Sami Pajari and co-driver Marko Salminen will take the start on Thursday evening at one of the highlights of their season as the second round of the World Rally Championship gets under way in Umeå, Sweden. Following a downbeat opening to the year at Monte Carlo, the Finnish pairing arrive in Scandinavia intent on delivering a cleaner, more assured performance on terrain that traditionally plays to their strengths.
Regrettably, the opening weeks of the 2026 season have borne an uncomfortable resemblance to last year’s beginning for the Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT2 duo. As was the case twelve months ago, Monte Carlo ended prematurely with an off-road excursion. Consequently, their road position for Friday in Sweden once again places them slightly further back in the running order.
Last year, that advantageous start position was never fully exploited: a seemingly innocuous brush with a snowbank midway through only the second stage dislodged the left-rear tyre from the rim, extinguishing any realistic hopes of a top result. The rally ultimately concluded with seventh place, softened only by a handful of promising flashes of raw pace.
Nevertheless, confidence remains high as the team heads north—after all, this is very nearly a home event.
“Monte was a disappointment, but I’m expecting a much better rally in Sweden,” Pajari says. “It’s absolutely one of my favourite events. I’ve always enjoyed driving in winter conditions, which of course come quite naturally to Finnish drivers. When I first started my rally career, roughly half the season was contested on snow, so this rally feels very familiar and genuinely enjoyable. The snowbanks might be a little lower this year than in some seasons, but hopefully we’ll still get proper snow and ice conditions and be able to enjoy a true winter rally.”
Run from Thursday to Sunday, Rally Sweden features 18 special stages covering a total of 300.66 kilometres. For the fifth consecutive year, the event is centred around Umeå, with a route that largely mirrors previous editions. That said, several stages feature minor revisions, and the direction of a couple of tests has been reversed.
In line with the standard WRC format, shakedown takes place on Thursday morning, followed by the ceremonial start in the evening at the Red Barn Arena. This carnival-like venue will be visited no fewer than four times over the weekend via special stages. The opening test, Umeå, measures 10.29 kilometres, with the finish located within the Red Barn Arena complex itself.
On Friday, the route heads north and northeast from Umeå. The opening stage, Bygdsiljum (27.55 km), now begins with a newly added seven-kilometre section. This is followed by Andersvattnet (20.51 km), unchanged from last year, and Bäck (11.53 km), which gains a 700-metre detour through a narrower section mid-stage. After service in Umeå, the same loop is repeated, before the day concludes with the Umeå Sprint (5.7 km) beside the Red Barn Arena. Friday’s seven stages total 124.88 kilometres.
Saturday sends crews west of Umeå. The opening stage, Vännäs (15.7 km), remains virtually identical in length to last year. Sarsjöliden (16.72 km) has been extended by approximately 2.5 kilometres, with additional distance at the start, a slightly relocated finish, and a brief diversion from the main road around the six-kilometre mark.
The third stage, Kolksele (16.94 km), has been entirely reversed in direction, with the Pengfors motor-racing circuit now featuring at the very start and over a longer section than before. Following midday service in Umeå, the loop is repeated, before Saturday once again culminates with the Umeå Sprint in front of packed grandstands. In total, Saturday’s seven stages cover 104.42 kilometres.
The rally concludes on Sunday to the northeast of Umeå. Västervik (25.45 km) has been reversed in direction compared to previous years and is run twice in succession. The event then reaches its climax with the Power Stage, a second pass of Umeå (10.23 km), which also served as the rally’s opener. Appropriately, both the stage finish and the final podium are located at the Red Barn Arena. Sunday’s three stages amount to 61.13 kilometres.