Rally Japan – Ogier in the lead, Rovanperä makes a mistake, a summary of the night before SS5

While he had taken the head of Rally from Japan WRC After a short but successful first stage, Kalle Rovanperä didn't have the same luck on this first full loop. The Finn, who made a mistake on SS3, lost nearly five minutes overall, obviously leaving his main championship rivals to battle it out at the front. In good form, and having won in Central Europe, he could therefore let the competition continue. Sébastien Ogier and Elfyn Evans, standing at that point in a second.

Indeed, aside from the misfortunes of the previous leader – who was fifth in SS2, four seconds behind the winner – the top three leaders are now separated by less than two seconds. The fastest driver in the second stage of this Rally Japan, Sébastien Ogier, simply reclaimed the overall lead overnight. Third in SS3 and second in SS4, the Frenchman secured the essentials, despite what he described as cautious driving.

SS3 was not kind to Rovanperä 😳#WRC | #RallyJapan 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/w1mTrFKDJM

— FIA World Rally Championship (@OfficialWRC) November 7, 2025

Second overall, Elfyn Evans finished his second stage in third position before setting the second fastest time on SS3. Leading the fourth stage of the Rally, the Welshman is gaining momentum and could well deliver, as he did in Chile, a stellar performance that forces his main rivals to push harder. Meanwhile, Takamoto Katsuta, the local favorite, won the third stage after setting the second fastest time on the second leg. Never trailing by more than four seconds, the Japanese driver, along with Evans and Ogier, holds a solid top-three position at this stage. Sami Pajari and Adrien fourmaux complete the top 5.

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In the WRC2 category, Nikolay Gryazin of Bulgaria currently leads the standings ahead of Alejandro Cachon and Oliver Solberg. The three drivers are separated by just 1,2 seconds. The fifth special stage, the next leg of the Rally Japan, will now begin at 5:40 AM (French time).

The standings for the WRC Rally Japan before SS5