The 2023 FIA World Rally Championship will reach its climax in Japan next week with a challenging tarmac finale featuring WRC stars and Rally1 hybrid cars.
After 12 action-packed rounds, Kalle Rovanpera and Jonne Hartunen may be out of reach in the race to win the drivers’ and co-drivers’ titles respectively, but the chase for runner-up is very much on the cards. Active.
Ahead of the Forum 8 Rally Japan, the 8th WRC event to be held from November 16th to 19th, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT’s Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin maintain their provisional 2nd place in the rankings. However, after winning last month’s Central European Rally, which also featured an asphalt-only stage, Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team’s Thierry Neuville and Martin Widege are now just seven points apart.
Last season, when the WRC returned to Japan after a 12-year hiatus, Neuville and Wideg won. However, Evans and Martin held the lead for most of the first two legs before falling back when they had to change wheels. It all points to an exciting battle for the coveted Vice Champion honor.
The M-Sport World Rally Team pair of Ott Tänak and Martin Jarveoja are still in a mathematical battle for a second place finish in the WRC, but Evans/Martin did not score in Japan and the new rider /Widege will be required to add no more than 6 points to his current points total. .
The 2023 WRC season, the second to run without hybrid technology and fossil fuels, has so far produced five different winners, with all three manufacturers – Hyundai, M-Sport Ford and Toyota – celebrating victories. This highlights the wide range of competition brought about by the Rally1 regulations.
Toyota put the FIA World Rally Championship out of the reach of its rivals with Rally Chile in early October, and it is fitting that the Toyota City-based event ends the season in Japan.
Pirelli, the WRC’s official tire partner, will supply PZero RA WRC hard and soft compound tires for Formu8 Rally Japan, as well as Cinturato RWB tires in wet weather. Hard compounds are the first choice for warm, dry weather, while soft compounds are better suited for the cool, damp weather expected on early morning mountain stages. Up to 28 tires may be used at the event, including 4 for shakedown.
Prior to the rally, a presentation event organized by the Forum 8 Rally Japan 2023 Committee was held in Tokyo on Friday, November 10th, with key representatives from the Japanese government, national authorities in the transportation, tourism and energy sectors, and event organizers. Meet in one place. , Manufacturer Team, WRC Promoter, FIA. Saturday will be dedicated to activities for Tokyo-based media and fans featuring some of the WRC drivers.
Route overview
Gravel events were previously held in Hokkaido in northern Japan, but WRC’s return in 2022 will feature an asphalt-only itinerary in Honshu for the first time since 2010.
Several changes have been made to the route for the 2023 event, using tight, winding stages in and around Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, 40 kilometers from Nagoya. Most notable is the addition of a dedicated super special stage inside Toyota Stadium, which also houses an event service park. This stadium usually hosts football and rugby matches, but at a time it transforms into a spectacular 2.10km WRC stage, with matches taking place on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Official leg one begins on Friday with the iconic 23.67km Iegami Tunnel stage, the rally’s longest, and includes two further stages before service at Toyota Stadium. His three stages in the morning will be repeated in the afternoon, followed by a rebroadcast of the stadium super special.
Saturday’s route will take you through two full-length stages, preceded by two passes of the Okazaki City Super Special, which uses an all-new route through a vast park area. After going through the tire fitting zone at Okazaki Central Park, the team repeated the early morning Nukata Forest stage and Mikawako stage, then ran the Shinshiro city stage and Toyota Stadium SSS three times.
Sunday’s final leg begins with a first visit to Asahi Kogen, which will be the Wolf Power stage when the match is replayed at 14:15 local time. The next 22.92km test in Ena City will include a new starting point adjacent to Akechi Railway. The tire fitting zone at Nakatsugawa Park will be held after the Nenoue Kogen stage, and the morning stage will be followed by the second run in the afternoon.
FORUM8 Rally Japan Data
Stage distance: |
304.12 km |
Total distance: |
958.95 km |
Number of stages: |
twenty two |
RALLY1 Hybrid contestants
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT: The Japanese manufacturer’s line-up remains unchanged from the Central European Rally, with multiple world champion Sébastien Ogier joining Elfyn Evans and eight-time WRC title winner Kalle Rovanperä in 2023. Home hero Takamoto Katsuta will be piloting his fourth Toyota GR Yaris Rally 1 Hybrid, but will not be eligible to track manufacturer points.
Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team: Dani Sordo will start his third tarmac event in a Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid, the first since Rallye Monte Carlo in January. Esapekka Lappi will make his Rally Japan debut in 2022, an event won by teammate Thierry Neuville.
M-Sport Ford World Rally Team: Adrien Fourmeau returned to Rally1 level for the first time since RallyRACC – Costa Dorada in October 2022 with his first Rally Japan. The event marks the end of Ott Tänak’s second stint as an M Sport driver before returning to Hyundai in 2024. The Estonian finished runner-up in Japan 12 months ago.
Supported categories
Rally Japan, which won the provisional FIA WRC2 title in 2023, will be a fast lap of honor for Andreas Mikkelsen (Toxport Skoda Fabia RS Rally2). Teammate Nikolai Gryazin and Finnish former F1 driver Heikki Kovalainen will be among the Norwegians’ opponents in the 10-car WRC2 field.
Winning the FIA WRC2 Challenger will be the sole focus of three-time European champion Kajetan Kajetanovic, while Alexander Villanueva can secure victory in the FIA WRC Masters Cup in Japan.
Canadian Jason Bailey will aim for wins in the WRC3 and Masters Cup classes in his Ford Fiesta Rally 3.