Sébastien Ogier leads Toyota sweep in Rally Japan shakedown

Sébastien Ogier signaled his intent at Rally Japan by topping the timesheets during Thursday morning’s shakedown session. Clocking a 1min 55.3sec run over the 2.53km Kurugaike Park test, the nine-time world champion finished one second clear of championship leader Elfyn Evans. Sami Pajari rounded out a clean sweep of the top three positions for Toyota Gazoo Racing.

Adrien Fourmaux led the Hyundai charge in fourth, matching the time set by local favorite Takamoto Katsuta. The session provided a final opportunity for crews to refine setups before the rally commences with a ceremonial start in Nagoya. Competition begins in earnest on Friday, featuring challenging stages such as the Isegami’s Tunnel and the debut of the Asuke test.