Paraguayan drivers compete in WRC Rally of Japan

Paraguayan rally drivers Diego Domínguez Bejarano and Andrea Lafarja Bittar are participating in the demanding Rally of Japan, the seventh event on the World Rally Championship (WRC) calendar. The rally, contested on asphalt stages, commenced with the initial timed special stages on Thursday.

Domínguez Bejarano is navigating with Spaniard Rogelio Peñate, while Lafarja is co-driven by fellow Spaniard Andrés Blanco. Both are piloting Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 cars, prepared and supported by the Spanish-based MSi Racing Team. This event marks a significant challenge for the drivers as they compete on the world stage.

In the preliminary shakedown and the opening special stage (PE1 - Asuke 1), Domínguez Bejarano posted the fourth-fastest time in the WRC2 category. Lafarja Bittar also showed strong performance, securing the top position in the Masters Cup category and fifth in the first stage. The rally features twenty special stages covering a total distance of 302.8 kilometers.

Top-tier Rally1 category drivers, Sébastien Ogier and Vincent Landais, set the fastest times during the shakedown in their Toyota GR Yaris Rally1. Teammates Oliver Solberg and Elliott Edmonson, also in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally1, achieved the first "scratch" – the fastest time on a stage – of the Japanese rally.