Elfyn Evans heads into the final stretch of Rally Sweden with his victory still uncertain, as his fellow Toyota GAZOO Racing team-mate Takamoto Katsuta narrows Evans’ lead to just 3.0 seconds and Thierry Neuville lurking closely in third place.
Starting the day with a slim 0.6-second advantage over Katsuta’s identical GR Yaris Rally1, Evans was initially locked tight with him through the morning’s icy, high-speed stages near Umeå. However, Evans widened the gap to 8.6 seconds in the afternoon, aided by Katsuta’s slight error at a junction on SS12. Just when Evans seemed to have taken control, Katsuta clawed back precious seconds on SS14, closing the gap to 6.0 seconds. Then, Evans stalled in the day’s closing stage, reducing his lead to a mere 3.0 seconds.
Although yet to clinch a WRC win, Katsuta remains composed. Meanwhile, Neuville made significant headway, elevating himself from fifth to enter the lead battle. Despite facing a coolant leak, his Hyundai team-mate, Ott Tänak, couldn’t stop Neuville, who pressed on to end the day 6.5 seconds ahead of Tänak and just 6.3 seconds behind Evans.
Adrien Fourmaux’s podium hopes took a hit after encountering multiple setbacks. Initially in contention on Friday, a helmet strap issue saw him lose ground, despite a stage win on SS11. Unfortunately, sliding into a snowbank during SS12 prematurely ended his day.
Kalle Rovanperä took advantage of the pandemonium, moving up to fifth in his Toyota. A marked improvement from Friday’s slower pace, Rovanperä approached Sunday’s three-stage showdown just 10.1 seconds behind Tänak, with Mārtiņš Sesks trailing in sixth in his M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1.
Sesks faced a minor scare when he spun during the fading light of SS13, yet managed to maintain a 12.2-second lead over Toyota’s young hopeful, Sami Pajari. Further down the field, Ford drivers Josh McErlean and Grégoire Munster sat in eighth and ninth, while WRC2 leader Oliver Solberg completed the top ten.
As for Oliver Solberg, he was unrelenting in WRC2 during Rally Sweden, extending his lead while chasing a third consecutive home victory in the FIA World Rally Championship. Despite early adaptation issues with his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 on Friday, Solberg regained dominance, winning four of seven stages and stretching his lead by 39.0 seconds by the end of Saturday.
While Finland’s Roope Korhonen secured second place, the fight for the final podium spot was heated, with just 9.6 seconds separating Georg Linnamäe, Mikko Heikkilä, and Lauri Joona at daybreak. Heikkilä turned up the heat on Linnamäe, overtaking him after Linnamäe’s untimely diversion into a snowbank. Capitalizing on the situation, Heikkilä climbed into third, piling pressure on Korhonen with a deficit of just 17.7 seconds and leaving Joona 25.7 seconds adrift.
Solberg wrapped his day with additional stage wins, while Linnamäe saved face by leading SS13. Isak Reiersen rounded out the top five.
In the broader competition, Korhonen also led the WRC2 Challenger class, as Spain’s Alexander Villanueva asserted his dominance in the WRC Masters Cup with a 1min 30sec lead.
Switching to the Junior WRC, Taylor Gill is on the brink of victory following Mille Johansson’s abrupt misfortune. Johansson, who captured last year’s title, commanded the rally until an off-track incident on the Kolksele stage cost him nearly three minutes.
Gill capitalized on the situation, delivering an impeccable performance across the day’s snowy trials and ended Saturday with a robust lead of 1min 11.4sec. Despite his setback, Johansson staged an impressive comeback, reclaiming second place by passing both Eamonn Kelly and Ali Türkkan.
Kelly remained in the hunt for third place, but with Türkkan only 1.2 seconds behind, the contest stayed fierce. Belgian newcomer Thomas Martens showcased promising speed, nearing fifth-placed Kerem Kazaz. Although slowed down by tire damage on SS10, Kazaz returned with vigor, re-establishing a 12.1-second advantage over Martens.
Max Smart, positioned sixth, was overtaken by Martens after veering off-road. He later retired due to water pump issues following another off-track incident.
The WRC Young Driver Team contenders Claire Schönborn and Lyssia Baudet held seventh and eighth, while the Frenchman Tristan Charpentier, recovering from Friday’s difficulties, clocked the fastest SS11 time, placing ninth.
Diego Domínguez and Joosep Nõgene returned under restart rules, with Nõgene wrapping up the day confidently by securing the third-best time on SS15.
Only three stages and 70 km of competitive road remain as Rally Sweden’s exciting conclusion approaches.
