Evans and Tänak, the top contenders for the rally victory, couldn’t match the fastest times on the second stage of Saturday. However, the key takeaway was that Evans beat Tänak by 1.6 seconds, closing the overall gap to just 16.3 seconds behind the Estonian driver.
“It’s never been the best stage for me, and judging by the times of the others, it seems that’s still the case. But I didn’t have any issues,” Evans commented.
Tänak, on the other hand, admitted that he had been overly cautious on the short Nenoue Kougen stage due to receiving too much information from his gravel crew. Tänak must keep Evans at bay on Saturday to remain in contention for the drivers’ championship against his Hyundai teammate Thierry Neuville on Sunday.
The fastest time on the stage was set by Neuville, who is attempting to climb back into the top ten after his troubles on Friday. Neuville is now 12th overall and has a chance to move into the points on the next stage.
Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta overtook M-Sport Ford’s Adrien Fourmaux in the overall standings to claim third place in his home event. It’s crucial for Katsuta to stay ahead of Fourmaux on Saturday to boost Toyota’s points tally in the manufacturers’ championship battle against Hyundai.
Toyota’s Sebastien Ogier remains fifth and within striking distance of third place. M-Sport Ford’s Gregoire Munster holds sixth overall behind the Frenchman.
In the WRC2 category, Nikolay Gryazin continues to lead with a commanding advantage of nearly a minute and a half over Sami Pajari. Toyota driver Pajari needs a second-place finish in Japan to secure the WRC2 title.
Five more stages remain on Saturday at Rally Japan. The rally concludes on Sunday.
Rally Japan standings after SS11/21:
| POS | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | 1:46:10.1 |
| 2. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +16.3 |
| 3. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +2:01.1 |
| 4. | Adrien Fourmaux | Ford | +2:01.5 |
| 5. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | +2:15.0 |
| 6. | Gregoire Munster | Ford | +2:42.1 |
| 7. | Nikolay Gryazin | Citroen | +4:48.1 |
| 8. | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +6:14.1 |
| 9. | Hiroki Arai | Skoda | +7:02.5 |
| 10. | Heikki Kovalainen | Toyota | +7:17.8 |
| 11. | Chris Ingram | Toyota | +7:38.5 |
| 12. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +7:40.3 |
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
