Today, Thursday 12 February, Rally Sweden gets underway in Umeå with shakedown, the ceremonial start and SS1 at the centrally located Red Barn Arena. Swedish driver Mille Johansson, 20, and co-driver Johan Grönvall are on site to begin their first WRC2 event together with M-Sport Ford World Rally Team.
Reigning FIA Junior WRC Champions Johansson and Grönvall have been rewarded with a four-round programme in the WRC2 category – the second-highest class of the FIA World Rally Championship – driving a Ford Fiesta Rally2 run by M-Sport. In addition to the four prize events earned through their Junior WRC title, further plans for their 2026 WRC2 campaign will be announced at a later stage.
The home event in Sweden marks Mille and Johan’s first rally of the season and one of the clear highlights of their calendar.
“It’s incredibly exciting to start the season here in Umeå, and it will be interesting to see where we stand. It’s a big step up to WRC2 with many experienced drivers in the class, and of course a new car for us,” says Mille.
“It will be a challenging rally, especially with the limited snow this year. The lines will be different and faster compared to what we’re used to up here. The roads will be straighter,” adds Johan.
Johansson and Grönvall completed a two-day test ahead of the rally to familiarise themselves with their new Ford Fiesta Rally2.
“The car feels good. We covered around 200 kilometres during the test. It felt strong from the start, but we’ve made some adjustments to suit my driving style. Hopefully we can be right there and fight at the front,” Mille continues.
The WRC2 field features 27 entries at Rally Sweden, where Mille and Johan will face strong opposition from a Finnish quartet consisting of experienced Mikko Heikkilä, Lauri Joona, Teemu Sunninen and Roope Korhonen, as well as last year’s Junior WRC title rival Taylor Gill.
Johansson and Grönvall are one of three Swedish crews entered in WRC2, alongside Isak Reiersen/Stefan Gustavsson and Adam Grahn/Christoffer Bäck.
Expectations are high heading into the season opener on home soil.
“We’re going for the podium,” Mille concludes.
“The podium is our only goal this weekend,” Johan adds.
Rally Sweden is based in Umeå and begins on Thursday 12 February with the opening stage at Red Barn Arena. Friday features six stages north of Umeå before returning to the arena in the evening. On Saturday, the action moves west towards Vännäs for seven more stages, before the rally concludes on Sunday with three stages and the finish ceremony at the arena.
The event consists of 18 special stages covering approximately 300 kilometres of competitive distance.