Ogier sets fastest time in Japan Rally's opening stage, ahead of Evans

Sebastien Ogier, the French rally driver, kicked off the Rally of Japan by setting the fastest time in the opening shakedown stage. Driving a Toyota GR Yaris, Ogier completed the 2.53-kilometer circuit at Kurugaike Park in one minute and 55.3 seconds.

His performance placed him 1.0 second ahead of his teammate, British driver Elfyn Evans, who currently leads the World Rally Championship standings. Evans, a previous winner in Japan in 2023 and 2024, also pilots a Toyota GR Yaris. Sami Pajari, another Toyota driver, secured third place, trailing Evans by half a second.

Ogier, a nine-time world champion, is not competing in every event this season. His stated goal for the Japanese rally is to replicate his success from the previous year and secure another victory.

Adrien Fourmaux of France brought the first Hyundai i20 to fourth position with a time of 1:57.1. He finished just ahead of Japan's own Takamoto Katsuta, who drives a Toyota GR Yaris and holds the second position in the overall championship classification.

Following this initial shakedown stage, Elfyn Evans, as the current championship leader, will be the first to start the main rally on Friday. The opening day of competition includes six timed stages.

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to achieve the same result as last year