How Evans issued a WRC statement victory to deny Katsuta in Rally Sweden epic

Elfyn Evans has thrown down the gauntlet to his World Rally Championship title rivals.

The Toyota driver survived an intense Rally Sweden strain cooker to ship a press release victory, denying team-mate Takamoto Katsuta what would have been an emotional maiden WRC triumph in dramatic circumstances.

Evans’ tenth WRC win, to tie with WRC champions Richard Burns (2001) and Ari Vatanen (1981), can be remembered as one in every of his most interesting after holding his nerve by way of a hotly contested five-way battle for the win that included six lead modifications. Evans needed to keep cool below immense strain to wrestle the lead again from Katsuta on the penultimate stage because the Japanese gave the impression to be inside touching distance of his maiden triumph. Ultimately, Evans and co-driver Scott Martin took the spoils by 3.8 seconds from Katsuta, with Hyundai’s defending world champion Thierry Neuville in third, 11.9s adrift.

Not solely was this a nice victory for Evans, he claimed a most 35 factors by pipping Katsuta to the Sunday classification by 0.8s and the Energy Stage by 0.1s.

“Excellent begin, very early days [in the championship] however I don’t suppose you could possibly want for significantly better than this,” stated Evans, who leads the standing by 28 factors from part-time team-mate Sebastien Ogier.

Few would have predicted a relentless victory scrap, that ended with solely 16.8s separating the highest 4, however that was what unfolded throughout 293.84 kilometres of Sweden’s breathtakingly quick snow and ice coated levels.

Nonetheless, Evans’ robust displaying was not a whole shock. The Welshman admitted after profitable final 12 months’s Japan season finale that his 2024 marketing campaign fell under his personal excessive requirements, however in Monte Carlo in January it appeared a rejuvenated and considerably totally different Evans had rocked up. This translated to the levels because the Welshman displayed he had fireplace within the stomach by efficiently heading off Adrien Fourmaux to complete second in Monte Carlo. As soon as once more this grit, willpower and battle was on full show in Sweden.

Katsuta got here inside fractions of a maiden WRC win

Picture by: Toyota Racing

Opening the street is normally an enormous drawback in Sweden nevertheless it proved to be “not a catastrophe” as Evans predicted. Situations had been close to excellent, not a substantial amount of recent snow to brush, complemented by a tough ice base for the studded tyres to dig into. In actual fact the one unknown was simply how the brand new Hankook snow tyre would carry out. The decision finally being that the South Korean agency has produced a vastly dependable tyre however one which requires finessing to attain final tempo.

Evans led from the outset however this rally was a high-speed sport of chess on ice, the place the slightest mistake was punished severely. Evans ended Friday’s opening loop with a 1.9s lead over Fourmaux with Hyundai’s Ott Tanak and Katsuta in scorching pursuit, coated by 8.4s.

The second cross of levels actually examined Evans’ resolve, beginning first on the street on rutted levels, and it was right here the place the lead modified arms. Throughout three levels Katsuta, Evans and Tanak briefly held prime spot earlier than Evans got here again to the fore to finish the day with a slender 0.8s benefit. The lead swapping was harking back to the nice Petter Solberg versus Marcus Gronholm Rally Sweden epic 20 years in the past.

“It was a really constant and robust weekend and doubtless my finest efficiency in my profession however, on the identical time, I’ve a really combined feeling” Takamoto Katsuta

Evans’ benefit was lower to 0.1s firstly of Saturday as Katsuta emerged because the Welshman’s closest rival, though you could possibly throw a blanket excessive 4. The lead grew to eight.6s earlier than Evans brushed a snowbank in stage 14 after which stalled at a decent left-hander in stage 15, which decreased the result in three seconds. Hyundai’s Neuville climbed to 3rd, 6.3s again, after discovering options to the understeer situation that had blighted the beginning of his rally. Tanak sat lurking in fourth, 12.8s behind after a Saturday that left the Estonian annoyed by a coolant leak and a suspected mechanical situation on his i20 N that pressured him to run a sub-optimal engine map.

With three Sunday levels remaining, a grandstand end was set. Evans was the favorite however Katsuta appeared greater than able to lastly taking that elusive win. For Toyota, it created a nervous and tense climax. Workforce principal Jari-Matti Latvala even hinted about deploying some sort of technique with its drivers. However Toyota caught to its agency no group orders strategy and a good battle ensued.

The prospect of a first-time winner appeared real as Katsuta delivered a surprising drive on stage 16, taking 7.5s out of Evans to maneuver right into a 4.5s lead with two checks remaining. However Evans was to not be denied and summoned probably the greatest performances of his profession to grab the lead again on stage 17 to the tune of three.7s, earlier than going to win the Energy Stage showdown to take a second profession Sweden triumph.

“I can’t actually imagine it has turned out fairly the best way it did,” stated a surprised Evans. “It was wanting pretty bleak after the primary stage within the morning and I believed I used to be going backwards, however in the long run we managed to show issues round and a most haul on a Sunday is at all times good as effectively.”

There was a lot for Toyota to have fun in Sweden, though Katsuta was gutted to fall 4s quick

Evans triumph finally meant heartbreak for Katsuta, a driver that has grow to be a WRC fan favorite and far liked member of the service park, with many determined for him to interrupt his duck. This was a breakthrough second for a driver who 12 months in the past was in tears after a crash right into a snowbank let slip a shot at Rally Sweden glory. That second was a part of a string of disappointments for Katsuta throughout a horrible 2024 that included Toyota benching him for the go to to Chile. However Katsuta is most undoubtedly again to his finest and knocking on the door, as Latvala affirmed, stating his driver is now ”able to win” rallies.

