Relive the second day of the Rally Japan with live commentary

The time has come for the outcome! After 12 very competitive rounds throughout this 2024 campaign, the WRC is preparing for its final at Rally from Japan. On the agenda? A lot of issues since Thierry Neuville has the chance to become world rally champion for the first time in his career, while Hyundai et Toyota compete for the Constructors' title.

> You can follow the evolution of the ranking live via the official WRC Live Timing, available here.
> Everything you need to know about the 2024 WRC points scale

Saturday, November 23
00:10 p.m. – SS10 : Mt. Kasagi 1 – 16,47 km : Elfyn Evans
1:03 p.m. – SS11 : Nenoue Kougen 1 – 11,60 km: Thierry Neuville
2:16 p.m. – SS12 : Ena 1 – 22,79 km : Sébastien Ogier
5:05 p.m. – SS13 : Mt. Kasagi 2 – 16,47 km : Ott Tänak
6:08 p.m. – SS14 : Nenoue Kougen 2 – 11,60 km: Thierry Neuville / Sebastien Ogier
7:16 p.m. – SS15 : Ena 2 – 22,79 km : Sébastien Ogier
11:15 p.m. – SS16 : Toyota Stadium 2 – 2,15 km: Ott Tänak

WRC – Rally Japan
Relive the second day with live commentary

8h00 – 👋 Thank you all for following us on this live commentary! See you at 11:15 for the Super Special at Toyota Stadium, and at 4:00 tomorrow morning for the return of the live commentary to follow the last two special stages of this Rally of Japan! Have a nice day!

Tänak escapes to lead Rally Japan, Neuville closes in on title

7:53 p.m. – SS15 : 🏁 Nikolay Gryazin crosses the finish line… and loses his 7th place in the general classification to Thierry Neuville by 9″4, before the Super Special at Toyota Stadium! The Belgian should therefore score four points in the standings on Saturday, which means he will need to score two points to secure the title on Sunday – if and only if Ott Tänak scored all available points this weekend!

ES15 – Ranking

General ranking after ES15

7:50 p.m. – SS15 : 🏁 Ott Tänak finished this special with the 4th time, 3″3 behind Sébastien Ogier, but the Estonian has gained another ten seconds on Elfyn Evans! The Hyundai driver now has a 36″0 lead over the Welshman at the head of the Rally Japan. Let's wait for Nikolay Gryazin to arrive to find out whether Thierry Neuville will regain a position in the general classification or not.

7:47 p.m. – SS15 : Elfyn Evans has given up in the fight for victory in Japan and secures his 2nd place: the Welshman drops 15″5 on Sébastien Ogier on this special and will fall back to more than 30 seconds from Ott Tänak in the general classification.

7:44 p.m. – SS15 : 🇫🇷 Adrien fourmaux secures his 4th place overall before the Super Special! The Frenchman signs the 3rd provisional time, with 1″3 behind Sébastien Ogier but 5″2 ahead of Takamoto Katsuta! He now has a 5″4 lead over the Japanese in the overall standings.

7:41 p.m. – SS15 : Takamoto Katsuta loses big on this special: the Japanese finishes 6″5 behind Sébastien Ogier, but behind, Adrien Fourmaux is much faster!

7:38 p.m. – SS15 : ⏱️🇫🇷 By a tenth, Sébastien Ogier takes the provisional best time of this SS15! “Another clean stage in good conditions. The grip is constant. Many corners are very slow. After a disastrous start to the rally, the podium is the only thing we can salvage.”

7:35 p.m. – SS15 : Grégoire Munster finished this special 8″5 behind his Belgian compatriot.

7:32 p.m. – SS15 : ⏱️ First reference time set by Thierry Neuville in 16'06″5 on this 15th special. "We had to try. After yesterday's huge disappointment, the goal was to get back into the points. I struggled all afternoon with the brakes and understeer."

7h30 - ES15 : In the Constructors' Championship, Hyundai has virtually 550 points while Toyota would slightly make up the deficit with 539 points.

7:28 p.m. – SS15 : This is what the Drivers' Championship would look like if the overall standings for Rally Japan were to remain as they are this Saturday.

7h24 - ES15 : 🔎 Hyundai explained why Andreas Mikkelsen did not start again for the second loop of the day: “The decision to withdraw Andreas is that no matter what we do, we would not have gained or lost points in the Constructors’ Championship. Indeed, there is no reason [to run him] this afternoon. It is better for us to keep his car in good condition to be as competitive as possible for Sunday.”

