Day 1
World champion Kalle Rovanpera kicked off his return to the World Rally Championship in style by winning the opening stage of Rally Sweden on Thursday night.
Rovanpera, starting seventh on the road, posted a time 1.4s faster than Toyota team-mate Takamoto Katsuta. Toyota enjoyed a 1-2-3 on the first super special stage held under lights. Elfyn Evans, starting second on the road, clocked the third fastest time 0.6s adrift of Rovanpera’s pace.
Day 2
Esapekka Lappi made it through an action-packed and challenge-filled opening leg of Rally Sweden leading round two of the FIA World Rally Championship by a slender 3.2sec.
Hit back from an off-form run through SS1 on Thursday evening to complete Friday ahead of Takamoto Katsuta. Behind the charging Katsuta, Adrien Fourmaux was on course to complete leg one on the provisional podium for the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team on the back of a fine drive.
But the Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid-driving Frenchman was powerless to prevent WRC2 leader Oliver Solberg moving ahead in the afternoon snow, despite the power deficit the Swede faced in his Rally2-specification Škoda Fabia.
Neuville encountered an delay, which incurred him a 40-second penalty, meaning he was outside the top 10 after eight stages with Evans fifth behind Fourmaux.
Georg Linnamäe, who sensationally claimed his maiden outright WRC stage win on SS5, was sixth in Toyota’s new-for-2024 GR Yaris Rally2. Linnamäe’s WRC2 rivals Sami Pajari, Roope Korhonen, Mikko Heikkilä, and Lauri Joona complete the top 10.
Rovanperä forced to limp through SS4 with damage to the rear of his Yaris following an off thus ending his Rally Sweden challenge along with Tänak who spun and damaged the front-end of his Hyundai hitting a snowbank 18.5km into SS4.
Day 3
Esapekka Lappi moved closer to ending his World Rally Championship victory drought after cruising through Saturday’s stages at Rally Sweden.
The Hyundai driver will take a 1m06.3s advantage over M-Sport’s Adrien Fourmaux into Sunday’s final three stages, with Toyota’s Elfyn Evans sitting 1m23.0s back in third, as he seeks a first win since his maiden success on the 2017 Rally Finland.
Lappi was pushed hard by Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta in the morning as the Finn saw his lead shrink to 0.9s. However, Katsuta’s charge was halted on stage 10 when the Japanese lost control and found a snowbank.
Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville stands to collect 10 points after ending the day in fourth [+2m22.1s], having started the day in 11th overall.
Skoda driver Oliver Solberg completed the top five to lead the WRC2 class from Toyota’s Sami Pajari.
Day 4
Esapekka Lappi is claimed a memorable World Rally Championship win at Rally Sweden, while Toyota’s Elfyn Evans moved into second position.
Lappi took no risks to complete Sunday morning’s stages safely with a 34-second lead over Evans, who jumped ahead of M-Sport’s Adrien Fourmaux.
Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville took a comfortable fourth overall as WRC2 leader Oliver Solberg rounded out the top five and the WRC2 win.
Pajari [WRC2], Linnamäe [WRC2], Korhonen [WRC2], Heikkilä [WRC2] & Bertelli completed the top 10 positions. Rovanperä won the power stage edging out Evans and Neuville.
