Toyota, led by Jari-Matti Latvala, has secured a double victory in both January’s Monte Carlo round and the Rally Sweden, which concluded on Sunday. Additionally, Toyota drivers have dominated the standings in both events on Super Sunday as well as in the Power Stage special stage.
A flawless performance in both rallies has earned Toyota the maximum 120 points. Their lead over arch-rival Hyundai stands at an impressive 48 points. Meanwhile, M-Sport Ford has managed to collect a total of 25 points from the two events.
“A fantastic weekend, a double victory across all areas. The boys did an incredible job,” Latvala beamed after Rally Sweden.
“This morning was really nerve-wracking. It’s incredibly stressful to watch such a battle when your own drivers are fighting for the top spot. The rally was truly fascinating. At the beginning, we thought the gaps might widen significantly, but in the end, five drivers were within 30 seconds of each other, and the leading drivers were separated by just a few seconds.”
Check the World Rally Championship standings from this link.
Elfyn Evans has had a superb start to the season on the drivers’ side. The Welshman secured second place in Monte Carlo and claimed victory in Sweden, along with maximum points. Evans has collected 61 points from the first two events and leads the championship by 26 points ahead of his teammate Sébastien Ogier, who, however, is not contesting the full WRC season.
Kalle Rovanperä has had a sluggish start to the season, but the Finnish star still sits third in the standings with 31 points. However, he is already 30 points behind Evans. Just behind Rovanperä, reigning champion Thierry Neuville trails by two points, while Ott Tänak is five points adrift.
Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta, who finished second in Sweden, has climbed to sixth place in the standings, overtaking Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux. Martins Sesks is in eighth place, ahead of Sami Pajari and Josh McErlean.
The World Rally Championship continues in March in Kenya. The legendary Safari Rally will take place from 20th to 23rd March. The season consists of a total of 14 rounds.