You've probably noticed there's no @AMikkelsenRally this afternoon. This is why 👇#RallyJapan #WRC pic.twitter.com/Cy8IioWy4Q

— Hyundai Motorsport (@HMSGOfficial) November 23, 2024

7:20 p.m. – SS15 : This morning, during the first run through this special, it was Sébastien Ogier who set the best time in 16'39″3. As a reminder, Elfyn Evans and Ott Tänak did not compete in this special this morning, which was interrupted before their run for safety reasons.

7h16 - ES15 : 🟢 Thierry Neuville sets off, here we go for SS15 of the Rally Japan!

7h10 – 🧐 Our reporter on site, Loïc Rocci, explains why SS12 had to be interrupted earlier in the day, with a security breach already seen in Japan and an incident that could have turned into a tragedy…

Rally Japan: New scare on the Japanese special stages

6h48 – 👋 Meet at 7:16 a.m. for the start of SS15 (Ena 2 – 22,79 km).

6h46 - Here is the general classification at the end of SS14 after the first Rally2s have passed. Thierry Neuville is now 8th overall and 56 seconds behind 7th place, held by Nikolay Gryazin.

6:33 p.m. – SS14 : 🏁 Ott Tänak closes the Rally1 ball with the 4th time of SS14, 3″6 behind Thierry Neuville and Sébastien Ogier who share the scratch on this special! The Estonian increases his lead to 23″8 ahead of Elfyn Evans!

ES14 – Ranking

General ranking after ES14

6:30 p.m. – SS14 : Elfyn Evans concedes another 6″0 on the best time of this 14th special… the Welshman is no longer on the pace compared to this morning. Ott Tänak is ahead on the intermediates compared to his opponent for the victory.

6:27 p.m. – SS14 : 🇫🇷 Adrien Fourmaux finished 6″2 behind the Neuville – Ogier tandem… and kept his 4th place by only two tenths ahead of Takamoto Katsuta!

6:24 p.m. – SS14 : Takamoto Katsuta takes the 3rd provisional time at 2″4 behind Thierry Neuville and Sébastien Ogier. The Japanese could take back the 4th place since Adrien Fourmaux is behind the first intermediates.

6:21 p.m. – SS14 : 🇫🇷⏱️ Sébastien Ogier sets the same time as Thierry Neuville on this 14th special! "The first special stage of the rally where there are clean conditions", indicates the Frenchman.

6:18 p.m. – SS14 : Grégoire Munster lost a lot of time at the end of the race, and finished 10″0 behind Thierry Neuville.

6h15 - ES14 : 🇧🇪⏱️ Thierry Neuville sets the first reference time of SS14 in 7'32″6. The Belgian is aiming for 7th place, but has mentioned a brake problem on his Hyundai since the start of the second loop. "Special ok, without big surprises apart from a few slippery turns where I took my foot off the gas. It's a bit difficult with the brakes which are not in optimal condition."

6h12 - ES14 : 🔢 Now 9th, three tenths behind Sami Pajari, Thierry Neuville should – fairly – finish the day in 8th place, which would give him three points on the ranking established on Saturday evening. This would mean that he would only need to score three points on Sunday during the Super Sunday to secure the title… if and only if Ott Tänak signs a perfect score this weekend.

.@ThierryNeuville is on a hunt 👀 pic.twitter.com/WfZweKRnp2

— FIA World Rally Championship (@OfficialWRC) November 23, 2024

6:10 p.m. – SS14 : It was precisely the Belgian who had set the best time of this special during the first passage this morning, in 7'40″2.

6:08 p.m. – SS14 : 🟢 The 14th special stage of this Rally of Japan is underway with the departure of Thierry Neuville!

6h00 – 🔎 For those watching the Rally Japan with calculators in hand, we’ll show you how the points scale works right here to make things easier for you!

New points scale in WRC: how does it work?

5h47 – 👋 Meet at 6:08 a.m. for the start of SS14 (Nenoue Kougen 2 – 11,60 km).

5h45 - ES13 : 🏁 Here is the general classification of this Rally of Japan after the passage of the first Rally2. Thierry Neuville is still 9th, but has come back to within three tenths of Sami Pajari.

5h35 - ES13 : 🏁⏱️ Ott Tänak puts everyone in agreement and sets the best time of this 13th special with 0″8 ahead of Sébastien Ogier! The Estonian widens the gap ahead of Elfyn Evans and now has a 21″4 lead over the Welshman.

ES13 – Ranking

5:32 p.m. – SS13 : After a good morning, Elfyn Evans loses precious seconds on Sébastien Ogier in this 13th special! The Welshman crosses the line 5″3 behind his teammate.

