Evans closes gap on Ogier in Rally Japan title fight

VIDEO SHOWS: HIGHLIGHTS OF DAY THREE OF RALLY JAPAN – THE 13TH ROUND OF THE WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP  COMPLETE SHOTLIST TO FOLLOW SHOWS: VARIOUS, JAPAN (NOVEMBER 8, 2025) (WRC PROMOTER GMBH – See restrictions) STORY: Elfyn Evans narrowed the gap to Sebastien Ogier in the battle for the Rally Japan lead and the World Rally Championship title on Saturday (November 8), delivering a commanding performance across the stages while home favourite Takamoto Katsuta endured a dramatic setback. Evans, who began the day in third place, was 10.2 seconds behind his Toyota team-mate Ogier and trailed Katsuta by 2.3 seconds. However, the Welshman quickly made his presence felt in the morning loop. A strong drive in stage eight saw him outpace both rivals, leapfrogging Katsuta to take second and reducing Ogier's lead to 8.9 seconds. The Toyota driver's momentum continued in stage nine before he clinched victory in stage 10, cutting a significant 5.4 seconds off Ogier's lead. On the second pass through Mt. Kasagi, Evans secured his 200th career stage win, shaving an additional 0.6 seconds off the gap. Heading into the final stages, Evans trailed Ogier by just 1.4 seconds. Meanwhile, Katsuta's hopes for a maiden WRC win unravelled during the second run through Mt. Kasagi. A misjudged entry into a chicane saw the Japanese driver collide with several water-filled barriers, damaging the front right of his Toyota GR Yaris and losing power steering. Katsuta pulled over to let Ogier pass but lost over four minutes in the process, plummeting from third to seventh. Hyundai's Adrien Fourmaux capitalised on Katsuta's misfortune and delivered an inspired performance to claim the final spot on the podium. The Frenchman took risks throughout the morning stages, winning both stage eight and nine, and closed to within 17.7 seconds of Ogier after stage 11. Toyota's Sami Pajari, however, struggled to keep pace with Fourmaux, losing time due to a half-spin and contact with a bank that damaged the rear corner of his GR Yaris. Pajari moved into fourth after Katsuta's troubles and holds a comfortable 1 minute 37.7 seconds advantage over Hyundai's Ott Tanak, who continued to battle for speed in his older-generation i20 N. Production: Suramya Kaushik)

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