Tänak tops shakedown ahead of high-stakes Rally Japan

The Estonian, who secured his sole WRC title in 2019, enters this 13th and final round of the 2024 season with an outside shot at the drivers’ championship, trailing Neuville by 25 points. Both Hyundai drivers also carry the weight of their team’s manufacturers’ title hopes, as Hyundai holds a slender 15-point lead over home squad Toyota GAZOO Racing.

Despite the steep challenge ahead, Tänak is determined to push to the limit on Japan’s notoriously tricky asphalt roads and laid down an early marker on the Kuragaike Park warm-up test, posting the fastest time. M-Sport Ford’s Adrien Fourmaux was just four-tenths of a second behind in his Puma Rally1 HYBRID, while Toyota’s Sébastien Ogier completed the top three in his GR Yaris Rally1 HYBRID.

“It’s going to be a big attack weekend, I guess from everyone,” Tänak said. “Toyota has a big target, and so do we, so we definitely want to defend against them. Let’s see how it works out.”

Neuville, sixth-quickest in shakedown and 1.7sec off Tänak’s pace, is laser-focused on securing his maiden WRC crown after finishing runner-up five times.

“We have our targets clear in our mind,” Neuville said. “As a team, we want to bring home both championships. We need to find the right balance between pushing and managing the gap, but it’s going to be an exciting weekend.”

Takamoto Katsuta and Grégoire Munster slotted in ahead of Neuville, while British Rally Champion Chris Ingram equalled the Belgian’s time to top the WRC2 timesheets. Toyota’s Elfyn Evans was just 0.1sec further back in eighth with Norway’s Andreas Mikkelsen, driving Hyundai’s third car, rounding out the top 10 behind WRC2 driver Hiroki Arai.

The rally officially kicks off later today (Thursday) with a super special stage in front of a packed Toyota Stadium crowd.