Evans leads Toyota 1-2-3-4 sweep at WRC Rally Sweden

Elfyn Evans 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.

The Welshman began the final leg with a 13.3s advantage and controlled proceedings across the final three snow-covered tests to secure his third Sweden win by 14.3s over teammate Takamoto Katsuta. The result also delivered a notable milestone for Toyota, becoming the first manufacturer since Citroen 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 distancew. He also collected strong Wolf Power Stage points, finishing second fastest to Thierry Neuville on the finale by just 0.078s.

“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."

The result lifts Evans ahead of fellow Toyota driver 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.

A historic podium celebration for Toyota. McKlein Photography/Getty Images

Katsuta had led the rally on Friday , and kept up the pressure on Evans by winning the penultimate stage, he ultimately fell short of a first career WRC win.

“I am not really happy, of course,” he admitted. “It could have been so much better, especially yesterday. 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, who had led early in the rally before a costly puncture following a Friday off.

“I underestimated how difficult it would be on Friday,” Solberg 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.”

Fourmaux made the best of a bad weekend for Hyundai, leaping up to fifth on the next-to-last stage. McKlein Photography/Getty Images

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.

M-Sport Ford placed two cars inside the top nine, with Jon Armstrong eighth and Josh McErlean ninth, while Martins Sesks showed stage-winning pace despite setbacks on Friday.

In WRC2, the second level of international rallying, Roope Korhonen (pictured below) secured victory by 11.2s and completed the overall top 10.

Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

WRC Rally Sweden, positions after Sunday/Leg Three, SS18
1 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) 2h35m53.1s
2 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +14.3s
3 Sami Pajari/Marko Salminen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +46.0s
4 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +1m11.6s
5 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +1m50.3s
6 Esapekka Lappi/Enni Malkonen (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +1m53.2s
7 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +3m45.9s
8 Jon Armstrong/Shane Byrne (Ford Puma Rally1) +4m05.5s
9 Josh McErlean/Eoin Treacy (Ford Puma Rally1) +6m05.4s
10 Roope Korhonen/Anssi Viinikka (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 – WRC2 winner) +10m36.2s

WRC Drivers’ Championship after 2 of 14 rounds

1 Evans 60 points
2 Solberg 47
3 Katsuta 30
4 Fourmaux 28
5 Neuville 21
6 Sebastien Ogier 18
7 Pajari 17
8 Lappi 9
9 Yohan Rossel 8 (and WRC2 leader)

WRC Manufacturers’ Championship after 2 of 14 rounds

1 Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT 117 points
2 Hyundai World Rally Team 66

There’s LIVE Wolf Power Stage coverage from every FIA World Rally Championship round on the RACER Network RACER+ App. Next up is the legendary Safari Rally Kenya, round three of the season, from March 12-15.
Plus, for a deeper dive into the FIA World Rally Championship, watch the WRC Magazine Show on RACER Network.
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