Ogier holds narrow WRC Rally Japan lead after Evans’ Saturday charge

Sebastien Ogier will take a narrow 6.5s lead over teammate Elfyn Evans into Sunday’s Rally Japan finale after a tense day that kept Toyota on top and the WRC drivers’ championship battle finely poised.

In a high-stakes penultimate round of the 2025 FIA World Rally Championship, the factory GR Yaris Rally1 drivers traded seconds across seven all-asphalt tests north of the rally’s Toyota City base. Eight-time WRC champ Ogier (above) led throughout, but saw his advantage trimmed to just 1.6s by a charging Evans before responding on Saturday’s closing stages to re-establish a small overnight cushion.

Evans began Saturday morning’s three-stage loop 10.2s adrift, but immediately closed the gap, his early charge capped by his 200th career WRC stage win on the opening pass of the 13.5-mile Mt. Kasagi test.

After a short service halt, 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 loop, edging Evans by 0.3s on the 13.2-mile Ena 2 stage and pulling 3.2s back on the repeat run of 10.22-mile Obara 2 test to end the day in front while his Welsh teammate brushed a patch of loose asphalt and partly de-beaded a tire on that same Obara 2 stage.

Evans, who’s still seeking a first WRC title after four runner-up finishes in the last five seasons, arrived in Japan with a 13-point cushion over Ogier in the standings. As it stands, that margin will shrink to just five – but with up to 10 bonus points available from the Super Sunday final leg and the rally-closing Wolf Power Stage, it could go either way.

Elfyn Evans put on a charge in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1, closing the gap to teammate and rally leader Sebastien Ogier to just 6.5s. Red Bull Content Pool

“I feel I've done a good job this afternoon, but I could have done better this morning,” Ogier admitted. “Still, we cannot be unsatisfied with what we've done today – the car has been working very well, very strong pace all the time.

“In the morning, we lost a bit of ground – a little bit too much, especially on the last stage of the loop. But after that, we had a strong afternoon and a good response. At the same time, Elfyn was driving on the limit as well, so the gaps were small everywhere. Going into the last day in the lead, it can only be positive.”

Adrien Fourmaux delivered one of his strongest performances yet for Hyundai Motorsport, winning two stages in the morning and moving into third overall in his i20 N Rally1 after Katsuta’s exit.

“It’s been a strong day,” said the Frenchman, who trails Evans by 17.8s. “Demanding and sometimes greasy, but it seems to be working.”

Adrien Fourmaux won two Saturday stages and moved into a podium spot in his factory Hyundai i20 N Rally1. Red Bull Content Pool

Finnish rising star Sami Pajari ended fourth after a composed day in his GR Yaris, with Ott Tanak an out-of-touch fifth in his Hyundai and Gregoire Munster sixth in the remaining M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1.

Toyota’s other title chaser, Kalle Rovanpera, climbed to seventh as his recovery drive from Friday’s suspension damage continued. But the two-time WRC champ is 6m29.7s from the rally lead and will be targeting a maximum Sunday points haul if he wants to stay in the title conversation at the Saudi Arabia finale in three weeks’ time.

Reigning WRC champ Thierry Neuville endured a frustrating start to the day, spotting a broken driveshaft before the opening stage and limping through before retiring his Hyundai soon afterward. The Belgian, who remains winless in his title defense, will restart tomorrow chasing Super Sunday and Power Stage points.

In WRC2, the second tier of international rallying, Oliver Solberg continues to boss a quality field of Rally2 cars, but the newly crowned class champ isn’t registered for points this weekend and is using his run to gain experience of the Japanese asphalt.

Newly crowned WRC2 champ Oliver Solberg isn’t registered for points in Japan, but the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 driver is still putting on a masterclass and leading the Rally2 field. Red Bull Content Pool

Best of the registered runners, Alejandro Cachon remains on course for his second WRC2 victory of the season after extending his lead through Saturday.

The Spaniard set the pace from the outset on Friday and maintained that momentum across Saturday’s seven tests to end the day 26.9s clear of Nikolay Gryazin, with Jan Solans just 5.2s further back in third.

Driving a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, Cachón managed his tires and pace smartly throughout a loop that caught out several rivals.

“It was a good day,” he said. “I tried to make it clean.”

Gryazin briefly closed the gap during the morning but continued to battle understeer in his Skoda Fabia RS, noting: "I'm trying my best, but it is how it is."

Rain has been forecast for Sunday’s final leg, which covers six asphalt stages totaling 44.97 competitive miles. It ends with a second run through the 8.69-mile Lake Mikawako test as the bonus points-paying Wolf Power Stage.

WRC Rally Japan, positions after Saturday/Leg Two, SS14
1 Sebastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) 2h32m55.0s
2 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +6.5s
3 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +23.6s
4 Sami Pajari/Marko Salminen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +45.4s
5 Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveoja (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +2m34.5s
6 Gregoire Munster/Louis Louka (Ford Puma Rally1) +4m39.6s
7 Kalle Rovanpera/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +6m27.9s 
8 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 – WRC2/non-points) +6m40.6s
9 Alejandro Cachon/Borja Rozada (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 – WRC2 leader) +7m54.9s
10 Nikolay Gryazin/Konstantin Aleksandrov (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2) +8m21.8s

• Watch the rally-closing, bonus points-paying Wolf Power Stage action from Rally Japan LIVE on the RACER+ App on Sunday, Nov. 9, midnight-1:30am ET, with same-day coverage on the RACER Network at 8:30pm ET and 11:30pm ET. 
• Plus, for a deeper dive into the FIA World Rally Championship, check out the WRC Magazine Show on RACER Network. Catch the latest episode on Sunday, Nov. 9 at 8:00pm ET and 11:00pm ET.  
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