“It was a really constant and robust weekend and doubtless my finest efficiency in my profession however, on the identical time, I’ve a really combined feeling – 50% is completely satisfied that I’ve completed the job for the group, however I’m dissatisfied in myself that I used to be not capable of push within the second-last one,” stated Katsuta.

“However I made a decision to do it to verify I completed the rally. I imagine this was the correct determination however in the long run this value us an excessive amount of as Elfyn did an incredible time. I’m hoping this determination was not improper and it [the win] will come.”

Hyundai introduced its extremely anticipated evolution of its i20 N to Sweden that includes upgrades to the suspension. In the end it needed to witness a second consecutive Toyota 1-2 however the group is hopeful its labour will start to bear fruit within the coming rounds.

“Now we have completed a superb rally, there have been some ups and downs however we might be happy with our efficiency,” stated Neuville.

Whereas Tanak added: “Once you include excessive hopes and also you get a rally like this, it’s tough to swallow.”

What occurred to Rovanpera?

This was one other rally the place Rovanpera struggled with the Hankook rubber

Picture by: Toyota Racing

The battle for the victory missed one big title everybody anticipated to be on the forefront. This was the occasion seemingly everybody was anticipating a response from Kalle Rovanpera after salvaging fourth from a tough Monte Carlo, the place he admitted that he wanted to vary his driving type to adapt to Hankook’s new slick tyre.

Now again on an occasion he enjoys, the scene was set for Rovanpera to ignite the afterburners. However it seems adjusting to the brand new Hankook rubber goes to be a problem for the Finn, who foreshadowed a tough rally earlier than a wheel had been turned.

Rovanpera unusually struggled for confidence and located himself preventing his GR Yaris, with understeer on the centre of this battle. Not having the ability to belief the automotive on such a high-speed rally was at all times going to be expensive.

“Lots of factors for the group and good battle between team-mates a minimum of they did the job, we didn’t” Kalle Rovanpera

“I don’t get to drive the automotive how I would like – I can really feel fairly clearly that I have to battle in opposition to the automotive on a regular basis and I feel it [the tyre, himself and the car] has all mixed collectively,” stated Rovanpera on Friday. “It isn’t easy the driving in every single place I have to do some further stuff and I’m preventing in opposition to understeer quite a bit so it isn’t superb.”

The Finn did set a quickest time on stage 9 whereas making gradual progress with the set-up and his driving type.

“Lots of factors for the group and good battle between team-mates a minimum of they did the job, we didn’t,” stated Rovanpera. “I feel it’s only a totally different strategy this 12 months with all the brand new issues. I don’t know [what it will take to get back to his best] however let’s see on gravel.”

Rovanpera was, nevertheless, vastly pleased with the efficiency from shut pal Katsuta, admitting he was most likely extra “nervous” than him earlier than the ultimate stage showdown.

Fourmaux falters after robust begin

Fourmaux was flying excessive earlier than a tricky Saturday ended his victory bid

Picture by: Romain Thuillier / Hyundai Motorsport

The fifth driver locked within the victory battle throughout Friday was Hyundai’s Fourmaux. Buoyed by his third place end in Monte Carlo, Hyundai’s new signing ran as excessive as second earlier than ending Friday in fourth, firmly within the battle, 7.9s adrift of chief Evans.

Come Saturday the Frenchman’s rally unravelled in unusual circumstances. Fourmaux appeared to not be prepared for the beginning of stage 11 after which needed to cease shortly after the startline to tighten his helmet strap and belts, costing him 23.6s. Fourmaux admitted finally it was his error, however on the time felt that the marshals ought to have notified him that his begin time was quick approaching.

“It was actually messy,” he stated. “This sort of factor shouldn’t occur, we now have marshals who’re there to test if we now have received the whole lot and the marshal was there, however they didn’t say something. It’s my accountability however there have been no belts [on], no gloves, nothing and I ought to have checked the time, however [co-driver] Alex [Coria] informed me [we had] 10 seconds to go.”

Trying to get well the misplaced time, Fourmaux gained stage 12 however then crashed right into a snowbank on the next check. A solitary level from Sunday’s Energy Stage was all he might salvage however he assured his helmet strap situation “won’t occur once more” in future.

Fourmaux’s demise shuffled the leaderboard with M-Sport-Ford’s Martins Sesks, making his first of six begins this 12 months, main the Blue Oval cost. The Latvian clocked the second quickest time in shakedown and, whereas he couldn’t repeat such heights, a string of strong levels occasions earned the 25-year-old a commendable sixth.

Sesks made an impression to go the M-Sport-Ford cost

Picture by: M-Sport

Sesks managed to fend off his previous Junior WRC rival Sami Pajari, who was in restoration mode after stage two, the place he dropped 41.6s when a small nudge of a snowbank popped a tyre off the rim.

M-Sport-Ford’s full-timers Gregoire Munster and Josh McErlean endured a difficult weekend. Munster initially struggled for pace from the outset and was largely outpaced by rookie McErlean. Munster did enhance because the rally progressed to complete eighth after McErlean’s Ford Puma discovered a snowbank in stage 16.

In distinction to the battle for the outright victory, the battle within the WRC2 was a one-sided affair. Championship favourites Oliver Solberg and Elliott Edmondson led from begin to end taking their third Sweden win in a row, by 42.5s from the guy Toyota of Finn Roope Korhonen.

“It’s a improbable reduction, superb – to win it three years in a row and with a brand new automotive being on tempo and so quick and profitable on snow is an unimaginable feeling,” stated Solberg, who completed ninth general.

Nonetheless, what Rally Sweden fairly clearly showcased is the battle for the 2025 World Rally Championship is broad open and there might be a brand new title on the general rally winner board quickly.

Evans was left leaping for pleasure after Sweden win, however the shut end suggests an unpredictable season

Picture by: Toyota Racing