TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team continues to lead the manufacturers’ standings after round two of the FIA World Rally Championship season at Rally Sweden.
Warmer conditions meant that last year’s Rally Sweden winner Kalle Rovanperä was at a greater disadvantage this time running first on the road on Friday, but he fought back well to begin the final day only 3.8s away from a podium position. That gap was further reduced thanks to a stage win in Sunday’s opening test, but rival Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) responded on the next stage and managed to hold on to the place.
With a three bonus points for the third-fastest time on the rally-ending Power Stage, Rovanperä remains second in the drivers’ championship
When Toyota came back to WRC in 2017, it was at Rally Sweden that Jari-Matti brought the first victory to TGR. Since then, TGR was able to win in Sweden with Ott in 2019, Elfyn in 2020 and Kalle in 2022. Snow stages are a kind of home road for TGR-WRT which is based in Finland.
Elfyn Evans finished one position behind Rovanperä in fifth overall. Elfyn got the second-best time in the Power Stage, just 0.6 seconds from the fastest time and 0.015s quicker than Rovanperä, which keeps him fourth in the championship.
Part of the inaugural WRC season 50 years ago, Rally Sweden is the only true winter round on the calendar. Last year it moved to a new home in Umeå: the largest city in northern Sweden and closer to the Arctic Circle than it is to the country’s capital of Stockholm. As well as providing a greater guarantee of the extreme conditions the rally is known for, the move also brought even quicker roads. Special studded tyres bite into the surface to provide impressive grip. helping make this one the fastest rallies of the year.
