The church gets behind Rally Sweden

5th February 2012

By Anthony Peacock

Next week's Rally Sweden has found an important new backer for this year's event – God.

In the most popular spectator areas, 'rally priests' will be on hand to "provide assistance in all possible situations and help create a good atmosphere," according to a statement from the organisers.

Not only that, but a rally chapel has also been nominated for the event. Services will be held at the Gustav Adolf church on Sunday 12 February, the last day of the rally. The church is located around seven miles from the finish of SS20 and SS23, Rammen.

Having tended to their spiritual and sporting needs, religious rally fans will also have their physical needs catered for, thanks to coffee and sandwiches dispensed at the church.

To celebrate the start of the rally, the Youth Choir of the main church in Hagfors – the location of the service area – will hold a concert on Thursday night called 'pit stop'.

An alliance between religion and motorsport is nothing new. The man who probably took it to the furthest extreme was French racing driver Claude Vorilhon: the self-styled 'world's fastest religious leader'. Vorilhon founded a cult in 1973 following a chance meeting with some extra-terrestrials in a volcanic crater, before moving on to contest the FIA GT Championship.