M-Sport Ford World Rally Team driver Pontus Tidemand says he has a “great feeling” ahead of his home event on Rally Sweden this weekend.
Tidemand, who made his current-generation WRC debut on Rallye Monte-Carlo last month has admitted he wants to show exactly what he can do in front of his home fans and is the only Swedish driver competing in the WRC this season.
Speaking ahead of the second round of the year, Tidemand said: “I’ve said all along that Rally Sweden is where I want to be competitive and on top performance. This is my home event, I know it very well and I have a great feeling about it this year.”
“I’m starting to feel very comfortable with the car and I already feel at home in the team. When we came to Monte-Carlo last month, more or less everything was new and it was all about learning. It will still be very demanding and challenging, and we will have to step up our game and quickly find a good rhythm that we can hopefully keep throughout the weekend.”
Tidemand testing for the M-Sport team. Photo Credit: M-Sport
He added: “To speed through the snowy forests and see all the fans, the bonfires and the Swedish flags waving is an amazing feeling that beats everything. And to know that I have family, friends and supporters out there really gives me a boost.”
“Rally Sweden is the highlight of my year – the big one that I always look forward to and I feel one hundred percent ready to take on the challenge of my home event. And what makes it even better is that I’m behind the wheel of the most amazing car I’ve ever driven.”
Tidemand did enter Rally Sweden in a WRC car back in 2015, but then moved to the WRC2 class for the last three seasons where he finished runner up in both 2016 and 2018 and won the championship in 2017 in a Skoda Fabia R5 before switching to a part-time campaign in the M-Sport Fiesta WRC for the 2019 season.
2019 Rally Sweden begins tomorrow and continues until Sunday February 17.
