Cachón holds narrow lead over Gryazin after Rally Japan opener

Alejandro Cachón leads the WRC2 field after the opening day of Rally Japan, holding an 8.3-second advantage over Nikolay Gryazin. The two drivers traded the top spot throughout Friday’s six asphalt stages, with Cachón capitalising on a bold tyre strategy early in the day and a strong finish during the final test at Inabu / Shitara to secure the overnight lead.

Gryazin, driving a Lancia, maintained pressure throughout the day, notably setting a dominant pace on the Isegami’s Tunnel stage where he exploited damp conditions. Despite his efforts, he could not maintain the gap as the roads dried, allowing the Toyota driver to pull ahead in the closing kilometers of the final stage.

Behind the leaders, Yuki Yamamoto holds third position after Diego Domínguez encountered mechanical difficulties with his vehicle's pop-off valve. Emil Lindholm rounds out the top five, while the WRC3 class sees Ghjuvanni Rossi leading the category by a significant margin following a late-stage driveshaft failure for competitor Nicolas Otto.