Sebastien Ogier leads a Toyota 1-2-3 in FIA WRC win in Rally Japan from Elfyn Evans and Sami Pajari, to take the title fight to finale.
Friday:
Sébastien Ogier produced a trademark display of pace and precision to lead a Toyota Gazoo Racing 1-2-3 at the end of Friday’s opening leg of FORUM8 Rally Japan. The eight-time world champion, victorious on three of the day’s six stages, reached the Toyota City service park with a 7.9sec advantage over team-mate Takamoto Katsuta, while championship leader Elfyn Evans completed the all-GR Yaris podium 2.3sec further back after winning the day-ending Shinshiro test in fading light.
Friday’s action covered six technical asphalt tests around Aichi and Gifu, mixing tight forest climbs, damp-patched tarmac and changing grip. Ogier moved into the lead on the first stage of the day and, apart from briefly dropping behind Katsuta on SS3, never looked back – building a small but significant cushion on Toyota’s home round. Japan’s Katsuta thrilled the local fans throughout, consistently clocking top three stage times and even taking the stage win on the opening run of Shinshiro.
Evans, meanwhile, stayed within touching distance despite describing his Toyota as “not quite clicking” for much of the day. Nevertheless, Evans’ third place keeps him well placed in the championship fight, where he began the weekend 13 points clear of both Ogier and Kalle Rovanperä. The latter languished outside the top 10 after an impact with a barrier this morning damaged his car’s rear suspension and cost him several minutes.
Adrien Fourmaux delivered another standout performance for Hyundai Motorsport, ending the day fourth overall and just 0.3sec ahead of Sami Pajari after leapfrogging the Finn on the final stage of the day. The Frenchman’s team-mates Ott Tänak and Thierry Neuville sat sixth and seventh respectively after a tricky day adapting their i20 N to Japan’s narrow asphalt, while Grégoire Munster, Oliver Solberg and Alejandro Cachón completed the top ten.
Josh McErlean became the top category’s first casualty when he crashed his M-Sport Ford Puma heavily on SS3. Both the Irishman and his co-driver were unhurt in the incident but will not restart on Saturday, which features seven stages covering more than 120 kilometres.
Saturday:
Sébastien Ogier will take a narrow 6.5sec lead over team-mate Elfyn Evans into Sunday’s FORUM8 Rally Japan finale after a tense day that kept Toyota on top and the drivers’ title battle finely poised. The pair traded seconds across seven demanding asphalt tests north of the rally’s Toyota City base. Ogier led throughout but saw his advantage trimmed to 1.6sec before responding on Saturday’s closing stages to re-establish a small cushion overnight.
Evans began the day 10.2sec adrift and immediately closed the gap, his morning capped by his 200th career WRC stage win on the opening pass of Mt Kasagi. The repeated run through that very same stage brought heartbreak for home hero Takamoto Katsuta, who struck a water-filled barrier and broke the power steering on his GR Yaris – dropping out of contention after running third overall.
Ogier rebuilt his rhythm in the afternoon, edging Evans by 0.3sec on Ena 2 and pulling 3.2sec back on the repeat run of Obara to end the day in front while his Welsh colleague brushed a patch of loose asphalt and partly de-beaded a tyre on the penultimate stage. Evans arrived in Japan with a 13-point cushion over Ogier in the championship. As it stands, that margin will shrink to five – but with up to 10 ten bonus points available from Super Sunday and the Wolf Power Stage, it could go either way.
Adrien Fourmaux delivered one of his strongest performances yet for Hyundai Motorsport, winning two stages in the morning and moving into third overall after Katsuta’s exit. Sami Pajari ended fourth after a composed day in his GR Yaris Rally1, with Ott Tänak fifth for Hyundai and Grégoire Munster sixth for M-Sport Ford. Kalle Rovanperä climbed to seventh as his recovery from Friday’s suspension damage continued.
Behind them, Oliver Solberg moved up to eighth overall, while Alejandro Cachón kept control of WRC2 in ninth ahead of Nikolay Gryazin, who again struggled for front-end grip. Thierry Neuville endured a frustrating start to the day, spotting a broken driveshaft before the opening stage and limping through before retiring his i20 N soon afterwards. The Belgian will restart tomorrow chasing Super Sunday and Power Stage points.
Sunday:
Sébastien Ogier stormed to victory on FORUM8 Rally Japan on Sunday to ignite a three-way fight for the 2025 FIA World Rally Championship title heading into the Saudi Arabian finale. The eight-time world champion fended off Toyota Gazoo Racing team-mate and points leader Elfyn Evans through a rain-soaked final leg, winning by 11.6sec to close the gap to three points. Kalle Rovanperä’s sixth-place finish leaves him 24 points off the lead, ensuring all three Toyota drivers remain in contention while Ott Tänak’s faint hopes are now over.
Persistent rain lashed the final six stages around Aichi and Gifu, turning the asphalt roads into rivers of standing water. Evans began the day 6.5sec adrift and initially looked poised to strike back, edging the Frenchman by 0.8sec through the opening Nukata test before Ogier reasserted control on the following stage at Lake Mikawako.
Behind them, the drama continued. Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux, running third overnight, slid off the road and into trees, ripping a door from his i20 N Rally1 and retiring soon afterwards. His demise promoted Sami Pajari into a career-first podium position – a result that capped a breakout year for the 23-year-old Finn and sealed a dream 1-2-3 for Toyota at home. Evans remained on Ogier’s tail but a wild moment on the first of two Okazaki super specials – sliding down a grass bank before rejoining – dented his rhythm. Ogier stayed clean to stretch his margin to 8.3sec before extending it further on the final two stages to ensure a decisive victory.
Pajari’s measured drive secured third ahead of Tänak, who endured a puncture in the morning rain but managed to win SS15 in his Hyundai. M-Sport Ford’s Grégoire Munster took a career best-equalling fifth overall, with Rovanperä climbing to sixth after losing several minutes to suspension damage on Friday. Oliver Solberg placed seventh in his Rally2-specification Toyota GR Yaris, while Alejandro Cachón took the WRC2 category spoils from Nikolay Gryazin. Jan Solans completed the top ten, dropping behind Gryazin after a spin on the penultimate stage.
WRC Result: https://www.wrc.com/en/events/wrc-forum8-rally-japan-2025/results-wrc-forum8-rally-japan-2025
[The story is as per press release]