WRC
Evans wins FORUM8 Rally Japan to extend WRC title lead
Elfyn Evans claimed his third FORUM8 Rally Japan victory on Sunday and strengthened his FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) lead with a controlled drive on Toyota Gazoo Racing’s home roads.
The Welshman led from Friday morning’s second stage and never surrendered control, eventually beating defending event winner Sébastien Ogier by 12.8sec after 20 demanding asphalt stages in Aichi and Gifu.
Sami Pajari completed the podium, 51.4sec from the lead, with home hero Takamoto Katsuta fourth as Toyota locked out the top four places on home soil.
Evans’ win was his second of the season and also marked his 50th career WRC podium. It moves him to 151 points in the drivers’ championship, 20 clear of Katsuta after seven of the season’s 14 rounds.
“What a great weekend,” said Evans. “I have to say a huge thanks to the team, amazing car again on Tarmac, and thank you to Morizo-san for all your support. Hopefully, this win is a token of appreciation.
“There’s a long way to go in the championship yet. It’s too early to really talk about [the title], but we have to just enjoy this win.”
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Evans built the foundation for victory on Friday morning, when a decisive run through Isegami’s Tunnel moved him into the lead. From there, he managed changing grip, rising temperatures and sustained pressure from his team-mates across the final asphalt rally of the season.
Oliver Solberg had been Evans’ closest challenger on Saturday morning, reducing the gap to 10.6sec before crashing out of the victory fight on the afternoon’s opening Mt. Kasagi stage.
That promoted Ogier to second and left Evans to control the gap to the nine-time world champion. Ogier continued to push through Sunday, trimming the margin to 13.3sec ahead of the rally-ending Wolf Power Stage, but Evans had enough in hand to secure a record third FORUM8 Rally Japan win.
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Ogier admitted the rally had not delivered the fight he wanted, his challenge effectively shaped by time lost in Friday’s first pass of Isegami’s Tunnel.
“I know the reason, but that’s the way it is,” Ogier said. “Didn’t manage it this weekend. Not a bad rally either. The gap to Elfyn was made in one stage with the road position. The rest was, even with the struggle, not far away.”
Pajari rounded out the podium after a strong second half of the rally. The Finn claimed several stage wins across Saturday and Sunday and secured his fifth podium from seven WRC starts this season.
“The feeling is good and it is nice to get back on the podium,” Pajari said. “It was shame we lost that one in Portugal as it would have been a good streak. It is a big shame that it is the last rally for these [Rally1] cars on Tarmac.”
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Katsuta finished fourth, 12.1sec behind Pajari after a determined final-day push in front of his home fans. The Japanese driver won the first pass of Lake Mikawako and was second-fastest on both the Super Sunday classification and the Wolf Power Stage, but early confidence struggles left him too much to recover.
“Sorry for the Japanese fans,” Katsuta said. “We are not able to even take a podium. My dream continues. I keep pushing. Special thanks to the whole Japanese fans. I’ll try next year, to get a victory for you.”
Adrien Fourmaux finished fifth as the leading Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team driver, 2min 34.8sec from the lead. Thierry Neuville completed a difficult weekend in sixth after struggling to find balance in his i20 N Rally1, while Hayden Paddon brought the third Hyundai home seventh.
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Jon Armstrong finished eighth for M-Sport Ford on his Japanese debut, with WRC2 winner Nikolay Gryazin ninth overall and Josh McErlean completing the top 10 after losing time to a wheel change on Saturday.
Solberg salvaged maximum bonus points from a frustrating weekend by winning both Super Sunday and the Wolf Power Stage. The Swede topped the final-day classification by 8.6sec from Katsuta and was fastest on the Wolf Power Stage by 1.1sec.
Toyota’s dominant home result also strengthened its grip on the manufacturers’ championship. The Japanese marque leaves round seven with 370 points, ahead of Hyundai on 243, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT2 on 106 and M-Sport Ford on 85.
The WRC continues next month at the legendary EKO Acropolis Rally Greece, which begins a long run of gravel fixtures. The rally is based in Loutraki from 25 – 28 June.
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