A new springtime date for Rally Japan is set to offer a new challenge for World Rally Championship crews for the final asphalt round of the season.
The trip to Japan’s twisty asphalt stages marks the halfway point of the season and the final outing for the current Rally1 car on sealed surfaces before the championship moves to new technical rules next year.
Since making its return to the WRC in 2022, Rally Japan has been held in the Autumn in November, but for this year, the 20-stage contest has moved to May.
Spring time heat to add extra stress on crews and cars
Photo by: M-Sport
The weather is arguably the biggest change crews will face compared to previous editions. The rally has been held with an average temperature of approximately 16°C, while rain showers have also been common. Autumnal conditions mean the stages are often covered in leaves, making them incredibly slippery and reducing traction and grip out of the tight corners.
With the event now running in late spring/early summer, the road surface is much cleaner and will offer much more grip. Ambient temperatures will also be much higher, with forecasts suggesting the temperature will not drop below 30°C while humidity reached 75% on Thursday.
These temperatures, coupled with the slow and technical nature of the stages, will put the crews, the cars and tyres under extra strain.
“For sure here it is slow so there is not much air flow and cooling coming into the car so we are definitely going to sweat, but I think it should be manageable for us, but for the tyres, I’m not sure,” said last year’s winner, Toyota’s Sebastien Ogier.
“Management is a big word. I expect some more degradation and 10 more degrees on the ground will definitely make it more challenging on the longer stages.”
Ogier’s Toyota team-mate Oliver Solberg, added: “We are going to have to drink a lot of water and keep the windows on the car open to get some fresh air. I think the car will be ok but the managing of the tyre temperature, tyre wear and brakes will be very demanding. I think it will be a tougher rally than we can expect.”
M-Sport-Ford driver Josh McErlean believes managing tyre temperatures will be the “biggest talking point” of the weekend.
“I think we have made good steps forward and we are a lot closer to the Hyundai drivers [in shakedown.] We will certainly try to have a battle with them on the stages. I think we’re in a better position than last year [with the car],” said McErlean.
“One hundred percent this [managing tyres] is going to be the biggest talking point. Our weather guy has said that the ground temperature could be up 15 degrees which is crazy. Last year when it was 5 or 10 degrees we were on the hard tyre and it was damp and dry and we were still overheating it [the tyre], so let’s see how that goes.”
Five-way victory fight set between Toyota team-mates
Sebastien Ogier, Vincent Landais, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
Photo by: Toyota Racing
Toyota heads into its home round as the overwhelming favourites to claim victory having been undefeated on asphalt since the Central European Rally in 2024.
But predicting which Toyota will come out on top is not easy with each of the team’s five crews more than capable of challenging for victory.
Last year’s winner Ogier is determined to fight back after losing a likely win to a penultimate stage puncture last time out in Rally Portugal.
“I tend to have a strong character and when things do not go my way I push it even more to make it go my way,” said Ogier.
However, it is championship leader Elfyn Evans that will have the best road position starting first on the road.
“I think there are sections where it could get even better for the cars behind but there are also sections where it is narrow and will get a bit worse. I don’t think it is as significant here as other tarmac rallies as there is a lot less cutting here than usual,” said Evans.
“It is a rally where you have to find a rhythm to drive as smooth as you can so the target is the same.”
Takamoto Katsuta, Aaron Johnston, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
Photo by: Toyota Racing
There will be plenty of eyes focussed on home hero Takamoto Katsuta, who is eager to finally claim a home win. After scoring two breakthrough wins in Kenya and Croatia, there are even more fans flocking to the service park to support the Japanese driver.
“If I say I don’t feel it [the pressure to win], it is not true,”said Katsuta. “I feel it of course and I want it [the win], of course the team is expecting. For sure there is always extra pressure here but I’m used to it.”
Solberg has proven their pace on asphalt this year winning in Monte Carlo and fighting for victory in the Canary Islands before a penultimate stage crash.
“The plan is to fight for the win,” said Solberg. “I think Ogier has the same target and he seems very much on fire. I think I shouldn’t think about Seb too much and focus on the others and stay ahead, and try to have a clean, good rally. We will see where we are at the end and see if I can fight Seb or not.”
Likewise, Sami Pajari is searching for a maiden win but has been continually knocking on the door.
“I think it is hard to be more motivated if you are always looking [for a win]. Simply we need to do the best we can and I feel like we have been very close in a few rallies. It is never going to be easy to take any win or any podium, maybe at some point it will go your way.
Hyundai can be competitive but win out of reach
Adrien Fourmaux, Alexandre Coria, Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1
Photo by: Hyundai
Hyundai ended its six-month winless streak last time out in Portugal but achieving a victory in Japan, and a first on asphalt since 2024, is deemed unlikely.
The Korean squad’s i20 N Rally1 is known to be weak on asphalt compared to rival Toyota. However, the team remains confident that it could muscle its way into the podium fight.
“I think we are definitely more comfortable on gravel than tarmac. We are here to do the best we can but winning is too far but fighting to be on the podium is potentially possible. This is a strange rally where often lots of things happen which allows you to jump up a bit if you can be in the right place at the right time,” said Hyundai sporting director Andrew Wheatley.
Adrien Fourmaux was involved in a fight for the podium last year before crashing on the final day, and it appears the Frenchman is likely to be heading the team’s charge again.
“Yes [we can be competitive]. We had a very good performance last year with two fastest times and a lot of top three times. I have gone back to my set up from last tera with the car,” said Fourmaux.
Team-mate Thierry Neuville tasted victory in Portugal but is expecting a far more difficult weekend, which has started with the Belgian being slowest of all Rally1 runners in shakedown.
“I don’t know how to improve a lot. I basically changed all the things I had available to try which could give a bit more performance for the rally. I couldn’t find anything,” said Neuville.
Thierry Neuville, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1
Photo by: Diogo Cardoso – Getty Images
“We expected [a difficult weekend] and there is nothing new on the car and we had no testing so I don’t know what you can expect.”
Hyundai’s third driver Hayden Paddon is set to make his first start in the latest asphalt version of Rally Japan. The New Zealander has been told by the team that he can up his speed this weekend.
“It [pushing a bit more] is always the plan but I’m not going to be stupid about it. I know too well you can’t force a situation. I do want to up the speed but I won’t force it,” said Paddon.
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