WRC
Triumphant Evans powers Toyota to historic Rally Sweden sweep
Elfyn Evans and co-driver Scott Martin secured victory at Rally Sweden on Sunday, leading home a remarkable Toyota Gazoo Racing 1-2-3-4 and moving to the top of the WRC standings.
Welsh driver Evans began the final leg with a 13.3sec advantage and controlled proceedings across the final three snow-covered tests to seal his third Sweden win by 14.3sec over team-mate Takamoto Katsuta. The result also delivered a notable milestone for Toyota, becoming the first manufacturer since Citroën in 2010 to claim back-to-back podium lockouts in the WRC.
Evans extended his margin on the opening stage of the morning and thereafter managed the gap across the remaining kilometres. He also collected strong Wolf Power Stage points, finishing second fastest to Thierry Neuville on the finale by just 0.078sec.
“Obviously pretty chuffed and relieved right now,” he said. “We were not sure how the Power Stage was going to look. Thanks to the team, they've done an incredible job again, and a Toyota 1-2-3-4 feels amazing. It’s always an amazing atmosphere in Sweden and it's a special rally for many reasons."
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The result lifts Evans ahead of Oliver Solberg and 13 points clear at the head of the drivers’ championship after two rounds, while Toyota stretches its manufacturers’ advantage to 52 points over Hyundai.
While Katsuta - who had led the rally on Friday - mounted pressure and claimed victory on the penultimate test, he ultimately fell short of converting his pace into a maiden WRC win.
“I am not really happy of course,” he said. “It could have been so much better, especially yesterday,” he admitted. “I just need to keep improving and push more.”
Behind them, Sami Pajari completed the all-Toyota podium, securing his second career top three finish with a composed drive that kept him clear of Oliver Solberg. Solberg, who had led early in the rally before a costly puncture following a Friday off, recovered to fourth overall.
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“I underestimated how difficult it would be on Friday,” he reflected. “Of course, the result is a bit disappointing, but after the position I put myself in I don’t deserve any more than P4.”
It was a challenging weekend for Hyundai Motorsport. Adrien Fourmaux headed the team’s charge in fifth after overtaking returning squad member Esapekka Lappi on SS17.
Their i20 N Rally1 team-mate Thierry Neuville endured a difficult rally but salvaged maximum Wolf Power Stage points with victory on the final test, describing his weekend as “frustrating” after struggling with balance issues.
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M-Sport Ford placed two cars inside the top nine, with Jon Armstrong eighth and Josh McErlean ninth, while Mārtiņš Sesks showed stage-winning pace despite setbacks on Friday.
In WRC2, Roope Korhonen secured victory by 11.2sec and completed the overall top 10.
The FIA World Rally Championship heads to Africa next for the legendary Safari Rally Kenya, round three of the season, from 12 - 15 March.
