Frenchman leads as Rovanperä hits trouble on WRC’s penultimate round.
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 teammate 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.
“It’s been a good day,” said Ogier. “We did what we had to do today. It’s always fun fighting for a championship, otherwise we would not be here. There’s still a long way to go, but we’re trying to keep our chances alive until the last rally.”
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. “I feel quite confident in my car and driving,” he said. “I can take risks later.”
Evans, meanwhile, stayed within touching distance despite describing his Toyota as “not quite clicking” for much of the day.
“Seb has pulled the pin out,” the Welshman smiled. “He’s really fast this afternoon, but the rally is long.”
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.
Standings after Friday (SS7/20):
1. S Ogier / V Landais FRA Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 1h 11m 48.2s
2. T Katsuta / A Johnston JPN Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +7.9s
3. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +10.2s
4. A Fourmaux / A Coria FRA Hyundai i20 N Rally1 +24.0s
5. S Pajari / M Salminen FIN Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +24.3s
6. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 N Rally1 +1m 12.3s
The World Rally Championship (WRC) is the FIA’s premium rally series. It showcases high-performance cars and the world’s best drivers competing in dramatic surroundings, ranging from Sweden’s freezing winter to Kenya’s heat and rocky tracks. Participants battle for drivers’ and manufacturers’ titles at 14 rallies. More information can be found at www.wrc.com.
By: @World / Red Bull Content Pool / Jaanus Ree / Red Bull Content Pool