日: 2025年2月16日

Elfyn Evans fended off a determined charge from Toyota GAZOO Racing team-mate Takamoto Katsuta on Sunday to secure victory at Rally Sweden and move into the FIA World Rally Championship lead.

After four days of intense action on Umeå’s frozen stages, Evans delivered when it mattered most – shutting the door on Katsuta in a dramatic final-day shootout to claim his 10th career WRC win by 3.8sec.

Starting Sunday with a razor-thin 3.0sec advantage, the Welshman briefly lost the lead as Katsuta came out firing, producing a 7.5sec stage win on Västervik’s opening run. But Evans and co-driver Scott Martin were quick to respond.

They fought back in style on the repeated run that followed, setting the benchmark time to reclaim control by 3.7sec before hammering home their advantage with a commanding drive through the rally-ending Wolf Power Stage – sealing victory as Katsuta held off Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville, who finished 11.9sec back from the top spot in third.

The result moved Evans to the top of the FIA World Rally Championship standings with a lead of 28 points after two of 14 rounds, building on his runner-up finish at the season-opening Rallye Monte-Carlo last month.

Neuville, the reigning champion, had to work hard to secure the final podium spot, fending off resurgent team-mate Ott Tänak by just 4.9sec. Tänak, hindered by an engine mapping issue on his i20 N Rally1 on Saturday, was back to form for Super Sunday and third only to Evans and Katsuta in outright pace across the final day.

Two-time WRC champion Kalle Rovanperä endured a frustrating weekend, struggling to find his usual rhythm. The Toyota star claimed just one stage win across the rally’s 18 tests and ultimately trailed Tänak by 16.0sec as he settled for fifth place.

Mārtiņš Sesks delivered a solid performance on his WRC return, securing sixth place as M-Sport Ford’s top finisher. The Latvian ended the rally 17.6sec ahead of Toyota’s Sami Pajari, while Josh McErlean – who had been running eighth – slid down the order after getting his Puma Rally1 stuck in a snowbank on the first stage of the day.

Grégoire Munster inherited eighth from team-mate McErlean.

Solberg untouchable with third straight WRC2 Sweden win

In ninth overall, Oliver Solberg delivered yet another masterclass on home ground, clinching a dominant third consecutive WRC2 victory.

The Swede was untouchable from start to finish on the fast, snow-covered roads around Umeå, steering his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 to glory with a commanding 42.5sec margin over Roope Korhonen’s similar car.

For Korhonen, the weekend was one to remember. The 2023 WRC3 champion secured his maiden WRC2 podium, adding to his previous best result of fourth – also achieved in Sweden. His efforts also saw him claim top honours in the WRC2 Challenger Championship for Drivers.

Mikko Heikkilä ensured Škoda representation on the podium, finishing third in his Fabia RS Rally2, 25.8sec adrift of Korhonen. The Finn had been locked in a fierce battle for the final podium spot with compatriot Lauri Joona and Estonia’s Georg Linnamäe, but a string of top-three stage times on Saturday – followed by the fastest time on Sunday’s opener 0 saw him break clear, ultimately finishing almost 40 seconds ahead of Joona.

Linnamäe, meanwhile, showed flashes of outright pace but struggled for consistency. A series of stage wins were offset by two costly trips into snowbanks which put the 26-year-old out of contention for a top 10 result.

Sweden’s Isak Reiersen completed the top five, while Paraguay’s Fau Zaldivar disrupted the Nordic dominance by finishing sixth.

Making his WRC2 debut in a prize-drive Ford Fiesta Rally2, reigning FIA Junior WRC champion Romet Jürgenson impressed with a solid seventh-place finish — more than a minute clear of former WRC2 event winner Pontus Tidemand.

After a heavy crash at Rallye Monte-Carlo last month, Toyota GAZOO Racing WRC Challenge Programme driver Yuki Yamamoto bounced back in style, recording his best-ever WRC2 finish in ninth. Mexico’s Alejandro Mauro rounded out the top 10 in a Fabia RS Rally2.

Spain’s Alexander Villanueva also had cause for celebration, holding off Michał Sołowow to clinch WRC Masters Cup honours.

The FIA World Rally Championship heads to Africa next for the legendary Safari Rally Kenya, round three of the season, from 20 – 23 March.

