Summarize

If anything, Toyota Gazoo Racing Week 8 of 2022 was short and sweet. Double sweet for Toyota, in fact. Kalle Rovanpera stormed to the team’s first hybrid era WRC win at a snowy  Rally Sweden.

Rovanpera lit up Toyota Gazoo Racing's 2022 World Rally Championship challenge with a comfortable 22 second victory over Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville and returning Toyota Yaris Hybrid teammate Esapekka Lappi. Son of former WRC champion Harri, Kalle escaped an 8-second 6-way lead tussle Friday. He went on to take his third career WRC victory. Neuville, Lappi, Elfyn Evans and Ott Tanak all enjoyed brief spells in front. But all running into issues as the rally progressed. Rovanpera’s win saw him into the WRC lead.

Moving across the pond to the St Petersburg opener, former Aussie V8 Supercar tin top sensation Scott McLaughlin completed his transformation to Indycar glory. He drove from pole his Penske-Chevrolet from pole to a maiden victory at the St. Petersburg US season opener. The Kiwi held champion, Spaniard Alex Palou’s charging Ganassi Honda off in a fight to the finish with Penske teammate. Aussie Will Power was third from Andretti duo Colton Herta and Romain Grosjean.

And in NASCAR, champion Kyle Larson barged Hendrick teammate Chase Elliott out of the way and handled Austin Dillon's wild, last-lap charge for his first win of the season. Erik Jones and Daniel Suarez made it a Chevrolet 1-2-3-4 in the wreck-marred Wise Power Fontana 400 in California. Joey Logano’s Ford was fifth. Larson helped Elliott into the wall with 20 to run, before Chase spun out on Lap 192.

Closer to home Trademore SA Cross Country champion Bradley Cox’s KTM held OR2 winner, Husqvarna man Brett Swanepoel off to win the Pepson Plastics Pretoria 200. OR3 winner Matthew Wilson's KTM was third from Scott Heygate’s OR2 KTM. Michael Pentecost's OR1 Kawasaki was 5th from Honda duo, OR1 rider Gareth and OR3 lad Haydn Cole.

Senior winner Kenny Gilbert’s Kawasaki was 8th. KTM riders Kobus Jonck took Masters and Ross Ramseyer High School, Brandon Clarke’s Husqvarna won 85 cc and Jake Pretorius Kawasaki IPC 65.