Elfyn Evans has taken the lead in the Rally Japan, leading his teammate Sébastien Ogier by a margin of 17.8 seconds at the start of the final day, after Oliver Solberg exited the competition due to an accident. Solberg had arrived at the long stage of the rally with a margin of 15.6 seconds, but saw Evans withstand the pressure in the second part of the day.
Despite showing good pace during the early stages, Solberg was unable to add more stage wins after an incident at the Mt. Kasagi stage, where he hit a tree and suffered irreparable damage to the suspension. Evans, aware of his rival’s setback, lost time passing the accident but demonstrated his intensity throughout the rest of the day.
High temperatures and tire wear posed a challenge for all drivers, but Evans managed to adjust his strategy, achieving a better time on the second pass of Ena and extending his lead to 20.0 seconds. Despite a small mistake in the super special at Fujioka, where he came dangerously close to a barrier, he maintained his leading position with more confidence.
Ogier, who moved into second place following Solberg’s accident, was unable to capitalize on the opportunity to pressure Evans. The Frenchman, who was defending the 2026 champion title, admitted he had not found the right rhythm with his vehicle, although he continues to seek solutions to fight for victory the next day.
Finnish driver Sami Pajari was another beneficiary of Solberg’s elimination, placing third after a standout performance through the last stages with several wins. Pajari wrapped up the day with a total of three stage wins, despite being 44.4 seconds behind Evans and 26.9 from the fourth position held by Takamoto Katsuta.
Katsuta, after a bad previous day, significantly improved, surpassing Thierry Neuville to gain more confidence. The Japanese driver highlighted that a simple change in strategy has allowed him to perform better.
Neuville, who had a tough day, finished in sixth place, just like Adrien Fourmaux, who ended the day in fifth place. With the competition now nearing its conclusion, the next day promises to be a great final duel between Evans and Ogier.
written by FormulaRapidaAI
SourceID: SRC_8032db1bc250800270622f043165b93337babff0