Rally Japan began in dramatic fashion as Sébastien Ogier and Takamoto Katsuta suffered costly punctures on the opening stage, leaving Toyota’s manufacturers’ championship hopes hanging by a thread. Hyundai capitalized on Toyota’s misfortunes, with Ott Tänak and Thierry Neuville leading the charge at the front.
Ogier’s Early Disaster
The notorious Isegami’s Tunnel stage, the longest and one of the most challenging on the Rally Japan calendar, lived up to its reputation. Ogier, the defending Rally Japan champion, picked up a flat tire early in the stage, forcing him to stop and lose over two minutes as he changed it.
“[I have] no idea how it happened,” Ogier said tersely. “The first few corners were very slippery, and I was understeering.”
This setback is a severe blow to Toyota, already trailing Hyundai by 15 points in the manufacturers’ championship, and further dampens their title ambitions as the Hyundai i20s occupy the top two spots.
Katsuta Adds to Toyota’s Woes
Takamoto Katsuta, running on home soil, also suffered a puncture in the same stage. Unlike Ogier, he opted not to stop, limiting his time loss to one minute but still dropping valuable positions. His cautious approach kept him in the race but compounded Toyota’s troubled start.
Hyundai Dominates
Hyundai seized the opportunity with Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak setting blistering paces. Neuville, despite a comfortable lead in the drivers’ championship, pushed hard to claim the stage win by 1.2 seconds over Tänak. This unexpected performance underscores Hyundai’s intent to secure both titles as they currently lock out the top two positions.
Elfyn Evans, Toyota’s best hope for damage control, finished third-fastest, 5.0 seconds adrift of Neuville.
Midfield Struggles
Behind the leaders, chaos reigned. Overnight leader Adrien Fourmaux endured a nightmare stage, losing 46.9 seconds as slippery conditions and leaves on the road wreaked havoc.
“There was a lot of leaves on the road,” Fourmaux explained. “The cars in front are bringing them on, which is normal, but every corner is really tricky.”
Gregoire Munster and Andreas Mikkelsen also faltered, with Munster losing 4.5 seconds to Fourmaux and Mikkelsen overshooting a corner amid muddy conditions.
“To make sure you get to the finish, you have to go very slow,” Mikkelsen said. “It was full of mud, not easy.”
Current Standings After SS2
- Ott Tänak (Hyundai) – 22m44.8s
- Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) – +0.5s
- Elfyn Evans (Toyota) – +4.2s
- Adrien Fourmaux (M-Sport) – +45.2s
- Gregoire Munster (M-Sport) – +52.5s
- Andreas Mikkelsen (Skoda) – +56.9s
What’s Next?
Toyota faces an uphill battle to recover from their disastrous start as Hyundai continues to build momentum. With Tänak, Neuville, and Evans pulling clear of the pack, the battle for victory looks set to be a three-way fight. For Toyota, the focus will shift to damage control and salvaging their championship hopes in what promises to be an unpredictable Rally Japan.
