Elfyn Evans leads Rally Japan after a flawless Friday, leveraging his road position to hold a 15.7‑second advantage over Oliver Solberg.
Evans’ pace and the benefit of clean roads
Starting fourth, the Welshman turned a damp opening stage into a winning platform by posting the quickest time through Isegami’s Tunnel, instantly carving a 6.4‑second gap. He then added a second stage victory on the Inabu/Shitara section and managed to preserve his margin during the afternoon repeat loop, despite the surface alternating between dry patches and lingering moisture. “Road position is always crucial,” Evans explained, noting that the day’s relatively clean conditions allowed him to maintain rhythm.
Solberg’s early surge and Ogier’s tyre struggle
Oliver Solberg opened the day with a stage win and repeated the feat in the afternoon, yet lost valuable seconds on the third stage after swerving to avoid a deer. The incident cost him roughly six seconds, leaving him 15.7 seconds behind Evans at the day’s end. Nine‑time champion Sébastien Ogier, forced to start sixth, dropped 16.7 seconds in the morning pass of Isegami’s Tunnel and later confessed that the Toyota GR Yaris never found its “sweet spot,” prompting a hard‑ tyre change that further compromised his front end.
Hyundai’s challenge and the fight for fourth place
Thierry Neuville initially held fourth on soft tyres in mixed conditions, but a switch to hard compounds erased his confidence, allowing Sami Pajari to seize the spot after a stage‑six win. Home favorite Takamoto Katsuta suffered a left‑rear puncture from a clipped bank on the opening stage, struggled with confidence, and finished the day six‑seconds down, 1:03.8 behind the leader. Adrien Fourmaux and Hayden Paddon completed the top eight, while Alejandro Cachón claimed the WRC2 lead by 8.3 seconds over Nikolay Gryazin on the final stage.
Saturday will feature the rally’s longest leg, encompassing 120.22 competitive kilometres, promising further reshuffling among the leaders.
"