Elfyn Evans showcased remarkable skill and resilience as he clinched victory at Rally Sweden, holding off a strong challenge from his Toyota GAZOO Racing teammate, Takamoto Katsuta. This triumph has propelled Evans to the forefront of the FIA World Rally Championship standings.
Spanning four exhilarating days on Umeå’s icy routes, Evans proved his mettle. The contest culminated in a nail-biting showdown on the final day, where he narrowly edged out Katsuta by just 3.8 seconds, marking his 10th career win in the WRC.
Beginning Sunday with a slim 3.0-second lead, Evans briefly fell behind as Katsuta charged ahead, taking a 7.5-second victory in the opening stage at Västervik. However, Evans, along with co-driver Scott Martin, swiftly regained momentum. Reclaiming the lead in the following repeated run, they extended their advantage with a dominant performance in the decisive Wolf Power Stage, ensuring Evans’s victory. Katsuta managed to fend off Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville, who finished third, 11.9 seconds off the pace.
This win catapulted Evans to the top of the WRC standings, with a 28-point lead after two of the 14 rounds, building on his solid start at the season-opener in Monte Carlo.
Neuville, last season’s champion, fought hard for his third-place finish, closely pursued by his teammate Ott Tänak, who finished just 4.9 seconds behind. Tänak faced technical issues on Saturday but was back on form for the final day’s challenge, running closest to Evans and Katsuta.
Kalle Rovanperä, twice a WRC champion, struggled to find his rhythm. He secured only one stage victory over the 18 stages and finished fifth, trailing Tänak by 16.0 seconds.
Mārtiņš Sesks made a notable return, claiming sixth as the top finisher for M-Sport Ford, ending the rally 17.6 seconds ahead of Toyota’s Sami Pajari. Josh McErlean, who was running eighth, saw his position slip after his Puma Rally1 got stuck in a snowbank during the day’s first stage, allowing Grégoire Munster to move up to eighth.
Sweden saw Oliver Solberg deliver an impressive performance, capturing his third consecutive WRC2 win in ninth place overall. Solberg dominated, as he masterfully maneuvered his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 through the snow-covered tracks, finishing with a 42.5-second lead over Roope Korhonen.
Korhonen celebrated his first WRC2 podium, impressively following his previous best finish of fourth in Sweden. His efforts paid off with top honors in the WRC2 Challenger Championship for Drivers.
Mikko Heikkilä secured Škoda’s spot on the podium with a third-place finish, 25.8 seconds behind Korhonen. Heikkilä edged out competitors Lauri Joona and Georg Linnamäe after strong performances on Saturday, with a particularly impressive stage time on Sunday.
Linnamäe showed bursts of speed, but consistency was an issue, with snowbanks proving costly on multiple occasions. Isak Reiersen completed the top five, while Fau Zaldivar from Paraguay broke the Nordic hold on the top positions by finishing sixth.
Making his WRC2 debut, reigning FIA Junior WRC champion Romet Jürgenson showed promise with a solid seventh-place in a Ford Fiesta Rally2, finishing clear of Pontus Tidemand. Yuki Yamamoto, recovering from a recent accident, recorded his best WRC2 finish in ninth, with Alejandro Mauro rounding out the top ten.
In the WRC Masters Cup, Spain’s Alexander Villanueva held off Michał Sołowow, claiming the top spot.
Next on the WRC calendar is the iconic Safari Rally Kenya, from March 20-23, marking the third round of the season.
In the Junior WRC category, Taylor Gill achieved his second victory at Rally Sweden, but local favorite Mille Johansson leads the championship after a thrilling start to the season.
Trading the Australian heat for Sweden’s icy forests, Gill maintained composure, securing victory by 22.8 seconds over Johansson, despite Johansson’s time loss in a snowbank setback.
Johansson, embarking on his first full FIA Junior WRC season after winning the 2024 FIA Junior ERC title, impressed with several fastest stage times, which helped maintain his overall lead with 29 points, slightly ahead of Gill. Eamonn Kelly took the third slot, while Ali Türkkan closely followed in fourth.
Making their Junior WRC debuts, Kerem Kazaz and Thomas Martens finished fifth and sixth, respectively, while the WRC Young Driver Team’s Claire Schönborn led her team in seventh. Lyssia Baudet and Tristan Charpentier also featured in the top ten, with Diego Dominguez completing the list after returning on Sunday.
Looking ahead, the FIA Junior WRC continues in Portugal from May 15-18, where Gill and Johansson will resume their fight on gravel terrains.
