"So, you have to commit and you have to have big balls, right?" Right. Rallying in a nutshell, right there. Drift pro Frederic Aasbø and Speedhunters caught up with WRC 2 driver Anders Grøndal before Rally Sweden and gave us the most mind-bendingly ridiculous ride-along footage I've ever seen.
They're in the Norwegian forest to throw down some practice runs in Grøndal's Citroen DS3 R5, and ohhh yesssss.
What was surprising to me (as a person who never really has to deal with ice or snow) was how Grøndal the grip is better with the studded ice and snow tires than it is on the gravel roads that stage rallies often use. This ride-along looks insanely quick because it is.
Even with that much grip, the driver still has to find that grip on the surface. Grøndal does enough lightning fast sawing at the wheel trying to keep the tires gripping the ice that he could cut down the entire forest. As a result, the car goes to green-and-white forest plaid, all while race car tuner Frank Siharath tries to tinker with his phone in the passenger seat.
I can't see the screen, but I really hope he's writing something like "HOLY CRAP, I'M PFDSAOSTING* FROM INSIDE A RALLY CAR!"
*typo from yump
Surprise #2: those snowbanks that you don't want to eat are useful for guiding the car along the stage, so long as it's the rear brushing up against them.
Enough talk. More insane rally footage. MORE.
Speedhunters has more of Grøndal's speed secrets and photos from the video shoot over here.