Elfyn Evans secured a thrilling victory at Rally Sweden, fending off Toyota Gazoo Racing teammate Takamoto Katsuta by just 3.8 seconds to claim his 10th WRC career win and take the championship lead.

The three-day battle on frozen stages around Umea saw multiple lead changes, with the final day proving particularly tense. Katsuta briefly took the lead after winning the first Sunday stage by 7.5 seconds, but Evans and co-driver Scott Martin fought back decisively on the following stages to secure the win.

Hyundai's Thierry Neuville completed the podium, finishing 11.9 seconds behind Evans, while teammate Ott Tanak took fourth place despite earlier engine mapping issues. Two-time WRC champion Kalle Rovanpera struggled with the new Hankook tires, finishing fifth.

In WRC2, Oliver Solberg dominated to win his third consecutive Rally Sweden, finishing 42.5 seconds ahead of Roope Korhonen in their Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 cars.

Final Standings (Top 5):

1. Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota) 2h33m39.2s
2. Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota) +3.8s
3. Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai) +11.9s
4. Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveoja (Hyundai) +16.8s
5. Kalle Rovanpera/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota) +32.8s

WRC Drivers' Championship Standing (After 2 rounds):

1. Evans - 61 points
2. Ogier - 33 points
3. Rovanpera - 31 points
4. Neuville - 29 points
5. Tanak - 26 points

The WRC season continues with Safari Rally Kenya, scheduled for March 20-23, where teams will face challenging conditions including dust, rutted tracks, and potential flash rains.

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