“Sweden Rally”: Welshman Evans Wins the Title and Takes the Lead in the Standings
Welshman Elfyn Evans (Toyota) won the Sweden Rally, the second round of 14 in the World Rally Championship, on Sunday in the city of Umeå, after a very fierce competition.
The world championship runner-up finished ahead of his teammate, Japanese Takamoto Katsuta, and world champion Belgian Thierry Neuville (Hyundai), by 3.8 seconds and 11.9 seconds, respectively.
Evans (36) achieved his tenth victory in the World Rally Championship, and his second in Sweden, following his success in 2020, during his first season behind the wheel of a Toyota.
He also achieved a significant success by securing first place on Sunday, winning the “Power Stage” and the final special stage.
The Welsh driver, who won 7 of the 18 special stages, led for almost the entire weekend and earned a well-deserved victory in the only event this season held on snow. However, he had to fight, especially against Katsuta, who took the lead from him after the first special stage on Sunday.
After finishing second at the end of January in the season-opening “Monte Carlo Rally,” which was won by Frenchman Sébastien Ogier (Toyota), who was absent in Sweden as he is participating again in a partial program with Toyota this year, Evans topped the driver’s standings with a 28-point lead over Ogier’s car and 30 points ahead of his Finnish teammate Kalle Rovanperä, the 2022 and 2023 world champion, who finished only fifth in Sweden.
Evans said, “It’s been a great weekend. It’s a great result. We’re only at the beginning of the season, but it’s hard to hope for a better result.”
Meanwhile, Rovanperä, who returned to full-time participation after a partial season in 2024, finishing fourth in Monte Carlo, said, “It’s disappointing; I hoped to fight at the front. Our start to the season has been a bit disappointing, but I hope things will go better on gravel during the next rally.”
The third round of the season, the Safari Rally, will take place in Kenya next month, from March 20 to 23.
