Evans Leads Toyota 1-2-3-4 at Home as Gryazin, Rossi, and Yamamoto Secure Category Victories at Rally Japan

Rally1 / WRC

The rally opened with Sébastien Ogier setting the pace in shakedown, finishing one second clear of Toyota team-mate Evans. However, once competitive stages began, the championship leader quickly established control.

Evans started fourth after the opening stage but moved into the lead on SS2 and never relinquished it. Through changing grip levels, damp sections, rising temperatures, and sustained pressure from his rivals, the Welshman managed the rally with remarkable consistency.

Saturday's biggest challenge came from Oliver Solberg, who reduced the gap to just 10.6 seconds before crashing out on the afternoon loop. That retirement elevated Ogier into second place and Sami Pajari into third, creating an all-Toyota podium heading into the final day.

Evans closed out the rally to secure victory by 12.8 seconds over Ogier, while Pajari completed the podium after another mature performance. Home favourite Takamoto Katsuta recovered from a difficult opening day to finish fourth and help Toyota complete a remarkable 1-2-3-4 result on home soil.

The victory marked Evans' second win of the season and the 50th podium finish of his WRC career.

WRC2 and WRC2 Challenger

One of the closest contests of the weekend unfolded in WRC2 and WRC2 Challenger, where Nikolay Gryazin and Alejandro Cachón traded the category lead throughout the event.

Cachón initially led after SS1 before Gryazin responded immediately, taking control on SS2 and SS3. The Spaniard repeatedly fought back, reclaiming the lead on multiple occasions, but Gryazin consistently found an answer whenever the pressure increased.

The battle remained undecided until the closing stages, with Gryazin eventually emerging victorious in both WRC2 and WRC2 Challenger after leading the category through the final test.

Cachón finished second after a relentless fight that lasted the entire rally, while Japan's Yuki Yamamoto produced a measured performance to secure third place in both championships. Yamamoto spent the opening half of the rally in fifth before steadily climbing the order, ultimately securing a podium finish on home soil.

WRC3 and Rally3

The WRC3 and Rally3 categories followed an almost identical script.

Nicolas Otto and Hugo Magalhães opened strongly by winning SS1 and leading the early stages of the rally. Their advantage proved short-lived, however, as Ghjuvanni Rossi and Kyle Sarmezan moved into the lead from SS2 and never looked back.

Rossi maintained control for the remainder of the event, building a consistent advantage across the stages to secure victory in both WRC3 and Rally3.

Otto remained within striking distance throughout much of the rally but ultimately settled for second place in both classifications after a strong and consistent weekend.

National Category

The National category produced one of the clearest demonstrations of dominance across the entire rally.

Yuta Yamamoto and Shizuka Takehara led from the opening stage and remained unbeaten throughout the event, never surrendering the category lead on their way to a commanding victory.

Behind them, Yasuyuki Sasaki and Yuki Ohtsuka spent most of the rally battling inside the top three before securing second place late in the event.

Yoshinobu Mitsuyama and Masahiko Shimazu completed the podium after gradually climbing from fifth position and maintaining strong pace through the closing stages.

Masters Cup

Norihiko Katsuta and Takahiro Yasui delivered a similarly dominant display in the Masters Cup.

The pair controlled the category from SS1 to the finish, leading every stage and securing victory without ever coming under serious pressure from the chasing pack.

Fumio Nutahara and Shungo Azuma spent much of the rally fighting for second position and ultimately secured the runner-up spot, while Andrea Lagarja and Andrés Blanco completed the podium after steadily improving their position throughout the weekend.

Looking Ahead

Rally Japan reinforced Toyota's dominance on home roads, with Evans strengthening his championship challenge and the manufacturer securing a clean sweep of the top four positions overall. Behind the Rally1 field, Gryazin's WRC2 success, Rossi's WRC3 triumph, and Yamamoto's National category victory added further layers to a rally that delivered competitive battles across every major class.

With the asphalt season now complete, the championship heads next to the gravel roads of Greece, where the momentum built in Japan will face an entirely different challenge.