The FIA World Rally Championship’s second round, Rally Sweden, kicked off on Thursday night with a spectacular opening stage in Umeå. Elfyn Evans, co-driven by Scott Martin, laid down an early marker in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1, storming to victory in the high-speed blast under the lights.
The Welshman, who claimed Rally Sweden glory in 2020, topped the Umeå Sprint stage by a mere half-second, with Toyota team-mate Kalle Rovanperä and Hyundai’s Ott Tänak sharing second place. Evans, currently second in the championship standings, will take on the challenge of running first on the road through Friday’s gruelling 124km leg.
“The conditions look brilliant out on the stages,” Evans said. “With a good ice base and big snowbanks – you couldn’t really hope for much better. This first stage was a pretty solid start: the braking points can be difficult to find in the dark and the grip was difficult to judge, but it was all OK. It might be that some stages work in our favour opening the road tomorrow, and others like the first stage where there’s a bit more loose snow on the ground could cost us a bit more, but let’s see how it goes.”
This year’s Rally Sweden promises to be a winter wonderland for drivers and fans alike. With temperatures well below freezing, a solid ice base has formed for the special studded tyres to bite into, while high snowbanks lining the road will help drivers carry even more speed through corners.
The usual pre-event shakedown took place on Thursday morning, with Evans setting the fastest time after the first runs and finishing third quickest overall, just ahead of Rovanperä.
Toyota Team Principal Jari-Matti Latvala expressed his excitement for the rally, saying, “It’s always great for us to be here in Sweden starting this rally and especially with the nice conditions for rallying that we have this week. When you have minus temperatures, big snowbanks, the sun is shining and you’re pushing to the limits, it’s a great feeling as a driver.”
Latvala also noted the challenges ahead, with new Hankook tyres and the road cleaning up as the rally progresses. “With Elfyn opening the road, hopefully we have a cold night and the conditions stay consistent for everyone, but the good thing is that our drivers are spread nicely through the order and we hope to make a good start whatever the situation is,” he added.
Adrien Fourmaux continued his strong form after a Hyundai debut podium last month, finishing fourth in the opening stage, 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. “Every time I do this stage, I’m always on the limit with the braking – but this time, I was early everywhere,” he smiled. “We had an issue with the intercom this morning on shakedown, and it’s still there.”
As the rally unfolds, drivers will need to adapt to the evolving conditions and master the new tyre package. Rovanperä, who finished second in the opening stage, is excited about the prospects of a true winter rally. “The conditions looked really nice on the stages during the recce, better than usual with a good layer of ice. If it’s like it was in this first stage tonight, it could be good to be near the front of the road order,” he said.
With a solid start under their belts, the Toyota team looks poised for success in the snowy forests of Sweden…
