Elfyn Evans claims second win of 2026 to increase ...

Elfyn Evans tamed Rally Japan’s tough asphalt phases to assert his second win of the World Rally Championship season after warding off reigning world champion Sebastien Ogier.

Evans and co-driver Scott Martin produced a faultless show all through the 20 asphalt phases to grow to be essentially the most profitable driver in Rally Japan historical past by taking a 3rd occasion win by 12.8s from Ogier. 

Toyota dominated the ultimate asphalt rally of the Rally1 period by locking out the highest 4 positions as Sami Pajari claimed a fifth podium of the yr in third [+51.4s] with residence hero Takamoto Katsuta in fourth [+1m03.5s].

“What an amazing weekend. Big due to the crew. Wonderful automotive once more on tarmac. Lengthy approach to go and too early to speak about that [championship]. We have now to only take pleasure in this one,” stated Evans, who leads the championship by 20 factors from Katsuta. 

With the rally shifting from an autumn to a spring date, crews had anticipated a sizzling dry rally, nonetheless in a single day rain on Thursday created stunning damp situations on Friday morning. 

Toyota’s Oliver Solberg kicked off the rally by grabbing early lead after profitable the opening check, earlier than Evans got here to the fore because the championship chief made his street order rely. A surprising time within the Isegami’s Tunnel stage vaulted Evans from fourth to the lead, a bonus that may develop to fifteen.7s over Solberg on the finish of Friday.

Regardless of rising temperatures and tyre put on turning into more and more troublesome to handle, Evans by no means misplaced the lead for the rest of the rally, though he did come below heavy strain from Solberg.

Solberg took the struggle to Evans, profitable two of Saturday morning’s phases to shut the hole to 10.6s because the crews headed to a noon tyre becoming zone. 

Nonetheless, the Swede’s hopes of victory vanished when he misplaced management of his GR Yaris in stage 10 and clouted a pole, inflicting terminal injury to his GR Yaris’ right-rear suspension. It was his third crash on asphalt this season which led Ogier to counsel that his team-mate was taking an excessive amount of threat. 

Solberg’s premature exit handed Ogier second place however the nine-time world champion was left to rue his poor street place, whereas additionally struggling to get the exhausting Hankook tyre to work in his favour.

Ogier was surprisingly unable to discover a resolution to place severe strain on Evans, who was in a position to handle the ultimate six phases to assert victory.

Pajari continued his spectacular run of podium finishes after lastly discovering a approach to unlock tempo from his Toyota on Saturday afternoon. 

It proved to be one other Rally Japan to neglect for Katsuta, whose victory bid unravelled on the opening stage when he ran large on a humid patch and clipped a financial institution leading to a puncture. The Japanese driver was pissed off that his route observe crew had not knowledgeable him of the situations.

The puncture compromised his tyre technique within the damp and one other off in stage three additional dented his hopes. Katsuta managed to get better from sixth to fourth the place he remained on the end.     

Solberg rejoined the rally on Sunday the place he salvaged the utmost 10 bonus factors for profitable Tremendous Sunday and the Energy Stage. 

Adrien Fourmaux had banked on Rally Japan being a totally dry rally so when the in a single day rain arrived on Thursday, the Frenchman was compromised by a choice to go for an aggressive dry set-up.

Nonetheless, because the rally progressed, Fourmaux’s set-up course paid off when the phases turned dry, rising as the highest Hyundai runner after stage 9 on Saturday. Fourmaux was usually the quickest of the Hyundai drivers on his approach to ending fifth. 

Hyundai knew that it will be on the again foot in Japan given the i20 N’s overwhelming weak spot has been its efficiency on asphalt rallies. It got here as a shock to see Thierry Neuville run as excessive as fourth forward of the Toyota’s of Pajari and Katsuta on Friday morning.

Neuville managed to discover a stability that labored within the damp situations, however because the roads turned dry his feeling and confidence behind the wheel evaporated as Hyundai was compelled again onto the exhausting tyre. A handbrake failure on Saturday afternoon additional hampered his efficiency. 

The Belgian slid down the order to sixth along with his frustration clear to see after revealing that the automotive was once more “underivable” within the low grip, dry asphalt on Sunday.

In what’s the final of his three scheduled WRC appearances this yr, Hayden Paddon drove neatly in a primary Rally Japan begin on asphalt. The New Zealander made progress because the rally progressed however was left to accept seventh. It’s unclear if Paddon will drive Hyundai’s third entry on gravel later this yr.  

Jon Armstrong completed as the highest M-Sport-Ford runner in eighth. The Northern Irishman was lucky to outlive a graze with the barrier on Saturday, and an intercom subject attributable to sweat stepping into the system.

Nonetheless, Armstrong had the tempo benefit over Josh McErlean, who rounded out the highest 10 after shedding greater than two minutes to a wheel change in stage 5.

 The WRC2 battle went proper right down to the wire with Lancia’s Nikolay Gryazin taking the win after Alejamndro Cachon spun whereas attempting to claw again a 2.8s deficit.

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– The Motorsport.com Crew