Elfyn Evans fended off a determined charge from Toyota GAZOO Racing team-mate Takamoto Katsuta on Sunday to secure victory at Rally Sweden and move into the FIA World Rally Championship lead.

After four days of intense action on Umeå’s frozen stages, Evans delivered when it mattered most - shutting the door on Katsuta in a dramatic final-day shootout to claim his 10th career WRC win by 3.8sec.

Starting Sunday with a razor-thin 3.0sec advantage, the Welshman briefly lost the lead as Katsuta came out firing, producing a 7.5sec stage win on Västervik’s opening run. But Evans and co-driver Scott Martin were quick to respond.

They fought back in style on the repeated run that followed, setting the benchmark time to reclaim control by 3.7sec before hammering home their advantage with a commanding drive through the rally-ending Wolf Power Stage - sealing victory as Katsuta held off Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville, who finished 11.9sec back from the top spot in third.

The result moved Evans to the top of the FIA World Rally Championship standings with a lead of 28 points after two of 14 rounds, building on his runner-up finish at the season-opening Rallye Monte-Carlo last month.

Neuville, the reigning champion, had to work hard to secure the final podium spot, fending off resurgent team-mate Ott Tänak by just 4.9sec. Tänak, hindered by an engine mapping issue on his i20 N Rally1 on Saturday, was back to form for Super Sunday and third only to Evans and Katsuta in outright pace across the final day.

Two-time WRC champion Kalle Rovanperä endured a frustrating weekend, struggling to find his usual rhythm. The Toyota star claimed just one stage win across the rally’s 18 tests and ultimately trailed Tänak by 16.0sec as he settled for fifth place.

Mārtiņš Sesks delivered a solid performance on his WRC return, securing sixth place as M-Sport Ford’s top finisher. The Latvian ended the rally 17.6sec ahead of Toyota’s Sami Pajari, while Josh McErlean - who had been running eighth - slid down the order after getting his Puma Rally1 stuck in a snowbank on the first stage of the day.

Grégoire Munster inherited eighth from team-mate McErlean.

Solberg untouchable with third straight WRC2 Sweden win

In ninth overall, Oliver Solberg delivered yet another masterclass on home ground, clinching a dominant third consecutive WRC2 victory.

The Swede was untouchable from start to finish on the fast, snow-covered roads around Umeå, steering his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 to glory with a commanding 42.5sec margin over Roope Korhonen's similar car.

For Korhonen, the weekend was one to remember. The 2023 WRC3 champion secured his maiden WRC2 podium, adding to his previous best result of fourth - also achieved in Sweden. His efforts also saw him claim top honours in the WRC2 Challenger Championship for Drivers.

Mikko Heikkilä ensured Škoda representation on the podium, finishing third in his Fabia RS Rally2, 25.8sec adrift of Korhonen. The Finn had been locked in a fierce battle for the final podium spot with compatriot Lauri Joona and Estonia’s Georg Linnamäe, but a string of top-three stage times on Saturday - followed by the fastest time on Sunday’s opener 0 saw him break clear, ultimately finishing almost 40 seconds ahead of Joona.

Linnamäe, meanwhile, showed flashes of outright pace but struggled for consistency. A series of stage wins were offset by two costly trips into snowbanks which put the 26-year-old out of contention for a top 10 result.

Sweden’s Isak Reiersen completed the top five, while Paraguay’s Fau Zaldivar disrupted the Nordic dominance by finishing sixth.

Making his WRC2 debut in a prize-drive Ford Fiesta Rally2, reigning FIA Junior WRC champion Romet Jürgenson impressed with a solid seventh-place finish — more than a minute clear of former WRC2 event winner Pontus Tidemand.

After a heavy crash at Rallye Monte-Carlo last month, Toyota GAZOO Racing WRC Challenge Programme driver Yuki Yamamoto bounced back in style, recording his best-ever WRC2 finish in ninth. Mexico’s Alejandro Mauro rounded out the top 10 in a Fabia RS Rally2.

Spain’s Alexander Villanueva also had cause for celebration, holding off Michał Sołowow to clinch WRC Masters Cup honours.

The FIA World Rally Championship heads to Africa next for the legendary Safari Rally Kenya, round three of the season, from 20 - 23 March.

Gill triumphs in Sweden, but Johansson claims early Junior WRC lead

Taylor Gill stormed to his second FIA Junior WRC victory at Rally Sweden on Sunday, but it was home hero Mille Johansson who walked away as the early championship leader after a thrilling season opener.

Trading Australia’s scorching heat for Sweden’s frozen forests, Gill kept his cool through Sunday’s three-stage finale to seal victory by 22.8sec over local ace Johansson. Co-driven by Daniel Brkíc, the 21-year-old seized his golden opportunity when Johansson’s hopes of a home win took a hit - almost three minutes lost in a snowbank on Saturday.

Despite the setback, Johansson, contesting his first full FIA Junior WRC season as a prize for winning the 2024 FIA Junior ERC title, showed blistering pace. With a championship point awarded for every stage win, the Swede clawed back crucial points, setting fastest times on 12 of the rally’s 18 tests. That haul propelled him to the top of the standings with 29 points - two more than rally winner Gill, who took only two stage victories.

Irishman Eamonn Kelly couldn’t match Johansson’s Sunday pace but held his ground to claim third, finishing 59.9sec adrift of the Swede. He successfully fended off Turkish challenger Ali Türkkan, who missed out on the podium by just 8.4sec.

Türkkan’s compatriot and Junior WRC debutant Kerem Kazaz followed in fifth, over a minute further back, with Belgian newcomer Thomas Martens 15.9sec behind in sixth.

Claire Schönborn emerged as the WRC Young Driver Team’s top finisher in seventh, with her and team-mate Lyssia Baudet finishing almost three minutes behind in eighth. Ninth went the way of Frenchman Tristan Charpentier, who had shown early promise but tumbled down the order after an off-road excursion on Friday.

Diego Dominguez rejoined on Sunday to finish 10th, while Max Smart and Joosep Nõgene also salvaged results after earlier setbacks.

The FIA Junior WRC heads to Vodafone Rally de Portugal next (15 - 18 May), where Gill and Johansson will resume their battle on gravel.