Stunning driver sees him collect maximum points from Rally Sweden
A stunning victory on the only winter round of the FIA World Rally Championship propelled Elfyn into the lead of the 2025 series and helped seal another perfect 1-2 result for his Toyota Gazoo Racing WRC Team.
Despite its frozen roads and sub-zero temperatures, Rally Sweden delivered a red-hot battle for victory.
Elfyn started well and, undeterred by running first on the road during Friday’s opening day, he set a string of solid times to hold a slender overnight lead of just 0.6 seconds from team-mate Takamoto Katsuta.
He got to grips with the frozen roads around Umea thanks to new Hankook studded winter tyres, equipped with 384 metal pins to bite into the ice base. He continued to dominate the time sheets throughout Saturday, although the ultra-tight battle meant that the top five crews were separated by just a few seconds.
However, Sunday’s first stage through things wide open when Elfyn struggled with the conditions and dropped time, losing the lead to Katsuta who now had a 4.5 second advantage.
But Elfyn blitzed the next test, going over 8 seconds quicker that Katsuta and regaining the lead. The final stage shoot-out again went Elfyn’s way, winning the stage by just 0.1 seconds to claim maximum points from the day and the event overall.
He sealed his second Rally Sweden victory by 3.8 seconds and led home another perfect 1-2 finish for the Toyota team. Elfyn now holds a 28 point advantage in the championship battle as the series moves to the first gravel round of the year at Safari Rally Kenya on 20-23 March.
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