Evans triumphs over Katsuta in dramatic Rally Sweden – secures second victory

Elfyn Evans and his co-driver Scott Martin celebrating their victory in Rally Sweden 2025. Foto: ROBERT EKBLOM

Elfyn Evans secured his second victory in Rally Sweden 2025 after a dramatic finish that added extra excitement to the fourth Umeå edition of the competition.
- What a week it's been; I didn't make it easy for myself on the final competition day, Evans said with a laugh as he happily climbed onto the winner's podium at The Red Barn Arena.

After an impressive weekend where he led 15 out of 18 stages, Sunday became a crazy rally drama at its peak, with top-level driving that showed why the WRC drivers genuinely belong in the FIA World Rally Championship.
Elfyn Evans has started this year's WRC season with a second-place finish and a win, taking the lead in the championship standings.
- It's early in the season, and it's just beginning, but you can't complain about this start, Evans summed up the competition, which turned into a tight thriller among the front-runners.
Overall, Evans was the most balanced driver. He won seven stage victories and only lost the lead to Takamoto Katsuta twice during the weekend and once to Ott Tänak. Evans eventually won by 3.8 seconds ahead of Katsuta and 11 seconds ahead of Thierry Neuville, while 2023 Rally Sweden winner Ott Tänak finished 16.8 seconds behind Evans.

It was a tight battle between Evans and Toyota teammate Takamoto Katsuta when the final day started with the Västervik SS16 and SS17 stages, where only three seconds separated the drivers. It looked like Katsuta would take the lead for a long time, and he gained it first when he passed Evans on Sunday's opening stage. Katsuta mixed his feelings when summarizing Rally Sweden, as he was close to winning his first WRC victory.
- I'm a little disappointed as it was so close; I had it in my hands, but at the same time, I'm happy for Elfyn, and I can console myself knowing I did a good job for the team. Next time I get this chance, I'll be ready," said Katsuta, who had a four-second lead with two stages left to run.

But Evans was far from ready to give up.
He drove furiously on the penultimate stage, impressively taking back the lead. This gave him a good advantage heading into the final decisive stage at Red Barn Arena. Evans put pressure on his Japanese rival and managed to hold off Katsuta to ultimately claim victory in Rally Sweden, his second win in the event after winning for the first time in 2020.
- I pushed as hard as I could, and fortunately, it worked out, and I could hold on to the finish and win. Those tiny margins can make you lose or gain three or four seconds here or there. Even a small mistake can make the difference when it's this tight," said Evans to rally fans to celebrate the winner in sun-drenched Umeå.

Evans' first victory in Rally Sweden came in 2020 when he became the final winner of the rally's long history before the event was moved from Värmland to Umeå. The Welshman had been close to winning in Umeå before, including fighting for the win in the inaugural year, but crashed into a snowbank.
In 2024, he finished second behind Esa-Pekka Lappi. Still, this time it was Evans' turn, making him the fourth winner in the Umeå event, joining Kalle Rovanperä, Ott Tänak, and Esa-Pekka Lappi, who had all reached the podium in previous years.
The victory was also, like in 2022, a success for the Toyota team, which took three of the top five spots, with "gold" and "silver" claimed by Evans and Katsuta, while Kalle Rovanperä, who never quite found his pace during the weekend, finished in fifth place.