Rally Japan 2025 Preview

The battle between the Toyota teammates has come down to the final two rounds of this season in the World Rally Championship. Elfyn and Scott hold a thirteen-point advantage over their multiple world champion teammates, whilst Ott and Martin are fifty points behind their former M-Sport teammates.

 

Of course, it is worth mentioning at this point that Elfyn and Scott have won in Japan for the last two years, 2023 and 2024 and this along with the fact that they will opening the road on Friday’s stages means that they will have a great opportunity to have a great weekend and hope to increase their championship lead.

Let’s take a look at the stages then.

Weekend at a Glance

Cars take to the stages for the first time on Thursday, with Shakedown at Kuragaike Park followed by the Kuragaike Super Special Stage (SS1, 2.75km) in the evening.

Friday’s action takes crews deep into the mountains of Aichi, featuring two loops of Inabu Shitara (SS2/6, 17.08km), Shinshiro (SS3/7, 17.41km) and Isegami’s Tunnel (SS4/5, 19.66km).

Saturday is the longest and most technical day of the rally, with two runs of Obara (SS8/13, 16.44km), Ena (SS9/12, 21.25km) and Mt. Kasagi (SS10/SS11, 21.74km) – before concluding with a run of Toyota City (SS14, 3.05km).

Sunday will round off the event with Nukata (SS15/19, 20.23km) and Lake Mikawako (SS16/20, 13.98km) split by two attempts of Okazaki (SS17/18, 1.98km).

There are 305km’s over twenty stages this year and as always it will be a big challenge.

Let’s hear from the drivers.

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Elfyn Evans

“Rally Japan is always a big week as the home event for TGR and there’s a very special atmosphere. It’s not an easy rally with very demanding and twisty stages, and in the last few years we’ve seen some quite difficult conditions at times. Even when it’s dry, there’s very little margin for error and it’s easy to make a small but costly mistake. The first key is to get through without issue, and then it’s about having a good feeling with the car and maintaining concentration for all those corners. We’ve had some good runs there in the past and we’ll be aiming as high as we can again to try and secure a good result for the team at home and for ourselves for the championship.”

Kalle Rovanperä

“I’m really looking forward to competing at Rally Japan again this year. I always enjoy any trip to Japan, and the fans give this event a unique atmosphere compared to other rallies, especially for us as Toyota drivers. The rally itself is a tricky one. There are a few wider and faster sections which are really enjoyable, and a lot of narrow and more technical roads which have maybe not suited me so well in the past. At the moment though I have a really good feeling with this car and tyre on asphalt, so let’s see what we can do this time. The championship is close, and I hope that we can keep pushing hard and score another good result.”

Sébastien Ogier

“Rally Japan is always a special date in the calendar for us, and this year it should be even more interesting for everyone to follow given how close the drivers’ championship is with just two rounds to go. The stages on this rally are very demanding as they are really narrow and technical without much room for error, and we’ve seen that the weather at this time of year can make things even more complicated. The last rally didn’t go our way personally, but we know that we have the speed, and we still have the possibility to fight, and we will be doing our best to achieve a top result in Japan for that and for all of the fans who are giving us such great support there.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“Rally Japan is very special for me as my home rally and I’m really looking forward to driving there again in front of family and friends. It will be the fourth time that we’ve competed in the WRC event in Japan and, after being on the podium in 2022, I would definitely like to try to get back there this year. It’s never an easy rally with the narrow mountain roads, the changing grip levels, and the chance of difficult weather. I can take some confidence from the good stage times and result we did in Central Europe, and I will give everything to get the best result ever for myself, the team and the Japanese rally fans.”

Sami Pajari

“I’m really looking forward to my first Rally Japan as a Rally1 driver with Toyota. I have some good memories from last year when we won the WRC2 title there, and I could already feel the support of the Japanese fans then, so I’m sure that this year it might be on another level. I enjoy the stages in Japan: they are not so fast, but you have to be really precise because they’re so narrow and twisty. We had good speed on some stages in Central Europe and hopefully we can continue that in Japan, where the road generally stays a bit cleaner for each car because there are fewer chances to cut the corners.”

