Elfyn Evans tops WRC standings after Rally Sweden win

The 36-year-old Welshman won Rally Sweden and his Toyota Gazoo Racing team-mate Takamoto Katsuta came in second after a heated battle on the final day of the second rally of the World Rally Championship calendar.

2024 WRC champion Thierry Neuville (co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe) - both Belgians - finished 12 seconds behind the winner to take 3rd spot.

Evans, with co-driver Scott Martin from Britain, held the lead for most of the rally since Thursday and had three seconds over Katsuta (co-driver Aaron Johnston from Ireland) at the start on Sunday.

However, Katsuta garnered a 4.5-second lead after he won Sunday's first stage (Stage 16) but Evans had a clean penultimate run to build a 3.7 secs lead and won the final powerstage 0.1 seconds ahead of Katsuta.  

The win at Sweden puts Evans at the top of the WRC drivers' standings with 61 points, with Sebastien Ogier and Kalle Rovanpera in second and third with 33 and 31 points, respectively, making it a 1-2-3 for Toyota Gazoo Racing.

Thierry Neuville is fourth with 29 points, while Rally Sweden runner-up Takamoto Katsuta is running sixth with 25 points.

Round 3 starts March 20 with the teams heading to Africa for the Safari Rally Kenya.