Gill triumphs in Sweden, but Johansson claims early Junior WRC lead

Taylor Gill stormed to his second FIA Junior WRC victory at Rally Sweden on Sunday, but it was home hero Mille Johansson who walked away as the early championship leader after a thrilling season opener.

Trading Australia’s scorching heat for Sweden’s frozen forests, Gill kept his cool through Sunday’s three-stage finale to seal victory by 22.8sec over local ace Johansson. Co-driven by Daniel Brkíc, the 21-year-old seized his golden opportunity when Johansson’s hopes of a home win took a hit – almost three minutes lost in a snowbank on Saturday.

Despite the setback, Johansson, contesting his first full FIA Junior WRC season as a prize for winning the 2024 FIA Junior ERC title, showed blistering pace. With a championship point awarded for every stage win, the Swede clawed back crucial points, setting fastest times on 12 of the rally’s 18 tests. That haul propelled him to the top of the standings with 29 points – two more than rally winner Gill, who took only two stage victories.

Irishman Eamonn Kelly couldn’t match Johansson’s Sunday pace but held his ground to claim third, finishing 59.9sec adrift of the Swede. He successfully fended off Turkish challenger Ali Türkkan, who missed out on the podium by just 8.4sec.

Türkkan’s compatriot and Junior WRC debutant Kerem Kazaz followed in fifth, over a minute further back, with Belgian newcomer Thomas Martens 15.9sec behind in sixth.

Claire Schönborn emerged as the WRC Young Driver Team’s top finisher in seventh, with her and team-mate Lyssia Baudet finishing almost three minutes behind in eighth. Ninth went the way of Frenchman Tristan Charpentier, who had shown early promise but tumbled down the order after an off-road excursion on Friday.

Diego Dominguez rejoined on Sunday to finish 10th, while Max Smart and Joosep Nõgene also salvaged results after earlier setbacks.

The FIA Junior WRC heads to Vodafone Rally de Portugal next (15 – 18 May), where Gill and Johansson will resume their battle on gravel.

World Rally Championship

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Elfyn Evans will enter Rally Sweden’s final day with victory hanging in the balance – his lead over Toyota GAZOO Racing team-mate Takamoto Katsuta cut to just 3.0sec with Thierry Neuville also looming large in third.

Evans, runner-up at the season-opening Rallye Monte-Carlo, started today’s penultimate leg with a narrow 0.6sec advantage over Katsuta’s identical GR Yaris Rally1. The pair were almost inseparable through the morning’s high-speed ice-laden stages near Umeå, but a commanding start to the afternoon loop saw the Welshman extend his lead to 8.6sec – helped in part by a mistake from Katsuta, who overshot a junction on SS12.

Just when it seemed Evans had seized control, the momentum shifted again. Katsuta fought back on SS14, cutting the gap to 6.0sec before Evans stalled his car in the day’s closing stage – reducing his lead even further to just 3.0sec.

Katsuta, a five-time podium finisher, is still chasing his maiden WRC victory but remained measured in his approach. Neuville, who started the day in fifth, made huge strides to haul himself into the lead fight. The reigning world champion overtook Hyundai team-mate Ott Tänak, who was hampered by a coolant leak, and ended the day 6.5sec clear of the Estonian while just 6.3sec behind Evans.

Adrien Fourmaux’s podium challenge came undone after a series of misfortunes. The Frenchman, who had been firmly in the mix on Friday, lost time after stopping immediately after the start of SS10 to fasten his helmet strap. He rebounded from the oversight with a stage win on SS11, only to slide off on SS12 and bury his Hyundai in a snowbank – ending his day prematurely.

Kalle Rovanperä capitalised on the chaos, climbing to fifth in his Toyota and enjoying a much stronger leg after a subdued Friday. The two-time world champion closed to within 10.1sec of Tänak heading into Sunday’s three-stage showdown, with Mārtiņš Sesks sixth in his M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1.

Sesks survived a late scare when he spun in the fading light of SS13 but managed to keep Toyota young gun Sami Pajari 12.2sec behind. Further back, Ford drivers Josh McErlean and Grégoire Munster occupied eighth and ninth, while WRC2 leader Oliver Solberg rounded out the top 10.

