Winner in Sweden, is Elfyn Evans on course for the title?

The thermometer was reading a mere -8°C, but the battle was fierce at the front of the race. The sun was shining brightly in a cloudless blue sky as the competitors returned to the service park in Umeå after the first special stage on Sunday morning. Takamoto Katsuta had just passed Elfyn Evans by 7 seconds, taking first place by 5 seconds. Had the race tipped in favour of the Japanese? Although they were rivals, the two team-mates did not ignore each other in the regrouping zone before joining their mechanics.

« How did you get through the intersection before the house?, Elfyn asked as she approached Takamoto, who was inspecting the studs on his tires. I braked too much before the turn and it was a struggle to get out of it. "" Oh… there, its