Toyota’s Sebastien Ogier edged World Rally Championship leader Elfyn Evans to victory after an intense Rally Japan battle that ensured the title will be decided in the Saudi Arabia season finale.
Ogier and co-driver Vincent Landais claimed their sixth win from a partial 2025 campaign by a margin of 11.6s from Evans after a thrilling battle across 20 challenging asphalt stages.
Toyota locked out the podium as Sami Pajari secured a maiden WRC rostrum finish after inheriting third when Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux retired following a wild moment in treacherous wet conditions on Sunday.
Ogier’s 67th career win has reduced Evans’ 13-point championship lead to three points ahead of the season finale in Saudi Arabia later this month. Toyota’s Kalle Rovanpera remains in the hunt, albeit 24 points adrift after finishing sixth.
Ott Tanak emerged as the top Hyundai finisher in fourth after a weekend where the frustrated Estonian was well adrift of the lead group, having struggled to coax speed from an older generation i20 N.
M-Sport-Ford’s Gregoire Munster matched his career-best WRC result in fifth, while team-mate Josh McErlean retired following a heavy crash in stage three.
Hyundai’s miserable weekend was headlined by reigning world champion Thierry Neuville, who suffered a myriad of mechanical issues. Neuville, who won the title in Japan last year, suffered a transmission issue on Thursday followed by a broken rear differential on Friday.
He had to retire before the first stages on Saturday and Sunday due to a broken driveshaft and windscreen wiper failure, respectively.
Oliver Solberg was the top Rally2 runner in seventh but it was Alejandro Cachon that claimed a first WRC2 victory from Nikolay Gryazin.
