Katsuta’s ice-cold comeback – from 14 Seconds down to overall lead

Takamoto Katsuta surged into the overall lead at Rally Sweden with an ice-cold comeback – overturning a 14-second deficit to head the field overnight in the forests north of Umeå.

After four friday stages at Rally Sweden, Toyota driver Takamoto Katsuta and his co-driver Aaron Johnston were 14 seconds adrift of leader Elfyn Evans. Four stages later, the Japanese driver had turned the rally on its head – and seized control.

With relentless pace across the afternoon loop, Katsuta erased the entire 16-second deficit to his Toyota team-mate. When Friday concluded at Red Barn Arena, he headed into the overnight halt as overall leader, just under three seconds ahead of Evans – a charge that firmly places him in the driver’s seat ahead of Saturday’s decider.

Last year ended in frustration for Katsuta, who lost out on victory after a minor error on the penultimate stage. This time, he appears to have channelled that experience into steely composure. In the sparkling – and bitterly cold – forests north of Umeå, he was unquestionably Friday’s standout performer.

Behind the leading Toyota duo, Finnish team-mate Sami Pajari sits 22.2 seconds behind Katsuta. The top Hyundai driver and 2024 Rally Sweden winner, Esa-Pekka Lappi, along with Frenchman Adrien Fourmaux, hold fourth and fifth place overall, approximately 46 and 50 seconds behind the leader, respectively.

Sweden’s Oliver Solberg started strongly but was forced into a spectacular recovery after running wide into a snowbank on Andersvattnet SS3. Despite that, he sits fifth overall and – although 51 seconds back – has claimed three stage wins, keeping his victory hopes very much alive. Saturday’s seven stages will demand a delicate balance between surface conditions, driving precision, and tyre performance. For Solberg, who has often had to sweep the road as the first car on stage, the running order could play a decisive role.

The ever-consistent Belgian Thierry Neuville also lost ground and now trails by 1 minute 43.8 seconds, although he ended Friday strongly by winning Bäck SS7 and finishing second on Umeå SS8.

It was a difficult day for M-Sport Ford. Tyre pressure issues disrupted the rhythm, and Latvian driver Mārtiņš Sesks was forced to retire. Josh McErlean and Jon Armstrong are too far adrift to mount a serious challenge at the front.