Katsuta leads WRC Rally Sweden as Solberg’s victory hopes disappear in a snowbank

Takamoto Katsuta edged ahead of Toyota teammate Elfyn Evans to lead Rally Sweden by 2.8s on Friday night, capping a day of fluctuating fortunes on the fast, snow-covered roads around Umea.

The Japanese driver heads a Toyota 1-2-3 after eight stages of the FIA World Rally Championship’s only true winter rally, with Sami Pajari completing the lockout as the fleet of factory GR Yaris Rally1s proved the benchmark package from first light to the leg-ending floodlit Umea Sprint.

The Friday narrative shifted dramatically before midday. Oliver Solberg, who’d headed to Sweden as the WRC points leader after dominating the Monte Carlo Rally season-opener, had started the morning on top, but his hopes of a fairytale home win took a hit on the day’s second stage, the 12.74-mile Andersvattnet 1 test. Running first on the road, he suffered sudden snap oversteer and slid wide into a snowbank, damaging a tire and losing more than 30s as he fought to rejoin.

“I went off the road, there was so much snow everywhere,” he said. “I completely underestimated how difficult it would be to be first on the road.”

That opened the door for Evans, who seized control through the remainder of the morning loop. Comfortable on the cleaner line left by Solberg, the two-time Sweden winner built a 14.5s cushion by midday as Toyota established a firm grip on the podium places.

Oliver Solberg’s hopes of a home win look to have ended after the Swede lost time with a slide into a snowbank in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1.

But the afternoon’s repeat loop of stages would shake up the order, Katsuta mounting a measured charge as the frozen base began to break up and ruts deepened on the second pass. Stage by stage, he chipped away at Evans’ lead before moving in front by just 0.1s on the penultimate test, 7.16-mile Back 2. A composed run through the final Umea Sprint ensured he returned to service with a slender but still significant advantage as he seeks his first overall WRC victory.

“It was quite a tricky afternoon, but I think we did a good job saving the tires,” said Katsuta of his studded Hankooks. “The second pass was very rough in places, so I just tried to be clean.”

Behind the lead pair, Pajari delivered one of the standout performances of the day. The Finn balanced pace with tire management to consolidate third overall in his GR Yaris, 22.2s off the lead.

For Hyundai, the day proved frustrating. Returning Finn Esapekka Lappi headed the trio of factory i20 N Rally1s in fourth, 45.9s down on the leaders, although he described the feeling as “drifting” rather than attacking. 

Adrien Fourmaux sat fifth in the second Hyundai, just 0.7s ahead of the recovering Solberg, while Thierry Neuville was slowed by an off-road moment on the day’s second stage and ended seventh in his i20 N, more than 1m40s adrift of the lead. The Belgian did, however, manage to break Toyota’s stage-winning sweep by going fastest on the penultimate test.

It was an even tougher story at M-Sport Ford. All three Puma Rally1 machines were hit by pressure-related tire delaminations during the morning loop. Part-season entry Martins Sesks was forced to retire after multiple failures, while full-timers Jon Armstrong and Josh McErlean languished in eighth and ninth, respectively.

Jon Armstrong is best of the M-Sport Fords, but at the wrong end of the top 10 in eighth overall.

In WRC2, the second tier of international rallying, Roope Korhonen moved into the class lead on the morning’s opening stage and stayed there for the remainder of the day.

The Finnish rising star, who had a WRC2 breakout season in 2025, started the day in fifth overall, but his fastest class time on the opener was followed by three more in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2. That left him 10.2s clear of fellow Toyota-equipped Finn and former Rally1 regular Teemu Suninen, who was making his first WRC start since Rally Finland in 2024.

Lauri Joona rounded out the WRC2 podium positions as the best placed of the Skoda Fabia RS drivers, while Tuuka Kauppinen GR Yaris Rally2 continued the Finnish dominance in fourth.

Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 driver Roope Korhonen (above) leads a Finnish 1-2-3-4 in the WRC2 class.

 Saturday’s leg is relatively short, but no less daunting than Friday’s longer route. With seven stages totaling 64.9 competitive miles, expect some more twists and turns on Rally Sweden’s penultimate day.

WRC Rally Sweden, positions after Friday/Leg One, SS8
1 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) 1h10m33.7s
2 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +2.8s
3 Sami Pajari/Marko Salminen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +22.2s
4 Esapekka Lappi/Enni Malkonen (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +45.9s
5 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +50.3s
6 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +51.0s

7 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +1m43.8s
8 Jon Armstrong/Shane Byrne (Ford Puma Rally1) +2m40.3s
9 Josh McErlean/Eoin Treacy (Ford Puma Rally1) +3m31.8s
10 Roope Korhonen/Anssi Viinikka (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 – WRC2 leader) +4m41.9s

• Watch the rally-closing, bonus points-paying Wolf Power Stage action from Rally Sweden LIVE on RACER Network and the RACER+ App on Sunday, Feb. 15 at 6am ET.Plus, for a deeper dive into the FIA World Rally Championship, check out the WRC Magazine Show on RACER Network. Catch the latest episode on Sunday, Feb. 15 at 5:30am ET, before LIVE Power Stage coverage.

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