Elfyn Evans fended off a determined charge from Toyota GAZOO Racing team-mate Takamoto Katsuta on Sunday to secure victory at Rally Sweden and move into the FIA World Rally Championship lead.
After four days of intense action on Umeå’s frozen stages, Evans delivered when it mattered most – shutting the door on Katsuta in a dramatic final-day shootout to claim his 10th career WRC win by 3.8sec.
Starting Sunday with a razor-thin 3.0sec advantage, the Welshman briefly lost the lead as Katsuta came out firing, producing a 7.5sec stage win on Västervik’s opening run. But Evans and co-driver Scott Martin were quick to respond.
They fought back in style on the repeated run that followed, setting the benchmark time to reclaim control by 3.7sec before hammering home their advantage with a commanding drive through the rally-ending Wolf Power Stage – sealing victory as Katsuta held off Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville, who finished 11.9sec back from the top spot in third.
The result moved Evans to the top of the FIA World Rally Championship standings with a lead of 28 points after two of 14 rounds, building on his runner-up finish at the season-opening Rallye Monte-Carlo last month.
“It’s been a very good weekend, but I made life very difficult for myself on that first stage this morning. At least it focused the mind. We had a good run over the last couple of stages and obviously we’re very happy with the end result.”
Evans smiled
“Championship-wise, it’s been a very good start. Obviously, it’s very early days but I don’t think you could wish for much better than this.”
Neuville, the reigning champion, had to work hard to secure the final podium spot, fending off resurgent team-mate Ott Tänak by just 4.9sec. Tänak, hindered by an engine mapping issue on his i20 N Rally1 on Saturday, was back to form for Super Sunday and third only to Evans and Katsuta in outright pace across the final day.
Two-time WRC champion Kalle Rovanperä endured a frustrating weekend, struggling to find his usual rhythm. The Toyota star claimed just one stage win across the rally’s 18 tests and ultimately trailed Tänak by 16.0sec as he settled for fifth place.
Mārtiņš Sesks delivered a solid performance on his WRC return, securing sixth place as M-Sport Ford’s top finisher. The Latvian ended the rally 17.6sec ahead of Toyota’s Sami Pajari, while Josh McErlean – who had been running eighth – slid down the order after getting his Puma Rally1 stuck in a snowbank on the first stage of the day.
Grégoire Munster inherited eighth from team-mate McErlean as WRC2 frontrunners Oliver Solberg and Roope Korhonen completed the top 10.
The FIA World Rally Championship heads to Africa next for the legendary Safari Rally Kenya, round three of the season, from 20 – 23 March.
Rally Sweden Results:
1. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris 2h 33m 39.2s
2. T Katsuta / A Johnston JPN Toyota GR Yaris +3.8s
3. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N +11.9s
4. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 N +16.8s
5. K Rovanperä / J Halttunen FIN Toyota GR Yaris +32.8s
6. M Sesks / R Francis LVA Ford Puma +2m 9.4s
Drivers’ Championship Standings (After Round 2 of 14):
1. E Evans 61pts
2. S Ogier 33pts
3. K Rovanperä 31pts
Manufacturers’ Championship Standings (After Round 2 of 14):
1. Toyota GAZOO Racing WRT 120pts
2. Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT 72pts
3. M-Sport Ford WRT 25pts
The World Rally Championship (WRC) is the FIA’s premium rally series. It showcases high-performance cars and the world’s best drivers competing in dramatic surroundings, ranging from Sweden’s freezing winter to Kenya’s heat and rocky tracks. Participants battle for drivers’ and manufacturers’ titles at 14 rallies. More information can be found at www.wrc.com.