5:29 p.m. – SS13 : 🇫🇷 Adrien Fourmaux concedes 5″0 to Sébastien Ogier… and loses his 3rd place to his compatriot! The eight-time world champion is virtually on the podium, it’s crucial for the Constructors’ Championship!

5:26 p.m. – SS13 : After his spin in SS12, Takamoto Katsuta recovered well and set the provisional 2nd time, 3″3 behind Sébastien Ogier.

5:23 p.m. – SS13 : 🇫🇷⏱️ Sébastien Ogier is on the attack with the podium in his sights! The Frenchman has set the provisional best time in 11'30″9, 4″9 better than Thierry Neuville.

5:20 p.m. – SS13 : Grégoire Munster, impressive in the morning, maintained an excellent pace and finished 2″2 behind Thierry Neuville’s time.

5:17 p.m. – SS13 : 🇧🇪⏱️ THierry Neuville sets the first reference time in this 13th special in 11'35″8! It's much faster than this morning thanks to milder temperatures.

5h16 - ES13 : This morning, it was Elfyn Evans who set the reference time during the first pass in this special, in 12'04″3.

5h15 - ES13 : 🔎 The update of the general classification therefore places Adrien Fourmaux in 3rd position and Sébastien Ogier in 4th place, following Takamoto Katsuta's error in SS12. Thierry Neuville is back in the Top 10 and is in 9th place!

5h10 - ES13 : ⚠️ A first fixed time – certainly provisional – was granted to Ott Tänak and Elfyn Evans following the interruption of SS12. The two leaders have recovered the time set by Sébastien Ogier, who set the scratch in SS12. The stewards could modify these times after the second pass in the Ena special, during SS15. So here is the complete and updated general classification after SS12. ⤵️

5h08 - ES13 : 🟢 Thierry Neuville sets off, it's time for SS13 and the second loop of the day!

5h05 – ❌ Hyundai has decided to withdraw Andreas Mikkelsen's car in order to prepare the car for Super Sunday. Second retirement - this time voluntary - for the Norwegian this weekend.

5h03 – 🇧🇪 Thierry Neuville's comeback operation: freed from his engine problems, the Belgian is on the attack to climb back into the Top 10 and score some valuable points. He is currently 12th (after SS11) 23 seconds behind 10th place, with a scratch to his name in SS11.

The hard work continues this afternoon. 🎯#RallyJapan #WRC pic.twitter.com/qDMwgyMHN2

— Hyundai Motorsport (@HMSGOfficial) November 23, 2024

5h00 – 🔎 Here is the starting order for this second day of rallying.

1) Neuville
2) Mikkelsen
3) Munster
4) Ogier
5) Katsuta
6) Fourmaux
7) Evans
8) Tanak
9) Gryazin (WRC2)
10) Pajari (WRC2)

4h58 – 🔄 Takamoto Katsuta had a big scare in SS12! The Japanese driver lost about ten seconds in this spin, he who had just taken back 3rd place from Adrien Fourmaux. The Frenchman's time in SS12 was cancelled following the red flag.

A lucky escape for Takamoto Katsuta on SS12 👀#WRC | #RallyJapan 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/FtqweDywgU

— FIA World Rally Championship (@OfficialWRC) November 23, 2024

4h55 – 🔎 According to the WRC, the 12th special stage had to be interrupted due to the entry of an unauthorized vehicle on the stage.

4h54 – 🔎 Here is the latest complete general ranking to date., established after SS11. Ott Tänak is still the leader despite the return of Elfyn Evans while Thierry Neuville has returned to about twenty seconds from the Top 10.

4h52 – ⚠️ The general classification after SS12 is not yet fully established: in fact, the race direction decided to definitively stop SS12 of Rally Japan for safety reasons, while Elfyn Evans and Ott Tänak were still due to pass. According to our information, the stewards could wait until the second run of the special to adjust the times. We will certainly have to wait until the end of SS15 (start at 7:16) to have the complete and up-to-date classification.

4h52 – 🔎 If you've just woken up, stretch, grab a coffee and read the summary of the night and the first three specials this Saturday! 

A messy end to the morning in Japan, Neuville in recovery mode

4h50 – 👋 Hello everyone ! Welcome to this live commentary to follow together the second day of the Rally of Japan, thirteenth and final round of the 2024 WRC season! The start of SS13 (Mt. Kasagi 2 – 16,47 km) will be given in a few minutes, at 5:05!

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