It has once again been a very difficult rally for the Hyundai team – except for the Frenchman Adrien Fourmaux. The Frenchman set the fastest time on the opening stage of Saturday and continued his excellent form on the morning’s second test.
Fourmaux blasted to the fastest time again on the newly introduced Ena stage, which was just over 21 kilometres long, and began to seriously threaten Toyota’s leading trio.
“This stage is really demanding, with one corner after another, all looking exactly the same. It’s hard to make and remember the pace notes. Still, quite a positive morning so far,” Fourmaux summed up.
Toyota’s Sébastien Ogier remains in the overall lead of the rally, although he was 4.9 seconds slower than Fourmaux on the stage. Ogier’s team-mates Takamoto Katsuta and Elfyn Evans were also quicker than the Frenchman, closing the gap to the leader. In the overall standings, Ogier’s lead over Evans is now 7.4 seconds and 8.5 seconds over Katsuta. Fourmaux has climbed to within 17.5 seconds of the lead.
“It didn’t feel good just now. I don’t know what’s wrong, but we have to find something,” said Katsuta, who is chasing his first career victory.
“This stage didn’t go well. I just didn’t have the confidence,” Evans noted in turn.
Ogier wasn’t satisfied with his time either, but he still maintains the lead.
“There are leaves all over the road, but it wasn’t too bad really,” the Frenchman said.
Toyota’s Sami Pajari lost 4.5 seconds to the fastest time, but it could have been much worse. Pajari had a major moment on the stage that could have ended badly. However, the car stayed on the road, even though a large piece came off the rear after contact with a bank.
“The impact was quite soft, but the car’s sound changed dramatically after that. I thought half the car was probably missing,” Pajari gasped at the stage finish.
Toyota’s Kalle Rovanperä continues his lonely run back towards the top ten. It won’t be easy.
“The car is understeering quite a lot. We’re trying to keep up the pace, but it’s not easy,” Rovanperä summed up.
Rovanperä’s task was made significantly easier on the previous stage when Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville was forced to retire due to a broken driveshaft.
Rally Japan will feature five more special stages on Saturday. The competition concludes on Sunday.
Rally Japan standings after SS9/20:
| POS | Driver | Car | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | 1:21.59.1 |
| 2. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +8.9 |
| 3. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +9.5 |
| 4. | Adrien Fourmaux | Hyundai | +22.4 |
| 5. | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +24.3 |
| 6. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | +1:20.7 |
| 7. | Gregoire Munster | Hyundai | +2:56.8 |
| … | |||
| 12. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | +5:48.6 |
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
