Rally Japan: SS4 canceled due to fog

After a start to the morning marked by very difficult conditions, the organizers decided to cancel SS4 in which visibility was problematic to allow the safety helicopter to fly. Elfyn Evans is therefore the leader at midday ahead of Thierry Neuville and Sébastien Ogier. Several competitors have already lost a lot of time during the two SS races run this morning

Published on 17/11/2023 à 01:34

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After three competitive stages, Elfyn Evans leads the Japan Rally (Photo: Nikos Katidis/DPPI)

It is not certain that a single crew present at the start of this last round of the season regrets the decision taken by the race management. After the downpours which fell on the times during the early hours of Friday, the fog was added to the list of difficulties. For safety reasons, SS4 Shitara Town (22,53 km) has been canceled. As the safety helicopter was unable to fly, there was no other choice than not to start the clock.

The fog, or rather the mist, had been one of the major players in the previous SS. The Rally1 designers apparently forgot to put in place a system allowing the windshield to remain clear in rainy weather. Ott Tänak, Kalle Rovanperä or Sébastien Ogier all had to fight with near-zero visibility, losing precious seconds. Always as incisive, Elfyn Evans crossed SS3 without too many clashes, widening the gap on Thierry Neuville now 2nd and Ogier.

Taking advantage of a car in which the defogging works, Andreas Mikkelsen is a remarkable 4th, occupying 1st place in WRC2.

After the break, the competitors will set off again for a new loop of 3 SS punctuated by the superspecial in the Toyota Stadium transformed into a bathtub.

Provisional general classification after SS4