, has clearly been enjoying the fast stages.

“It’s a great fight – I’m enjoying it so much. The last time I was in the car was in January, so I’m just here to enjoy. I’m living the dream,” he beamed.

Local hero Isak Reiersen sits third overall on home soil, ahead of Norway’s Frank Tore Larsen. The top four are separated by only four seconds.

British driver Philip Allen dropped out of the lead battle on stage five. Running in fifth at the time, Allen went off the road and was forced to retire from the rally.

Finland’s Roope Korhonen improved his position on the second run of Värmskog, setting the third-fastest time and climbing to fifth overall. He now trails the leader by exactly eight seconds.

“We’re trying to push, but the pace isn’t quite where we want it to be. We need to make some changes,” said the Toyota driver.

Four more stages are still to be run on Friday afternoon at the Royal Rally of Scandinavia. The rally concludes on Saturday.

Standings after SS5/17 – Royal Rally of Scandinavia: