Evans defeated M-Sport Ford’s Adrien Fourmaux by 1.5 seconds. However, Evans is still third in the rally, trailing the Frenchman by 14.7 seconds.
“It’s difficult conditions in there, really a lot of gravel. I tried to be smooth. It’s difficult to find balance” Evans said, referring to saving tires.
“There was a lot of rocks everywhere on the road. I was scared to get a puncture so I decided to push less in this part. I even thought I had a puncture but no,” Fourmaux stated in turn.
Hyundai’s Esapekka Lappi continues to lead the race. He has a minute and 17 seconds advantage over the second-placed French driver, so there’s no panic.
“It’s very abrasive, like crazy, for the tires. In the beginning, I tried to drive and keep some rhythm but then I realized it’s too tough for the tires so I slowed down to save them,” Lappi summarized.
Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville has moved up to fourth in the rally. Oliver Solberg, driving a Skoda and leading the WRC2 class, is fifth. Sami Pajari is sixth overall before Roope Korhonen and Georg Linnamäe.
Kalle Rovanperä of Toyota, who retired on Friday, is now focusing on Sunday’s points.
“For sure I think it’s been cleaning also a bit. It was really messy for us, no real lines to follow and tough for the tires. Let’s see how much on the next one we need to save the tire,” Rovanperä commented.
Three more special stages will be run in Rally Sweden on Saturday. The competition concludes on Sunday.
Standings after SS12/18 of Rally Sweden:
1. Esapekka Lappi Hyundai 1:37:13.6 2. Adrien Fourmaux Ford +1:17.1 3. Elfyn Evans Toyota +1:31.8 4. Thierry Neuville Hyundai +2:44.3 5. Oliver Solberg Skoda +2:45.3 6. Sami Pajari Toyota +3:37.2 7. Roope Korhonen Toyota +3:45.8 8. Georg Linnamäe Toyota +3:49.8 9. Mikko Heikkilä Toyota +3:56.5 10. Lorenzo Bertelli Toyota +5:53.0
Itinerary (CET):
Thursday, February 15th 09:01 Shakedown: Håkmark (5.42 km) 19:05 SS1: Umeå Sprint 1 (5.16 km) Friday, February 16th 08:58 SS2: #42 Brattby 1 (10.76 km) 09:52 SS3: Norrby 1 (12.36 km) 10:55 SS4: Floda 1 (28.25 km) 13:28 Service (30 min) 14:36 SS5: #42 Brattby 2 (10.76 km) 15:30 SS6: Norrby 2 (12.36 km) 16:33 SS7: Floda 2 (28.25 km) 19:05 SS8: Umeå Sprint 2 (5.16 km) Saturday, February 17th 07:45 SS9: Vännäs 1 (15.65 km) 08:35 SS10: Sarsjöliden 1 (14.23 km) 10:08 SS11: Bygdsiljum 1 (28.06 km) 13:00 Service (30 min) 14:15 SS12: Vännäs 2 (15.65 km) 15:05 SS13: Sarsjöliden 2 (14.23 km) 16:38 SS14: Bygdsiljum 2 (28.06 km) 19:05 SS15: Umeå 1 (10.08 km) Sunday, February 18th 07:27 SS16: Västervik 1 (25.50 km) 09:06 Service (15 min) 10:03 SS17: Västervik 2 (25.50 km) 12:15 SS18: Umeå 2 (10.08 km) *Power Stage
