A Natural Scandinavian Phenomenon!

The new Arctic Midnight Sun Rally (30 June - 13 July 2024) will celebrate the Midnight Sun as the natural phenomenon of the summer months within the Arctic Circle, when the sun remains visible at midnight, and remote gravel roads stay bathed in light, day and night.

Visiting sparsely populated areas of Sweden and Norway, the 14-day rally route will take competitors through a spectacular variety of landscapes which will open up great rally roads to traverse from Gothenburg to Oslo in a very indirect and enjoyable route.

It really is another world of exploration with vast archipelagos, mountain passes, forests, and Fjords emerging through the mist of time. WRC Rallying territory will be broached in a mix of heritage and myth – Trolls will be watching over the teams in one mountainous area - whilst in the most northernly route sector of Narvik, reached via Lapland, sunrise and sunset will collide.

What’s more, it will be a balanced blend of adventurous driving and competition with time to explore places like the UNESCO World Heritage site of Røros while also providing the chance to compete in special tests at some of the World’s most northerly motorsport facilities.

The man responsible for the organisation of this blue-coded Intermediate levelled rally, HERO-ERA Senior Event Manager Nick Reeves, has recently returned from his journey of discovery in Sweden and Norway and is full of enthusiasm for the rally in prospect after his recce.

Nick; “We are straight into the Swedish regions of Vastra then Varmland at the beginning of day one with their rolling fields and some interesting tarmac roads winding their way through the farming belt. The morning coffee halt is at the world-famous SAAB Museum, which is fascinating. They've got some great cars on display, I think they've even got chassis number two, which is quite something.

“It makes me think how modern some of those old SAABs actually look. But as motor sport enthusiasts, we will enjoy the link to their Competition Department with Erik Carlsson is etched deep into the company’s history. The memory of Carlsson, the Grandfather of Swedish and Scandinavian rallying with his amazing exploits in the two-stroke 850cc SAAB of the late 50’s and early 60’s will endure. But there is also reference to later successes when the company rallied V4 SAABs with the likes of the original ‘Stig’ in this case, Blomqvist, when he also won against the odds using that amazing Scandinavian driving skill.

“As we go north, we end up on the outskirts of the lovely city of Karlstad, which is famous for its links with Swedish rallies, the home of WRC Sweden for many years. On the edge of the city is the trotting track which was the site of the first special stage for Rally Sweden. So, we are not just travelling on the famous rally roads, but we also touch rally history in a few places!

“We will be indulging in our own mix of experiencing great driving roads and competition as we take the long linear route north the next day for four regularities before we get to our next halt, the city of Sundsvall.

“We then move further north on the third day. The rolling farmland gives way to more forestation, and the amount of gravel increases the further north we go which is great! It's a real mixture from tight twisty gravel roads, to almost flat-out motorway-style-like roads! But one thing that's common to both is the amazing surfaces.

“Of course, because of the nature of the event we do have to cover some long distances on the superb main Swedish road network and that's the case for any endurance event. Continuing north on day four, we have a couple of tests, one is at an amazing driving centre that we found on what was once a military airfield hidden in the trees. They have been really helpful, they are happy to open up their doors to us. We then have a couple more regularities followed by a test at the end of the day at what is known as the world’s most northerly kart track.

“By the end of day four, we will have actually crossed the Arctic Circle, which is quite special and offers a great photo opportunity, before we arrive in a town called Jokkmokk which as the name suggests, is an interesting and quirky little place! Now that we are inside the Arctic Circle, we really are in the land of the Midnight Sun!

“The next day is shorter, primarily because we're so far north now the amount of suitable roads that we can choose from is minimal. So, we start off with a couple of the regularities finishing in the town of Kiruna, it's a really interesting place in that the surrounding areas are all owned by the Swedish Government Mining Corporation - LKAB. Iron Ore extraction from what is the world’s biggest mine is now starting to undermine the city, so in 2014 work started to relocate the city 4 kms east to allow mining to continue.

“Effectively they are in the process of  moving a whole town! So, our main control will be in the new tourist office where the day will finish at lunchtime, leaving time to explore this new town and the surrounding area. After that, you're going through some remote territory on the route to the overnight halt but still, there’s still much to see and do. For example, there's a chair lift which takes you to a cafe on top of the mountain at the halfway point between Kiruna and Narvik, so if you want to split the journey it takes half an hour to go up and half an hour to come back down - but the views from the top of the Abisco Sky Station are fantastic!

“We have crossed into Norway now, but the change of scenery is instantaneous, you literally cross the border and you can tell you are in another country, everything is different, it’s more mountainous, more rugged.

“That takes us into Narvik where there's a rest day. Narvik has a lot of history, not just for the Second World War, it's the main port where all the iron ore from Kiruna (in Sweden) is exported and the 8,600 tonne iron ore trains are pretty legendary. If you’re still feeling adventurous and your itchy feet wont allow you to stay still for the day, you could consider visiting the very scenic Lofoten Islands.

