WRC
Evans leads thrilling Rally Sweden scrap as Fourmaux charges
Elfyn Evans emerged on top of a fierce Rally Sweden battle as just 8.4sec blanketed the top four drivers after a thrilling Friday morning on the ice-packed stages of Västerbotten.
After kicking off the rally in style - winning Thursday evening’s super special in Umeå to seize an early 0.5sec lead in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 - Evans then extended his advantage to 3.9sec over Ott Tänak across two blisteringly fast forest tests this morning - only to come under increasing pressure from an inspired Adrien Fourmaux.
Frenchman Fourmaux, contesting just his second event for Hyundai, was in electric form. He stormed to back-to-back stage wins on Andersvattnet and Bäck, leapfrogging Tänak and slashing Evans’ lead to just 1.9sec heading into service.
Road-opener Evans admitted that judging grip levels had been tricky on the white roads. “It's been okay,” he reflected. “But quite difficult to read the grip. It’s a bit early to judge the [new Hankook] tyres yet, but the afternoon will be a real test.”
Adrien Fourmaux
© WRC
Tänak, who dropped behind Fourmaux by 4.3sec, struggled with understeer in his recently upgraded Hyundai. His French team-mate has now shone as Hyundai’s top performer at both rounds so far this season - arriving in Sweden fresh from a podium finish on his Monte-Carlo debut with the squad.
The conditions are so nice to drive. I’m really pleased with how we managed the tyres this morning. I had a really clean drive on the last two stages.
Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta quietly impressed, delivering a string of top-three stage times to hold fourth overall - just 8.4sec adrift of Evans. The Japanese driver enjoyed a 9.6sec buffer over fifth-placed team-mate Kalle Rovanperä, who was left frustrated with his speed and searching for solutions at midday service.
Defending champion Thierry Neuville, running sixth, endured a challenging loop. Like Tänak, the Belgian battled understeer.
M-Sport Ford duo Josh McErlean and Mārtinš Sesks were locked in a tight scrap for seventh, with McErlean taking the sport by just 1.6sec in his Puma Rally1. Sami Pajari - another to show front-running pace - rounded out the top eight, though his charge was derailed by a tyre coming off the rim after glancing a snowbank on SS2.
Grégoire Munster held ninth, while home hero Oliver Solberg dominated WRC2 and completed the overall top 10.
Ott Tänak
© WRC
