The FIA World Rally Championship approaches its halfway point as the seventh round of the season takes place in Japan. The event, held on Toyota’s home soil, moves to a new time slot on the calendar this year — a change expected to bring a fresh character to the rally.
Conditions are anticipated to be warmer and drier in late spring compared to the event’s traditional autumn schedule, meaning competitors are unlikely to face the slippery wet leaves that have often played a major role in recent years. For Sami Pajari, this will already be his fourth start in Japan. The rally also carries special memories for the Finnish driver, as he claimed his first-ever Rally1 podium there last autumn and secured the WRC2 title at the same event the year before.
Japan marks the seventh round of the fourteen-event WRC season, meaning the championship reaches its halfway stage after the rally. It will also be the final asphalt event of the year, as the current generation Rally1 cars will not compete on asphalt again at world championship level after this round.
Aside from Monte Carlo, the early-season pace shown by the Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT2 crew of Pajari and Marko Salminen has consistently placed them in contention for podium finishes and stage wins. As a result, the target for Japan is once again firmly set on a return to the podium.
“I’m looking forward to being back in Japan. It’s always a cool place to visit and I’ve got some very good memories from the rally: it’s where we took our first podium finish last year, and where I won the WRC2 title the year before. It’s a special feeling to be a Toyota driver there, and every year the number of fans seems to be growing. We will be there at a different time of year, but I don’t think the challenge will be any less than before. Having been on the podium in the last two asphalt rallies, as well as in Japan last year, that’s the minimum we will try to aim for and we’ll do our best to achieve a good result.”
The narrow and twisting special stages remain a defining feature of Rally Japan this year. While the route is largely familiar from previous editions, some new elements have also been introduced.
The rally headquarters and service park are located in Toyota City at the Toyota Stadium.The rally begins on Friday morning with the brand-new 12.9-kilometre Asuke special stage. Friday’s other stages — Isegami’s Tunnel and Inabu / Shitara — are familiar from previous years. All stages will be run twice during the day, with crews returning to Toyota City for midday service in between.
Friday features a total of 108.54 competitive kilometres, with crews leaving the service park for the first stage at around 7 a.m. The day’s final stage begins at 16:03 local time. Despite the move from autumn to late spring, the daily timetable remains largely unchanged, even though daylight now lasts considerably longer both in the morning and evening.
Saturday will require an early start once again, as crews leave the overnight halt shortly after 6 a.m., with the opening stage beginning just after 7:30. The day includes a total of eight special stages.
After the opening trio of stages, competitors head to a tyre-fitting zone near Ena before repeating the same stages on the return route toward Toyota City. Near the city, crews will tackle the new Fujioka stage twice — a little over three kilometres in length — with the second pass beginning at 17:38 local time.
Saturday’s competitive distance totals 120.22 kilometres.
Six stages remain for Sunday, covering 74.06 kilometres. Cars leave parc fermé shortly before 7 a.m. and head through morning service before the day’s action begins at 8:14.
Four stages are run during the morning loop before crews return for a final service halt. The rally then concludes with two final stages, including the 13.98-kilometre Lake Mikawako Power Stage, scheduled to begin at 14:15 local time.
The main finish celebrations and podium ceremony will take place approximately 90 minutes later back at Toyota Stadium.