Toyota Gazoo Racing scores a thrilling 1-2 finish at Rally Sweden.

The curtain rose on the WRC’s only full winter rally on Thursday, February 13, with Toyota’s Welsh driver Elfyn Evans setting the fastest time (3:21.6) in the evening’s opening stage behind the wheel of the GR Yaris Rally1, just half a second quicker than his Toyota Gazoo Racing teammate, Takamoto Katsuta.

Friday saw constant changes in the leaderboard, but Evans reclaimed the lead after winning the 5.16 km Umea Sprint stage. Following a dramatic Saturday, Sunday morning began with Evans holding a slender advantage of 3.0 seconds over Katsuta, with Neuville in third, only 3.3 seconds further back.

Chasing his first ever WRC victory, Takamoto Katsuta, together with co-driver Aaron Johnston, set the fastest time in Sunday’s opening stage (Vastervik, 29.35 km), moving ahead of Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin by 4.5 seconds. In the second pass of the same stage, Evans responded in style, regaining the lead by 3.7 seconds.

In the final Power Stage, Evans again posted the fastest time, just 0.1 seconds ahead of Katsuta, securing the maximum possible points haul. The victory margin was 3.8 seconds - the smallest ever recorded in the history of Rally Sweden.

The 36-year-old Welshman celebrated his 10th career WRC victory and his second win in Sweden. His Japanese teammate, Takamoto Katsuta, finished second, while Thierry Neuville took the final podium spot, 11.9 seconds behind the leader. Ott Tänak claimed fourth place, just 4.9 seconds behind his Hyundai teammate, with Kalle Rovanperä finishing fifth.

By achieving the maximum score of 35 points, Evans moved to the top of the Drivers’ Championship standings, holding a 28-point lead over Rally Monte Carlo winner Sébastien Ogier, who did not compete in Sweden as he is once again participating in selected events this season.

With its 95th victory in the WRC, Toyota climbed to second place on the all-time list of the most successful manufacturers in the history of the championship. In addition, with back-to-back 1-2 finishes and the maximum points from the first two rounds, TGR-WRT now leads the Manufacturers’ standings by 48 points.

Following Toyota’s 1-2 finish at Rally Sweden, TGR-WRT Team Principal Akio Toyoda said:

“The top five drivers finished within just 25 seconds of each other, and among them were three GR Yaris Rally1 cars. Both Elfyn and Takamoto delivered outstanding performances in the Power Stage. I was truly excited - it was an incredible drive from both of them. Thank you for this perfect 1-2! I would also like to thank every member of the team for building cars that allowed our drivers to push confidently all the way to the end!”