Unstoppable Solberg closes in on WRC2 hat-trick

Home hero Oliver Solberg remained untouchable in WRC2 at Rally Sweden on Saturday, extending his lead as he hunts down a hat-trick of victories on his home round of the FIA World Rally Championship.

Having reigned supreme in Umeå in both 2023 and 2024 aboard a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, Solberg’s switch to a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 has done little to slow his charge. Despite early struggles adjusting to the car on Friday afternoon, the 23-year-old hit his stride on Saturday, delivering a masterclass with four stage wins from seven to stretch his advantage to 39.0sec.

While Finland’s Roope Korhonen held firm in second, a fierce fight raged behind him for the final podium spot, with just 9.6sec separating Georg Linnamäe, Mikko Heikkilä, and Lauri Joona at the start of the day.

Linnamäe came under immediate pressure as Heikkilä slashed 2.3sec from his advantage on the opening test. Forced to respond, the Estonian pushed beyond the limit — and paid the price. A costly off into a snowbank on the very next stage left him stranded, and although spectators helped him back on the road, he lost over five minutes, dashing his hopes of a repeat podium finish.

With Linnamäe out of contention, Heikkilä seized the opportunity, moving into third and setting a string of top-three stage times to pull 13.8sec clear of Joona. His charge continued into the afternoon, slashing the gap to Korhonen ahead to just 17.7sec while leaving Joona trailing by 25.7sec.

Solberg, meanwhile, kept the throttle on, bookending the loop with two more stage wins. Linnamäe salvaged some pride by topping SS13, while Isak Reiersen rounded out the top five.

Beyond the overall battle, Korhonen’s second place also saw him leading the WRC2 Challenger class, while Spain’s Alexander Villanueva dominated the WRC Masters Cup with a commanding 1min 30sec advantage.

Gill seizes Junior WRC lead after Johansson’s heartbreak

Taylor Gill is on the verge of victory at the FIA Junior WRC’s opening round after local favourite Mille Johansson’s hopes of back-to-back Rally Sweden wins were shattered on Saturday’s penultimate leg.

Johansson, last year’s event winner, had been in dominant form on home soil, extending his overnight advantage to nearly a minute with a commanding run through Sarsjöliden. But his hopes faded on the first run through Kolksele when the Swede strayed off-line and buried his M-Sport Poland Ford Fiesta Rally3 in a deep snowbank, losing almost three minutes.

FIA Rally Star Gill took full advantage. The Australian surged into the lead and delivered a faultless drive across the following four ice-laden speed tests to end the day in Umeå with a commanding 1min 11.4sec cushion.

Despite his costly error, Johansson mounted a fierce fightback. Initially dropping as low as fourth, the 19-year-old clawed back lost ground with a string of rapid stage times to claim second, powering past both Eamonn Kelly and Ali Türkkan in the process.

Kelly, representing the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy, remained in podium contention, but with Türkkan breathing down his neck just 1.2sec behind, the battle for third remained wide open.

Belgian newcomer Thomas Martens continued to impress on his Junior WRC debut, showcasing strong speed to move within 5.4sec of fifth-placed Kerem Kazaz in the morning. Kazaz, who was slowed by a damaged tyre on SS10, hit back in the second half of the day – re-extending the gap back to 12.1sec.

Max Smart had been sitting sixth but fell behind Martens after going off the road on SS10. The South African would later retire for the day with water pump failure following another trip into the scenery.

WRC Young Driver Team contenders Claire Schönborn and Lyssia Baudet occupied seventh and eighth, while Tristan Charpentier – recovering from a Friday setback – placed ninth. The Frenchman showed flashes of brilliance on his debut and set the fastest time for SS11.

Diego Domínguez and Joosep Nõgene both rejoined under restart rules, with Nõgene ending the day on a high by posting the third-fastest time on SS15.

Just three stages and almost 70km of competitive action remain on Sunday before Rally Sweden crowns its winner.

World Rally Championship

Rally SwedenWRCSEASON 2025SportRallies1SportWorld Rally ChampionshipRalliesWRCSEASON 2025Rally Sweden01Saturday, February 15, 2025 – 7:39pmSaturday, February 15, 2025 – 7:39pm