 

Hyundai Motorsport

Ott Tänak

“Japan is one of the slowest of the tarmac rallies. We’ve only ever competed when the weather is unpredictable, so with the changing conditions, it’s one of the most challenging tarmac events. There’s definitely an optimum way to set up – it’s actually quite a smooth rally, so not much protection is needed. It’s more about precision and managing the low-grip conditions. We’re lucky to be able to go there at a time of year when the nature is so colourful, the atmosphere is always very warm and kind, so I love going there. For sure, I hope to give my best in Japan, so let’s see how it goes, and hopefully the minor changes we’ve made to the car since CER will help us get a good feeling right away to fight at the top.”

Thierry Neuville

“We’ve definitely had some great memories in Japan. We’re very keen to go back and target another good result, but in our current position we have to focus on improving the car and learning as much as we can from this event, rather than on a top result. We know how technically challenging the event is – it is probably the most twisty event I’ve ever done on tarmac! It’s very demanding and requires a lot of energy and concentration. Due to the time of year, we’re expecting lots of leaves, tricky road conditions and lots of humidity – everything is possible in Japan!”

Adrien Fourmaux

“Rally Japan is unique. The mountain stages are twisty, narrow, and quite dark due to the high trees. In the dry, it is demanding on the tyres, but in the rain it is a completely different challenge. There is a lot of pollution on the roads, which get really slippery, and combined with the visibility it can be really tricky. We struggled for some performance in CER, so we want to show the steps we have made since that rally. Last year was a great event for us, and we would like to replicate that result and be back on the podium in Japan.”

 

M-Sport Ford WRT

Grégoire Munster

“Rally Japan is very special to us because it’s where we took our first WRC2 win. It’s a rally that really suits me because there are so many corners and generally narrow stages. The rain can make it tricky, as we often have to choose a mixed tyre package. Japan is quite unique and very different from what we see in Europe, so it’s always great to come here, try the local food, and experience the culture. The fans – whether in the service park, on the stages, or along the liaison sections – are incredibly supportive. It’s amazing to see so many passionate people and fans.”

Josh McErlean

“It’s great to be back in Japan! I competed here in a Rally2 car last year, so I know how tricky, and also rewarding, these stages can be. After a positive run in Central Europe, the aim is to keep that momentum going and end the event in a good place with M-Sport whilst improving our tarmac pace. I love Japan and its culture, plus the fans are incredible; it’s one of the best places to visit of the season.”

 

Oliver Solberg

“I drive a GR Yaris on the road,” said Oliver. “It’s the most fantastic street car I think I ever had. It would be really cool to try to meet some of the people who made it and make it to say thank you to them! For the rally car, of course, like always it’s prepared by Printsport. What can we say about these guys? They have done the most amazing job for the whole season – the championship me and Elliott won is as much for them as for us.

“The feeling on the last rally (Central European Rally) was a little bit strange. We won the championship in Chile and then we went to Germany and didn’t take any of the pressure for the title race. Me and Elliott focused well and drove it like it was any normal rally – it was nice to take another class win.

“But coming here to Japan, we really have quite a job to do. Like I mentioned, this is the first time here for us and we need to understand the roads and how things change with the weather and how much cutting is going on. There’s a lot to do, a lot of experience to take – and that’s the priority for us here: we want to learn about this rally.

“At the same time, we’re travelling a little bit earlier so we can stay in Tokyo for a while, to enjoy the place, the people and the amazing food. But then we take a test on Sunday and a big focus on the job with the recce and the rally. But all the time, surrounded by these lovely smiling people. I can’t wait!”

Summary

This is going to be a great rally on the roads around Tokyo City and any of the top drivers could stand on the podium. As the championship leaders Elfyn and Scott will want to repeat the victories from the last two years.

 

There are a group of fans who are hoping that they will take this year’s title. I know they’ll be really excited to see if the crew they support can take a closer step to the championship.