Welshman Elfyn Evans is on the verge of possibly clinching his first and this year’s WRC title with the series moving to Japan after Toyota wrapped up the manufacturers’ honours in Europe last month.
Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team arrive on home roads for Rally Japan 6-9 November looking to celebrate their manufacturers’ title success in style while their drivers continue their thrilling championship fight over the Japan and Australian rounds.
The team secured the manufacturers’ crown for the fifth successive year at the previous round, the Central European Rally. This event also set up an exciting showdown for the drivers’ and co-drivers’ titles over the two remaining rallies in Japan and Saudi Arabia.
Elfyn Evans, targeting his first drivers’ championship, has a lead of 13 points over two of his team-mates – eight-time world champion Sébastien Ogier and two-time winner Kalle Rovanperä – who are tied on points following the latter’s win on the asphalt roads of Central Europe.
Evans has won the last two editions of Rally Japan, leading a TGR-WRT 1-2-3 ahead of Ogier and Rovanperä in 2023 before Ogier once more joined him on the podium in a one-two finish one year ago.
He said, “Rally Japan is always a big week as the home event for TGR and there’s a very special atmosphere. It’s not an easy rally with very demanding and twisty stages, and in the last few years we’ve seen some quite difficult conditions at times.
“Even when it’s dry, there’s very little margin for error and it’s easy to make a small but costly mistake. The first key is to get through without issue, and then it’s about having a good feeling with the car and maintaining concentration for all those corners. We’ve had some good runs there in the past and we’ll be aiming as high as we can again to try and secure a good result for the team at home and for ourselves for the championship.”
Juha Kankkunen, Deputy Team Principal, said, “Rally Japan is always an exciting and important rally for our team. This year, it’s great to be going there with the manufacturers’ championship secured, and to have the chance to celebrate that with all the Japanese fans.
“The fight for the drivers’ title is also now incredibly tight between our guys. Elfyn has been doing a great job and has won Rally Japan the last two years, but we also know that Seb will be very motivated to bounce back after Central Europe and that Kalle is looking very quick on asphalt at the moment. I think it’s a rally that any of them could win and it’s going to be exciting for everyone to follow.”
