The WRC championship leader had fallen far behind in the fight for the lead on Friday after his car suffered a technical failure. During the evening service, the turbo issue on Neuville’s Hyundai was resolved, allowing the Belgian to showcase his speed on Saturday morning’s opening stage.
Neuville’s goal for Saturday is to climb back into the top ten to secure a few bonus points based on Saturday evening’s standings. If his pace remains as strong as it was on the opening stage, Neuville’s objective seems well within reach, bringing him closer to his first world championship title.
Hyundai made a tactical move early on Saturday to aid Neuville. Andreas Mikkelsen, who retired on Friday, checked out of service after Neuville, effectively gifting his teammate the first road position for Saturday’s stages. This allowed Neuville to drive on cleaner roads compared to his rivals.
On Saturday morning’s first stage, Neuville finished fifth, seven seconds off the fastest time.
“Finally, the car is working, and we can get some speed. Today is all about getting back into the points, trying to maximise the day,” Neuville said.
At the front of the rally, Ott Tänak and Elfyn Evans were the quickest to open the morning. Evans, currently second overall, clocked the fastest time, beating Tänak by three seconds.
In the overall standings, Toyota’s Evans narrowed Hyundai star Tänak’s lead to 17.9 seconds.
“It was difficult to read the road, but that’s nothing new in this rally,” Evans commented.
M-Sport Ford’s Gregoire Munster surprised on the opening stage of the day, setting the joint second-fastest time alongside Tänak. Munster remains sixth overall.
Munster’s teammate Adrien Fourmaux is holding onto third place in the tarmac rally, but he is already two minutes adrift of the leaders. Toyota drivers Takamoto Katsuta and Sebastien Ogier are close behind in fourth and fifth, respectively.
In WRC2, Nikolay Gryazin continues to lead the category, with Sami Pajari in second place. A second-place finish in Japan would be enough for Pajari to secure the WRC2 championship.
Six more stages remain on Saturday at Rally Japan. The rally concludes on Sunday.
Rally Japan standings after SS10/21:
| POS | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | 1:38:24.9 |
| 2. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +17.9 |
| 3. | Adrien Fourmaux | Ford | +1:59.6 |
| 4. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +2:04.8 |
| 5. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | +2:18.8 |
| 6. | Gregoire Munster | Ford | +2:37.4 |
| 7. | Nikolay Gryazin | Citroen | +4:21.8 |
| 8. | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +5:44.4 |
| 9. | Hiroki Arai | Skoda | +6:34.4 |
| 10. | Heikki Kovalainen | Toyota | +6:46.4 |
| 11. | Chris Ingram | Toyota | +7:04.9 |
| 12. | Gus Greensmith | Skoda | +7:11.4 |
| 13. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +7:45.3 |
Rally Japan itinerary (CET):
Thursday 21 November
01.01 Shakedown: Kuragaike Park (2.75 km)
11.05 SS1: Toyota Stadium SSS 1 (2.15 km)
Friday, 22 November
23:44 SS2: Isegami's Tunnel 1 (23.67 km)
00:44 SS3: Inabu / Shitara 1 (19.38 km)
02:12 SS4: Shinshiro 1 (17.41 km)
04:27 Tyre fitting zone (15 min)
05:32 SS5: Isegami's Tunnel 2 (23.67 km)
06:32 SS6: Inabu / Shitara 2 (19.38 km)
08:00 SS7: Shinshiro 2 (17.41 km)
10:35 SS8: Okazaki SSS 1 (2.54 km)
10:44 SS9: Okazaki SSS 2 (2.54 km)
Saturday, 23 November
00:05 SS10: Mt. Kasagi 1 (16.47 km)
01:03 SS11: Nenoue Kougen 1 (11.60 km)
02:16 SS12: Ena 1 (22.79 km)
04:04 Tyre fitting zone (15 min)
05:05 SS13: Mt. Kasagi 2 (16.47 km)
06:08 SS14: Nenoue Kougen 2 (11.60 km)
07:16 SS15: Ena 2 (22.79 km)
10:07 Service (45 min)
11:05 SS16: Toyota Stadium SSS 2 (2.15 km)
Sunday, 24 November
23:39 SS17: Nukata 1 (20.23 km)
00:35 SS18: Lake Mikawako 1 (13.98 km)
01:38 SS19: Nukata 2 (20.23 km)
03:49 Service (15 min)
04:17 SS20: Toyota Stadium SSS 3 (2.15 km)
06:15 SS21: Lake Mikawako 2 (13.98 km) Power Stage
