Custom Racing Suit
Get Started for FREE
WRC Rally Japan: Kalle Rovanpera Takes Early Lead, Vows Title Hunt
LISTEN
0:00
0:00
Highlights
- Kalle Rovanperä leads after the opening stage in WRC Rally Japan.
- Rovanperä is 13 points behind championship leader Elfyn Evans.
- Evans opens the road, sixth fastest, with a 0.8-second deficit.
- Ott Tänak and Takamoto Katsuta closely follow Rovanperä’s pace.
- Ogier warns no more room for error in title race.
- Rally Japan’s technical roads and weather pose major challenges.
Kalle Rovanperä opens Rally Japan on top, setting the fastest time on Kuragaike Park’s 2.75km super special as the penultimate WRC round begins to shape the title fight.
The Toyota driver edges Ott Tänak by 0.1s, with local teammate Takamoto Katsuta third, 0.3s back. Sébastien Ogier trails by 0.4s in fourth, keeping Toyota clustered near the front.
Championship leader Elfyn Evans is sixth, 0.8s down, while opening the road. He retains a 13-point advantage but faces immediate pressure from Rovanperä’s early intent.
The opening is short, so margins are tiny, yet the message is clear. Rovanperä plans a full attack to cut into Evans’s lead with two rounds remaining.
Rovanperä tops the 2.75km super special by 0.1s over Tänak, setting the early tone in Japan.
Rovanperä concedes Japan’s narrow, technical asphalt is outside his comfort zone. His best result here is third from 2023, underscoring why execution matters this week.
Preparation has been unconventional. A recent Formula 2 test in Spain reflects 2025 single-seater ambitions, yet his immediate priority is outscoring Evans and Ogier.
Ogier, also Toyota, sharpens the strategic context. After losing ground at the Central European Rally, he accepts there is no room left for management.
Evans is sixth at +0.8s while opening the road, protecting a 13-point lead under immediate pressure.
Japan blends fresh sections with familiar lanes, and shifting weather can transform confidence rapidly. Precision and risk calibration will define Friday’s six special stages.
Road order may bite on twisty, debris-prone asphalt. Evans’s task is containing losses while banking points, with powerstage opportunities still decisive.
Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville starts eighth, one second adrift. M-Sport’s Grégoire Munster and WRC2 champion Oliver Solberg complete the opening top ten.
With the finale in Saudi Arabia ahead, every stage point and powerstage bonus could swing the championship.
With two events remaining, the competitive picture is tight. Rovanperä’s aggression is unmistakable, while Evans and Ogier must balance risk against the rising necessity for points.
Visual Summary
🏎️
🚗
13 pts ➔
Kuragaike SSS
WRC Champions’ Climb: Rovanperä Chases Evans in Japan Showdown
Final Round: Saudi Arabia
2 left
1. Rovanperä (Toyota)
0:00
0:00
2. Tänak +0.1s
3. Katsuta +0.3s
4. Ogier +0.4s
6. Evans +0.8s
“No point holding back. The rally is tricky, but I have to push for every point to catch Elfyn.” — Kalle Rovanperä
🏁
Fresh from a Formula 2 car test, Kalle chases a world title before switching to circuit racing in 2025.
Fresh from a Formula 2 car test, Kalle chases a world title before switching to circuit racing in 2025.
Zane Muniz writes across NASCAR, IndyCar, F1, IMSA, NHRA, and dirt-racing news. His breaking-news alerts and event previews ensure motorsport fans never miss a lap, drift, or drag-strip showdown.
