Rally Japan 2024 Preview – The title decider!

Well, here we go again and for the final time this year as well. Thierry and Martijn hold the lead over their teammates and 2019 world champions Ott and Martin. The Belgians hold a significant twenty-five-point advantage over their teammates though and it would take a big mistake from them to not take their first championship.

Meanwhile in the manufacturer standings the gap is much smaller with just fifteen points separating Hyundai and Toyota. We won’t know until the end of the powerstage on Sunday afternoon who has taken the manufacturers title.

Now then, who could win the rally this weekend? One crew that has to be considered, won the 2023 event – Welshman Elfyn and his English co-driver Scott. They have always had pace on dry and wet tarmac and have to be considered as, dare I say it, the favourites.

However, there are plenty of crews that will fight for victory and really it could be any of the regular crews.

Let’s take a look at the stages awaiting the crews.

Competitive action begins under the floodlights of SS1 Toyota Stadium (2.15km) on Thursday night.

Friday opens with the longest stage of the weekend, the notoriously narrow SS2/5 Isegami’s Tunnel (23.67km).

The brand-new SS10/13 Mt. Kasagi stage debuts on Saturday morning, opening the third day of competition.

Five stages close the 2024 FIA WRC season, with SS21 Lake Mikawako 2 acting as the weekend’s Power Stage.

Let’s hear from the drivers.

Hyundai Motorsport

Thierry Neuville

“The target at Rally Japan is to bring home that drivers’ title and to support the team in the fight for the manufacturers’ championship as well. We have done a good job on that already throughout the season, but of course if there is any opportunity where we can support those efforts, then we will. In Japan, the weather and the roads make the biggest difference. They are super dirty when it’s cold, and the leaves on the road make grip very challenging. There are also some new stages, so altogether it’s going to be a very challenging event. We have no testing for Japan, so all of our information has been carried over from Central European Rally. We have plenty of the feedback from previous years here, so we can predict the starting set-up now before doing the fine tuning when we arrive in Japan.”

Ott Tänak

“Rally Japan is another pretty challenging event, probably one of the most difficult we have done on tarmac. It’s definitely the slowest tarmac rally we have done this year; it’s very twisty, narrow, more or less slow everywhere. Normally the stages are never-ending, so together with surface changes and general challenges it’s a tricky event. Japan is crucial for all the championships, so we are definitely planning to do everything we can to give our best performance. With the situation we are in in the championships, we cannot afford to hold back. We know Toyota will go all in and the points difference is pretty small, so we definitely need to fight to keep our lead. All of us need to do their best job: will go into this in fighting mode with the plan to give it our best.”

Andreas Mikkelsen

“Rally Japan is an event that I did for the first-time last year. It was very enjoyable even though the conditions were very, very difficult, but it was a great challenge. The roads are very twisty and very technical, and at this time of the year the conditions are even more unpredictable. It’s quite different to all the other tarmac rallies that we compete at, the only rally that could be a bit similar is Corsica in terms of being very technical – but it contrasts greatly to Central European Rally. My goal for the weekend is to help us seal the manufacturers’ title. The most important aspect of this event will obviously be the fight with Toyota, so I am sure it will be tough fight them on their home ground – they have nothing to lose. It will be a very big battle, but I think we are all ready for it.”

 

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Elfyn Evans

“We always receive a very warm welcome driving for Toyota in Japan. Of course, with that comes a lot of expectation to do well but it’s also something we can thrive off. We still have something to fight for in the manufacturers’ championship, and even if it is a difficult task ahead of us, we want to give it our all and give ourselves the best chance. To repeat our result from last year will definitely be the aim: it was a pretty difficult event with a lot of rain and a lot of leaves on the road, and conditions could be similar again. Even if it’s dry, the roads are more technical and twisty than Corsica, which was famous for the number of corners, so it’s a very demanding and busy event both with the pacenotes and with the steering wheel.”

Sébastien Ogier

“It’s always exciting to go to Rally Japan, and especially this year given we are still in a fight to try and secure the manufacturers’ title. We know that we are not in the ideal position, and we need a close-to-perfect weekend for the team, but it’s definitely not out of reach. Our performance recently has been good and on my side, we want to turn around our fortunes and transform that speed into a good result. The stages in the forests in Japan can be very difficult and conditions are always a big question mark, especially as the event takes place one week later this year. Of course, as Toyota drivers we always feel such strong support which is very nice, and we will try to bring home the result that all the fans are hoping for.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“I am really looking forward to Rally Japan. Of course, I always feel a different kind of pressure at my home rally, but it’s a nice kind of pressure: I am really excited to drive in front of my family, my friends and all the fans. Last year, I felt really good in the car and the weekend went well except for one mistake. This year, I want to try and make a good result happen. I think the most important thing will be to assess the situation and the conditions and try to use my performance when I feel confident, a bit like I did on the Central European Rally. It will be challenging but I don’t really mind whether it’s wet or it’s dry: I will do my best and hope I can perform well.”

 

M-Sport Ford WRT

Adrien Fourmaux

“Japan is the last rally of the season, we want to finish the great season we’ve had with a nice result, especially on Tarmac. There are some really tricky, technical roads here and it is quite narrow in places, and the forests can be quite dark this time of year.

“Because it’s a long-haul event, no one has done any testing in preparation, so it’s going to be interesting to see where we can be compared to the others. I’m also looking forward to experiencing the culture again, we didn’t get the result we wanted last time so hopefully this year we can combine success with a great experience of the country.”

Grégoire Munster

“Japan is a rally I like a lot; I have been quite competitive here in the Rally2 category in the last couple of years. Plus, it is really nice to come to Japan and enjoy another culture. I always notice the love of motorsport and rally here is as big, or even bigger, than in Europe so it’s nice to experience the atmosphere. There are a lot of nice ceremonies, especially the prize giving in the stadium, where a lot of fans gather which is really cool.

“Regarding the stages, there are some new stages on the itinerary this year which will be exciting, and the weather conditions are always challenging in Japan during this season. So, anything can happen!”

 

Summary

We will have a new world champion on Sunday and the first to not be driving a Toyota since Seb Ogier won his sixth title when at M-Sport Ford in 2018. Whether it is Ott and Martin celebrating or Thierry and Martijn it will be an exciting end to the season.

Enjoy!!