Elvyn Evans in the lead after day 2

The Welshman Elfyn Evans ended Friday evening at Rally Sweden in the lead, 2.5 seconds ahead of the Estonian and Hyundai driver Ott Tänak, as well as Adrien Fourmaux, Hyundai’s new signing, who is 7.9 seconds behind. In fourth place is the Belgian Thierry Neuville, trailing Evans by 9.1 seconds, while in fifth place, Kalle Rovanperä struggles with his Toyota, a full 25.5 seconds behind.

Summing up the first eight stages, Evans has been strong throughout the day. He won two of the eight stages and finished second on three of Friday’s runs.

Rally Sweden’s first real test, the crucial Friday opener, turned into a fierce battle with relatively few mistakes from the WRC1 drivers, although the icy surface occasionally slowed the cars down when braking points were not always calculated correctly on the tricky terrain.

When Red Barn Arena closed for the evening, the top five drivers were within just nine (!) seconds of each other, with Takamoto Katsuta in second place, followed by Ott Tänak, Adrien Fourmaux, and Thierry Neuville.

Friday’s seven special stages, set in Västerbotten’s hilly forests and winter landscapes, once again became a magical spectator event. The newly introduced stages, Andersvattnet, featuring one of the competition’s most spectacular jumps, and the E4-roadside village of Bäck, provided top-tier rally action. The audience showed their love for the sport by forming a symbolic heart with snowmobiles in celebration of Valentine’s Day, which was observed in Sweden on Friday.