Ogier started the day with a ten-second advantage over Evans, but the Welshman slashed that gap to just two seconds by the end of the morning loop. On the Mt. Kasagi stage that wrapped up the loop, Evans beat the Frenchman by a clear margin of 5.4 seconds.
“It’s hard to say how you are doing. I’ll just keep trying,” Evans said with a smile after hearing he had set the fastest time.
Ogier and Evans are not only fighting for victory in Japan but also for this year’s World Rally Championship title – setting the stage for a thrilling battle on the Japanese asphalt.
On Friday, Ogier had pulled clear of Evans during the second passes of the stages. The Frenchman, chasing his ninth world title, hopes to repeat that pattern this afternoon.
“I was not fast enough. I wasn’t confident enough with the leaves. There are a lot of leaves and dirt on the road. I have to do better on the second loop,” Ogier admitted.
Local hero Takamoto Katsuta remains firmly in contention, setting the second-fastest time on Mt. Kasagi and moving to within 5.2 seconds of Ogier in the overall classification.
Not far behind is Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux, who topped the timesheets on the first two stages of the morning. The Frenchman, currently fourth overall, trails the lead by 14.4 seconds.
Fourmaux managed to pull more than ten seconds clear of Toyota’s Sami Pajari, who now sits fifth, 25.6 seconds off the lead.
After damaging his car on Friday, Kalle Rovanperä climbed into the final points position by the end of the morning loop. The Toyota driver has been steadily improving and could still gain a few more places as Saturday continues. He needs every point available to keep even a mathematical chance of retaining his title heading into the season-closing round in Saudi Arabia.
Rally Japan continues with four more special stages on Saturday before concluding on Sunday.
Rally Japan standings after SS10/20:
| POS | Driver | Car | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | 1:51:34.1 |
| 2. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +2.0 |
| 3. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +5.2 |
| 4. | Adrien Fourmaux | Hyundai | +14.4 |
| 5. | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +25.6 |
| 6. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | +1:51.4 |
| 7. | Gregoire Munster | Hyundai | +3:31.0 |
| 8. | Oliver Solberg | Toyota | +4:49.6 |
| 9. | Alejandro Cachon | Toyota | +5:46.0 |
| 10. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | +5:54.3 |
| 11. | Jan Solans | Toyota | +6:11.8 |
| 12. | Nikolay Gryazin | Skoda | +6:15.3 |
Rally Japan itinerary (CET):
Thursday 6 November
01:01 Shakedown: Kuragaike Park (2.75 km)
08:05 SS1: Kuragaike Park SSS (2.75 km)
Friday 7 November
23:06 SS2: Inabu / Shitara 1 (17.08 km)
00:29 SS3: Shinshiro 1 (17.41 km)
02:02 SS4: Isegami’s Tunnel 1 (19.66 km)
03:57 Service (40 min)
05:35 SS5: Isegami’s Tunnel 2 (19.66 km)
06:53 SS6: Inabu / Shitara 2 (17.08 km)
08:16 SS7: Shinshiro 2 (17.41 km)
Saturday 8 November
23:23 SS8: Obara 1 (16.44 km)
00:34 SS9: Ena 1 (21.25 km)
02:05 SS10: Mt Kasagi 1 (21.74 km)
04:35 SS11: Mt Kasagi 2 (21.74 km)
06:08 SS12: Ena 2 (21.25 km)
07:21 SS13: Obara 2 (16.44 km)
09:35 SS14: Toyota City SSS (3.05 km)
Sunday 9 November
00:39 SS15: Nukata 1 (20.23 km)
01:35 SS16: Lake Mikawako 1 (13.98 km)
02:53 SS17: Okazaki SSS 1 (1.98 km)
03:04 SS18: Okazaki SSS 2 (1.98 km)
04:33 SS19: Nukata 2 (20.23 km)
06:15 SS20: Lake Mikawako 2 (13.98 km) *Power Stage
