Rally Sweden: Evans Triumphs on Snow to Secure Third Swedish Victory.

Welsh driver Elfyn Evans delivered a commanding performance on the snow-covered stages of northern Sweden to claim overall victory at Rally Sweden 2026, the second round of the FIA World Rally Championship. Guided by co-driver Scott Martin, Evans completed the rally in a total time of 2 hours, 35 minutes, 53.1 seconds, sealing his third career win at the Scandinavian classic.

Held in and around the city of Umeå, the only full winter event on the WRC calendar once again tested crews with sub-zero temperatures, icy forest roads, and high-speed snowbanks that punish even the smallest mistake.

The rally began with tightly contested times on Friday, as drivers adapted to varying grip levels caused by fresh snowfall in some sections and polished ice in others. Several competitors struggled with road position and changing surface conditions, which played a significant role in time gaps over the weekend. Evans, starting in a favourable position once the rally order reshuffled, capitalised with consistent top-three stage times.

Driving the #33 Toyota GR Yaris Rally 1 for Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT, Evans moved into the rally lead during Saturday’s loop of stages after a fierce early battle. Clean lines through the fast-flowing Swedish roads and careful tyre management allowed him to extend his margin on Sunday’s decisive stages, including a strong run in the Power Stage to cap off the weekend.

Snow Rally Tyre management

Evans tyre management was crucial on Rally Swedens snow and ice covered roads. Tungsten-tipped studded winter tyres are used, which provide grip by biting into ice. If the studs wear down or pull out by overly aggressive driving, exposed gravel, or repeated impacts with snowbanks—grip drops dramatically. This can lead to longer braking distances, reduced cornering speed, and higher risk of mistakes. 

Rally Sweden covered a total of 1,069km of which 768.78km was on public/closed (liaison) roads between special stages and service parks. Managing pace to preserve studs over liaison loops without service is often the difference between maintaining speed and losing time late in a stage. Also helpful is having four wheels attached to your car!

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Toyota’s dominance with the Toyota GR Yaris Rally 1 was underlined by a strong team showing. Japanese driver #18 Takamoto Katsuta, alongside Irish co-driver Aaron Johnston, secured second place, finishing 14.3 seconds behind Evans. Katsuta remained within striking distance throughout the event but was unable to close the gap in the final stages.

Completing an all-Toyota podium, Finnish rising star #5 Sami Pajari claimed third place, 46.0 seconds off the lead. Pajari’s performance demonstrated growing confidence on winter terrain, as he fended off pressure from rival teams to secure valuable championship points.

Unpredictable grip levels and sub-zero temperatures tested crews throughout the four-day rally, but Evans’s consistency and pace proved decisive. Speaking after the finish, the Welshman praised his team and highlighted the importance of starting the season strongly on one of his favourite surfaces.

Rally Sweden Overview

With this victory, Evans strengthens his early-season momentum and sends a clear message in the championship fight. Rally Sweden remains one of the most technically demanding rounds of the season, requiring absolute commitment at high speeds where snowbanks act as both ally and hazard. Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team dominated the event, locking out all three podium places. This marked a remarkable team performance and the first manufacturer podium clean sweep on consecutive rounds in the WRC since 2010.

Rally Sweden Overall Podium Results

Pos	Driver / Co-driver	Car
1	Elfyn Evans / Scott Martin	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
2	Takamoto Katsuta / Aaron Johnston	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
3	Sami Pajari / Marko Salminen	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1

Rally Sweden 2026 Stage Winners

Stage	Winner (Driver / Co-driver)	Car
Shakedown	Thierry Neuville / Martijn Wydaeghe	Hyundai i20 N Rally1
SS1	Oliver Solberg / Elliott Edmondson	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
SS2	Elfyn Evans / Scott Martin	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
SS3	Elfyn Evans / Scott Martin	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
SS4	Oliver Solberg / Elliott Edmondson	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
SS5	Takamoto Katsuta / Aaron Johnston	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
SS6	Takamoto Katsuta / Aaron Johnston	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
SS7	Thierry Neuville / Martijn Wydaeghe	Hyundai i20 N Rally1

WRC Drivers’ Championship Standings After Two Rounds (Provisional)

Pos	Driver	Total
1	Elfyn Evans	60
2	Oliver Solberg	47
3	Takamoto Katsuta	30
4	Adrien Fourmaux	28
5	Thierry Neuville	21

With Rally Sweden concluded, attention now turns to next months Safari Rally Kenya, where rivals will look to halt Toyota’s momentum and close the gap to Evans in the title fight.

Daniel Coyle – Photographic Post Script

Rally Sweden is the second WRC round of the year, and the only full snow event on the calendar. This year there was much less snow than normal, with the snowbanks noticeably smaller, but due to the freezing conditions (below -30C) there was a good ice base. This made for an exciting event, with the cars reaching speeds of nearly 190kmh, and sliding through the corners, throwing up huge clouds of snow. 

Being able to watch these powerful machines being pushed to their limits (and sometimes beyond) was spectacular, and provided some great photo opportunities. There were plenty of spectator points at all the stages, and they were all relatively easy to reach, within an hours drive of the host city of Umeå, and parking close by, meaning you could stay in the warm car for longer. 

I used a Nikon D850 camera with the standard motorsport 70-200mm ƒ2.8 lens. The wide angle shots were taken with a 24-70mm and 14-24mm ƒ2.8 lenses. Also I had a remote camera set up closer to the action, a Nikon D7100 with a 10-20mm lens. You can find out more about Daniel by following these links.

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