“After our long journey north we are now heading south, and the nature of the route has changed to this mountainous and awesome rocky way. It also sees our first ferry trip of the event, for the Norwegians, ferries are part of the daily routine, but for Arctic Midnight Sun competitors they are new and interesting, they are also so efficient it is untrue!

“We will be crossing out of the Arctic Circle with a time control at the Arctic Circle Visitor Centre where the TC will issue an official visitor’s stamp on your time card and anywhere else you request. After this it’s a run down to another test before we arrive at a place called Mo I Rana an interesting little town.

“We move down to the city of Trondheim which many will have heard of, but the scenery on the way is simply stunning. We're starting to move into tunnel country now, the Norwegians are fantastic tunnellers, almost to excess. The thought of building bends and going around in circles in tunnels does not faze them at all, we even came across a number of roundabouts within tunnels along with ‘mood lighting’, and this is quite something!

“Day nine is designed as a short day so everybody can enjoy the World Heritage town of Røros. Arriving around lunchtime after a couple of regularities, the afternoon is free for crews to explore the place and there's a lot of history with an old Mining Museum and superb traditional Norwegian buildings.

“The next day is long, but it is rewarded at day’s end by a main time control that leads to the famous Atlantic Highway. I'm sure most people have seen pictures of the highway which is a five-mile section that links an archipelago with a number of amazing bridges. Siting the main time control where we have, allows crews to spend as much time as they like on the Atlantic Highway section. Before, getting there though, we will have the surreal experience of venturing through what they call the Atlantic Tunnel, which as the name suggests, ventures out under the sea and seems to go on forever!

“After the roller coaster bridges, we have an untimed run to the city of Molde for a night stop.

“Day 11 is a mixture of regularities and tourist activity because we find ourselves amongst lots of stunning scenery. There's another fun ferry crossing, a regularity and a coffee break before we encounter another Arctic Midnight Sun highlight - the world-famous Trollstigen or Troll Path! If you suffer from vertigo, then brace yourselves for the stunning scenery and multiple hairpins. It is a severe climb to the top.

“Once on top at the Visitor Centre you can try to catch your breath and open your eyes for long enough to take in some of the snaking road way below you.

“We've got a short regularity after the Trollstigen, then a ferry as we head towards the renowned  Geiranger Fjord.

“There’s a climb from the ferry but on the road dropping down the side of the mountain towards Geiranger and is an observation post where you can literally walk on air! You can walk out onto a platform with nothing underneath it, just the Fjord way below! If you see a cruise liner at the head of the Fjord, the remarkable fact is that it will be 110 kms from the ocean.

“At our lunch venue for the day there is a small museum as we get automotive again, there are probably half a dozen very unique cars inside, all from the area.

“Leaving lunch, we visit a Passage Control on the Dalsnibba mountain. Located at a height of 1,500m and reached by a toll road up and back, the viewing area features an iron grid floor above a 500m drop, quite a sensation but not for the feint hearted!

“One more regularity takes us to the evening halt at Sogndal on the shore of the mighty Sognefjord, the largest and deepest fjord in Norway. Then it’s day 12 where to allow for another early ferry crossing, a remote MTC will be located in the small town of Lærdalsoyri. The town have been really good to us and allowed us to park overlooking a lake in a scenic backdrop of the old village. The local mayor's office has helped us arrange it, and it should be a good photo opportunity.

“Then we’ve got a stunning mountain pass! Instead of taking the world's longest road tunnel, which is 24 ½ kms long, we're going up over the top of it! We are taking the old road which will be pretty rewarding and should also provide us with a fantastic regularity.

“We are in for a real treat as we drop down into Bergen and another stunning World Heritage Site. The world-renowned fisherman's cottages with their distinctive colours along the quayside will be recognisable to all, It's a very cosmopolitan city with lots of young people, lots of boats, and hopefully sunshine! It must be explored, so we have half a day to do just that, we are not leaving Bergen until 12:30 pm. Our quayside hotel is well situated so our teams can quite literally walk out of the door and they will be on the quayside or in the water!

“The afternoon run out from Bergen will incorporate a couple of regularities before we arrive at the ski resort of Geilo.

“That takes us to our penultimate evening before the final day which starts off with a test! There will be three regularities plus a very scenic run over the Vegglifjell  mountain road. After lunch there is one more regularity, so for the crews looking for top results there's a chance to win it or lose it before the inevitable increase in population and traffic as we head back towards Oslo and the finish.”

After 14 days, including one full rest day and two shorter ‘sightseeing days’, crews will have tackled 40 regularities and up to 6 tests over the course of the 5200 kms route. So it will be time for a well-earned break in a stunning hotel on the Oslo waterfront. The hotel is called ‘The Thief’ so those that may think they may have been robbed in the last regularity, this is the place for them!

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