New Sottozero Ice J1B tires from Pirelli successfully passed the test at the Sweden Rally

This year, the Rally Sweden moved north for the first time to a new base in Umeå and ran on super-fast stages that are among the quickest in the history of the championship: thanks also to the new generation of hybrid World Rally Cars, which boast increased torque.

Faced with such a severe test, the new Pirelli Sottozero Ice J1B tyres showed an unprecedented level of performance, with some of them exceeding an average speed of 130 km/h already during the shakedown.

Toyota driver Kalle Rovanperä, just 21 years old, took the lead on Saturday morning and then consolidated his advantage throughout the remaining stages, eventually finishing more than 20 seconds ahead of Hyundai's Thierry Neuville. Esapekka Lappi finished third on his Toyota debut.

The winning tyre

For Sweden, only one tyre was available in the top class of Rally1: the Pirelli Sottozero Ice J1B, which has 384 studs with tungsten tips protruding seven millimetres out of the tread pattern, specifically designed to clear loose snow and bite into the ice underneath.

This year, the tyre's sidewall was reinforced to match the characteristics of the new cars and guarantee optimal reliability. Throughout the 17 fast stages, not a single puncture was recorded, with the new tyres passing the toughest test at temperatures below -10°C.