Elfyn Evans laid down an early marker at Rally Sweden, storming to victory in Thursday nightâs opening stage to lead the FIA World Rally Championshipâs second round in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1.
The Welshman, co-driven by Scott Martin, topped the UmeĂ„ Sprint stage – a high-speed blast under the lights just moments from the rallyâs service park – by a mere half-second. Toyota team-mate Kalle RovanperĂ€ and Hyundaiâs Ott TĂ€nak could not be separated, posting identical times to share second place.
Evans, who claimed Rally Sweden glory in 2020, arrives in UmeĂ„ sitting second in the championship standings. With Monte-Carlo winner SĂ©bastien Ogier absent, he will take on the challenge of running first on the road through Fridayâs gruelling 124km leg.
âIt was pretty okay,â Evans said. âObviously [judging] the braking points is difficult in the dark, but it was all okay.â
Adrien Fourmaux continued his strong form after a Hyundai debut podium last month, finishing fourth at just 1.2sec adrift. The Frenchman tested the limits early, glancing a snowbank but still finishing 2.5sec clear of his fifth-placed team-mate, reigning champion Thierry Neuville.
Neuville admitted he had been too cautious and also flagged a lingering intercom issue.
âEvery time I do this stage, Iâm always on the limit with the braking â but this time, I was early everywhere,â he smiled. âWe had an issue with the intercom this morning on shakedown, and itâs still there.â
Toyotaâs Takamoto Katsuta slotted into sixth, 1.7sec behind Neuville and just 0.2sec ahead of Sami Pajariâs similar Toyota. M-Sport Fordâs Puma Rally1 trio rounded out the leaderboard, with Irishman Josh McErlean in eighth, followed by GrĂ©goire Munster and MÄrtiĆĆĄ Sesks.
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