Sebastien Ogier Dominates Rally Japan, Leads Toyota Sweep!
In a breathtaking display of skill and speed, Sebastien Ogier and co-driver Vincent Landais have stormed to the front of Rally Japan, ending the first full day with a commanding 7.9-second lead! The dynamic duo clinched the fastest times on three out of six stages, proving they are a force to be reckoned with.
Reflecting on their day, Ogier expressed satisfaction, stating, “I think we can be pleased tonight; it’s been a good day for us. This morning we had a decent rhythm, but there was not much between the top drivers. Then we were able to have a bit more of a push this afternoon when we had a bit more certainty in the pacenotes and the grip conditions for the second pass.” He acknowledged the significance of their lead, saying, “It’s nice that we’ve been able to build this small gap: it’s not much, but always better to be in this position. There’s a long way to go, but for now, it’s been the start that we wanted to the rally.”
Not to be overshadowed, Takamoto Katsuta and Aaron Johnston showcased their prowess by winning stage three and consistently placing in the top three across five stages. Katsuta shared his mixed feelings about the day, stating, “It’s nice to be at the end of Friday in second place. It has been a bit up and down in terms of the feeling for me: on some stages I was quite happy with the car, and in some stages I was struggling for some reason, but we will look into this with the team tonight.”
Meanwhile, championship leaders Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin secured two stage wins, currently sitting third overall, just 2.3 seconds behind Katsuta and 10.2 seconds off the lead. Evans remarked, “Seb has pulled the pin out. He’s really fast this afternoon, but the rally is long.” He reflected on their day, saying, “We had a decent start this morning. There were some changeable conditions like we expected, and everything was quite close, but the feeling was OK. Then it wasn’t the best afternoon for us, especially in the opening stage of the loop where we seemed to give away a bit of time in a couple of sections.”
However, it was a disastrous day for Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen, whose championship aspirations took a significant hit after crashing into a barrier during the second stage. The damage to their car’s left-rear suspension forced them to make emergency repairs, resulting in a staggering loss of over five minutes, leaving them languishing in 17th overall by day’s end.
In the midst of the Toyota dominance, Adrien Fourmaux and Alex Coria emerged as the leading Hyundai team, clinching fourth place overall, narrowly ahead of Sami Pajari and Marko Salminen, who delivered another impressive performance to secure fifth. Fourmaux expressed his satisfaction, stating, “I’m quite pleased with the balance I found this morning; we decided not to change the setup too much and just push, which seemed to be the right approach.”
As the competition heated up, Ott Tanak and Thierry Neuville grappled with their cars’ handling, wrapping up the day in sixth and seventh places, respectively. Neuville faced a setback with a damaged rear differential, compromising their car’s four-wheel drive abilities.
Gregoire Munster and Louis Louka claimed eighth in their M-Sport-run Ford Puma, while teammates Josh McErlean and Eoin Treacy faced early elimination after rolling out of the event in stage three. Oliver Solberg and Alejandro Cachón rounded out the top ten, but with the rally still in its early stages, the battle for supremacy is far from over.
As the dust settles on day one, all eyes will be on Ogier as he looks to maintain his lead against fierce competitors. Will he hold onto his advantage, or will the rally gods smile upon another contender? Only time will tell in this thrilling race!
