Takamoto Katsuta edged ahead of Toyota Gazoo Racing team-mate Elfyn Evans to lead Rally Sweden by 2.8sec on Friday night, capping a day of fluctuating fortunes on the fast, snow-lined roads around Umeå.
The Japanese driver heads a commanding Toyota 1-2-3 after eight stages, with Sami Pajari completing the lockout as the GR Yaris Rally1 proved the benchmark package from first light to the floodlit Umeå Sprint.
Friday’s complexion shifted dramatically before midday. Championship leader Oliver Solberg had started the morning on top but his hopes of a fairytale home win took a hit on SS3 (Andersvattnet 1). Running first on the road, he suffered sudden snap oversteer and slid wide into a snowbank, damaging a tyre and haemorrhaging more than 30sec.
“I went off the road, there was so much snow everywhere,” he said. “I completely underestimated how difficult it would be to be first on the road.”
That opened the door for Evans, who seized control through the remainder of the morning loop. Comfortable on the cleaner line left by Solberg, the Welshman built a 14.5sec cushion by midday as Toyota established a firm grip on proceedings.
But the afternoon told a different story. As the frozen base began to break up and ruts deepened on the second pass, Katsuta mounted a measured charge. He chipped away at Evans’ lead stage by stage before moving in front by just 0.1sec on SS7. A composed run through the final Umeå Sprint ensured he returned to service with a slender but significant advantage.
“It was quite a tricky afternoon but I think we did a good job saving the tyres,” Katsuta said. “The second pass was very rough in places, so I just tried to be clean.”
Behind them, Pajari delivered one of the standout performances of the day. The Finn balanced pace with tyre management to cement third overall, 22.2sec off the lead.
For Hyundai Motorsport, the day proved frustrating. Returning Finn Esapekka Lappi headed the squad in fourth, 45.9sec down on the leaders, although he described the feeling as “drifting” rather than attacking.
Adrien Fourmaux sat fifth, just 0.7sec ahead of the recovering Solberg, while Thierry Neuville was slowed by an off-road moment on SS3 and ended seventh, over 1min 40sec adrift. The Belgian did, however, manage to break Toyota’s stage-winning sweep by going fastest on the penultimate test.
It was an even tougher story at M-Sport Ford. All three Puma Rally1 cars were hit by tyre issues during the morning loop. Mārtiņš Sesks was forced to retire after multiple failures, while Jon Armstrong and Joshua McErlean languished eighth and ninth respectively as WRC2 leader Roope Korhonen rounded out the top 10.
Saturday’s leg is shorter but no less daunting, with a further seven stages totalling more than 100km on the itinerary.
Standings after Friday (SS8 /18):
1. T Katsuta / A Johnston JPN Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 1h 10m 33.7s
2. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +2.8s
3. S Pajari / M Salminen FIN Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +22.2s
4. E Lappi / E Mälkönen FIN Hyundai i20 N Rally1 +45.9s
5. A Fourmaux / A Coria FRA Hyundai i20 N Rally1 +50.3s
6. O Solberg / E Edmondson SWE Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +51.0s