Elfyn Evans extended his World Rally Championship lead to 20 points after taking a second victory of the season at Rally Japan.
Although it was Oliver Solberg who led after the opening stage, Evans stormed to the front with a commanding stage win on SS2 Isegami’s Tunnel – making the most of an advantageous road position as the stage dirtied – and never looked back.
He and co-driver Scott Martin won Rally Japan for a third time by 12.8s over reigning world champion Sébastien Ogier, with Sami Pajari finishing third to seal his fifth podium from seven events this year and Toyota’s fourth podium lockout.
With Takamoto Katsuta finishing fourth – enduring a disastrous opening morning where he ran wide into a drainage ditch and punctured a tire, leaving him without a desired soft compound for SS2 – and Oliver Solberg running wide and hitting a pole on Saturday to retire for the day from second, Evans’ series lead grew from 12 points to 20.
Katusta remains second with Solberg now 49 points adrift despite grabbing all 10 points from Super Sunday. Pajari is five points behind Solberg with Hyundai’s leading driver, Adrien Fourmaux, sixth in the standings, 62 points from the summit.
“What a great weekend,” said Evans. “I have to say a huge thanks to the team who gave us an amazing car again on Tarmac, and thank you to Morizo-san for all his support. Hopefully this win can act as a token of my appreciation.
“In terms of the championship, even though we lead it’s still too early to really talk about it. We have to just enjoy this win, our third at Rally Japan.”
Ogier cut a frustrated figure at times in Japan, stating before the rally he had eyes only for victory but having to settle for the runner-up spot. The nine-time champion rued the 16.7s he dropped to Evans on SS2 (starting the stage sixth compared to first) and also struggled to get the most from the Hankook tires on longer stages.
However second place was the 118th podium of Ogier’s career, putting him two behind Sébastien Loeb’s record of 120.
Pajari meanwhile won four of the 20 stages en route to his podium finish, fending off Katsuta by 12.1s.
“Sorry for the Japanese fans,” Katsuta said. “We are not able to take even a podium, so sorry for them. Still my dream continues, so I keep pushing. I try next year, try to get a victory for you.”
Katsuta apologized to the Japanese fans after missing out on the win, and even a podium
Fourmaux was the first Hyundai home for the fifth time this season, capturing fifth position by 38.8s over Rally Portugal winner Thierry Neuville.
Neither Hyundai driver enjoyed their i20 N Rally1 on the relentlessly twisty Tarmac stages of Japan, but are more optimistic for the second half of the season which will be staged entirely on gravel.
“We did the maximum with what we had this weekend,” said Neuville. “We couldn’t find any improvement at all with the car. However it’s the last time we’ll drive this car on Tarmac where we have not been competitive, so I am quite happy now to go to gravel where we have more chances of better results.”
Hayden Paddon finished seventh overall on his first Rally Japan since 2010 when it was a gravel event, on what might be his final rally for Hyundai in 2026.
Jon Armstrong was the first of the M-Sport Fords home in eighth place; team-mate Josh McErlean climbed into the final points-paying place (10th) on the final stage as he recovered from stopping to change a tire on Friday.
The fight to win WRC2 was a thriller between the two most recent victors of Rally Japan: 2024 winner Nikolay Gryazin (Lancia) and 2025 winner Alejandro Cachón (Toyota).
Cachón held the advantage on Friday after the pair traded the lead four times, but Gryazin moved ahead on Saturday in his Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale.
Gryazin delivered Lancia's third WRC2 victory of the season after an epic battle with Cachón
But a late push from Spaniard Cachón on the penultimate stage drew him just 2.8s behind, where he vowed: “I’m going to beat him, I’m completely sure. Let’s try to do it in the last stage of the rally, it will be epic.”
However Cachón spun his GR Yaris Rally2 on the powerstage, leaving Gryazin victorious by 18.3 seconds and taking the WRC2 championship lead.
“In a stupid corner, I put my inside tire in the water pipe, and it snapped me,” Cachón explained. “I was lucky not to crash into the trees. I was trying, I was pushing – big sorry to all the teams, all the sponsors. I tried my maximum so I need to be happy.”
Gryazin, who finished ninth overall, added: “I didn’t know he spun, so I was pushing a lot! I enjoyed a lot this last stage. Finally it’s paid off. When you are pushing every day and after you’re winning, it’s a different level of emotion.”
Third place went to Toyota Challenge Program driver Yuki Yamamoto who claimed the first WRC2 podium of his career at home in Japan.
