Evans Extends Lead at Rally Sweden with Two Stage Wins

Elfyn Evans won two stages to extend his lead at Rally Sweden, ending the day 6 seconds ahead of Toyota teammate Takamoto Katsuta.

Elfyn Evans strengthened his grip on Rally Sweden on Saturday, winning two stages to extend his lead to six seconds over Toyota teammate Takamoto Katsuta. Evans began the day with a slender 0.6-second advantage over Katsuta, but the Japanese driver narrowed the gap to just one-tenth of a second after finishing second in the day's opening stage, which was won by Toyota's Kalle Rovanpera.

Evans responded by taking the morning's second stage, and later added another stage win in the afternoon. After the final stage, Evans reflected on his performance, saying, “OK run, quite difficult conditions. I'm just driving well and that's it.” His composed driving has enabled him to maintain a strong lead in the rally.

Excellent effort from @ElfynEvans and @scottmartinat to lead Rally Sweden tonight from first on the road 🔝👏#ToyotaGAZOORacing #GRYaris #WRC #RallySweden 🇸🇪 pic.twitter.com/IBPyuzmRoa

— TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRT (@TGR_WRC) February 14, 2025

Reigning world champion Thierry Neuville had a successful day in his Hyundai, winning two stages, including the last one. This propelled him to third place, 11.5 seconds behind Evans. Neuville felt that his performance was satisfactory, commenting, “It felt OK.” He also noted that the leaders, who ran last, did not have a significant disadvantage due to the cleaner lines on the road, adding, “The lines are getting cleaner so not so easy to fight with the guys behind.”

Ott Tanak ended the day in fourth place, 15.5 seconds behind leader Elfyn Evans, but his performance was hampered by a recurring issue with his Hyundai. Tanak complained that coolant was spraying onto his windscreen, causing a distraction. Reflecting on his day, Tanak said, “It's not been a fantastic day.” He expressed his hopes for a better tomorrow, adding, “We are hoping for a good night's sleep. I am not sure I need resetting. The car needs resetting.”

We will fight tomorrow 👊

Overall the day has been pretty good except for two very small mistakes this afternoon! It’s been a pretty good weekend, tomorrow is when the points are dished out and that’s when you have to make it count 🇸🇪#EE33 #RallySweden #ToyotaGAZOORacing pic.twitter.com/wrDWaQicaH

— Elfyn Evans (@ElfynEvans) February 15, 2025

French driver Adrien Fourmaux experienced a mixed day, winning the fourth stage of the day, but ultimately failing to finish the final stage. Fourmaux's day began to unravel on the previous stage when he lost 20 seconds adjusting his chin strap. In the final stage, he put his Ford into a drift, and the car had to be dug out. Reigning world champion Thierry Neuville sympathized with Fourmaux's misfortune, saying, “It's a shame. We need every car to finish. The risk is there with the speed we're going.”