With just three stages left in Rally Sweden, Elfyn Evans holds a razor-thin 3.0-second lead over his Toyota teammate Takamoto Katsuta after a dramatic Saturday that saw near-misses, spins, and mechanical struggles for the top contenders.
But with World Champion Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak lurking just behind, Sunday’s showdown is set to be a four-way fight to the finish.
Evans Survives Wild Moments to Retain the Lead
Evans started Saturday just 0.6 seconds ahead of Katsuta, with the top five drivers covered by less than 10 seconds. The Welshman dodged disaster on SS14 when a slight misjudgment sent him into a snowbank.
💬 “It wasn’t like a big hit, but just low grip and lost the front on the way in,” Evans admitted. “The speed wasn’t wrong, but the angle of the car was wrong.”
The drama continued on the day’s final stage, the Umeå Sprint, when Evans half-spun at a junction and stalled his Toyota. That mistake halved his lead over Katsuta from 6.0 seconds to 3.0.
Katsuta Playing It Safe?
Despite his strong performance, Katsuta didn’t sound like a driver ready to risk it all for victory.
💬 “I wanna finish, that’s it! I will speak with my bosses in the team. I’ve been too hungry before and done crazy things. Need to be clever this time.”
While his conservative approach may not signal a flat-out Sunday charge, his consistent speed has kept him in the fight.
Neuville and Tänak Ready to Attack
🚀 Neuville, just 6.3 seconds off the lead, vowed to go ‘flat out’ on Sunday. The Hyundai driver has been methodically closing the gap and could be the biggest threat to Evans.
📉 Tänak, 12.8 seconds behind Evans, endured a rough afternoon with car issues. His Hyundai leaked fluid in the morning, and by the end of the day, the Estonian was left frustrated.
💬 “You need to ask the engineers, they can enlighten you much more,” Tänak cryptically remarked. “We’re maximizing what we have.”
Other Notables: Rovanperä Struggles, Solberg Leads WRC2
🥵 Kalle Rovanperä sits a lonely fifth overall, 10.1 seconds behind Tänak, as he continues to struggle with car setup and adapting to Hankook tires.
💬 “Not even close to optimal,” he admitted.
🔹 Mārtiņš Sesks held onto sixth place despite a spin, keeping Toyota’s Sami Pajari at bay in their Junior WRC-style fight.
🔹 Josh McErlean (M-Sport) sits in eighth, ahead of teammate Grégoire Munster in ninth.
🔹 Oliver Solberg leads WRC2 and rounds out the Top 10.
Sunday’s Finale: Three Stages, One Champion
With just three stages left, the battle between Evans, Katsuta, Neuville, and Tänak is wide open.
🏁 Will Evans hold on for victory? Will Neuville’s ‘flat-out’ approach pay off? Or will Tänak overcome his car troubles and mount a comeback?
Buckle up—Rally Sweden’s final day is set to be a thriller! 🔥
