Rally Japan – SS1: Rovanperä first leader, Ogier 4th

The show was announced, the show began. On ES1 of the Rally In Japan, the world's best rally drivers engaged in a thrilling battle on a very short 2,75km Super Special Stage. At the end of this short but extremely winding section, Kalle Rovanperä set the fastest time. The Finn, despite grumbling about his car at the finish, was the quickest ahead of Ott Tänak, one of his rivals for the title. The other two Toyota in the running for the crown, piloted by Sébastien Ogier (4th) and Elfyn Evans (5th), were more discreet.

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Local driver Takamoto Katsuta made a strong impression by setting the third fastest time. The Japanese driver held the top spot for a long time ahead of Sébastien Ogier (+0,1 s) and Elfyn Evans (+0,2 s) before being overtaken by the frontrunners towards the end of the rally.

Thierry NeuvilleThe defending champion had to settle for 6th place on this Kuragaike Park Super Special Stage. The driver Hyundai claims to be more in a testing phase with a view to 2026 with its i20, not seeking performance at the end of a complicated season for the Korean manufacturer, which has only won once, in Greece, thanks to Tänak.

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WRC – Rally Japan
The classification of SS1