At the checkdown of the Estonia Rally, the ninth round of the 2026 World Rally Championship, Elfyn Evans and Sami Pajari tied for first place. Toyota managed to fill all five top spots with their own drivers. Championship leader Evans, 11 points ahead of Takamoto Katsuta, will be the first to sweep the tracks in the special stages on Friday afternoon.
Evans's fifth passing time is more realistic.
The Rally Estonia is being held with a condensed schedule this year; the checkdown and the first seven special stages are all crammed into the same day. Evans' fifth place in the first checkdown is therefore more representative data. The driver commented on this: “Of course we want to aim as high as possible. It’s a bit drier than we expected, but it’s hard to say what the conditions will be like over the weekend.” Katsuta finished third, 0.1 seconds behind the leading duo, while 2025 Rally Estonia winner Oliver Solberg was 0.1 seconds further back, and 0.2 seconds behind the fastest overall, in fourth place.
Pajari is still looking for his first WRC victory and will start fourth on the grid today. The young Finnish driver commented after the downhill session: “You have to be extremely fast from the start here, we have to be ready! Maybe I don’t have many brain cells left in my head, but I enjoy this adrenaline and high speed.” Katsuta expressed his excitement for Estonia, which he described as one of his favorite tracks, saying: “This rally and Finland are my favorites. I can’t believe how quickly time flies; I need to be fast too!”
Ogier, Neuville and M-Sport's overall picture
Current world champion Sébastien Ogier is competing in the Rally Estonia for the first time in a Rally1 car since his last appearance as a full-time WRC driver in Tartu in 2021. Ogier finished fifth in the checkdown, 0.5 seconds behind the fastest time. Hyundai driver Thierry Neuville finished sixth, 0.3 seconds behind Ogier. Neuville expressed determination to win: ’The goal is victory; winning on this track is the only podium position I’m missing. It won’t be easy, but we have to fight for it.“
Adrien Fourmaux finished seventh, while Esapekka Lappi took eighth place. Lappi is making his first WRC start since the Safari Rally Kenya in March. He summarized his expectations: “Trying to enjoy it is the right approach. I don’t know what’s realistic for us; we’ll keep smiling and enjoying it, and if results come, they come.” Oliver Solberg, last year’s winner, emphasized his intention to approach the weekend with positive energy: “Last year was last year, but we need to carry that positive energy and confidence into this week. We’ve had a few tough weeks; we need to have a solid and good weekend.”
In the M-Sport Ford team, the three cars finished just 0.2 seconds behind each other in the checkdown. Jon Armstrong was the fastest in this group, followed by Josh McErlean 0.1 seconds behind and Mārtiņš Sesks another 0.1 seconds. Armstrong commented: “We’re trying to get into a rhythm. The grip was quite high and it was a bit difficult to find the right car grip, but that’s what checkdown is for.” The first special stage of the Estonia Rally starts at 13:03 local time (13:03 GMT).