The Rallye Monte-Carlo shakedown stage has come to an end. Ott Tänak and Nikolay Gryazin topped the stage in their respective classes.
Rally1
Ott Tänak set the fastest time on the first shakedown of the season. Tänak would set a time 0.1 seconds faster than championship rival Elfyn Evans to top the Rallye Monte-Carlo shakedown. Thierry Neuville finished third fastest, 0.7 seconds slower than Evans. 2023 Rallye Monte-Carlo winner Sebastien Ogier posted the fourth fastest time, 0.2 seconds slower than Neuville. Takamoto Katsuta rounded out the top five on the shakedown stage, finishing 2.2 seconds slower than Ogier.
WRC2
Nikolay Gryazin topped the Rallye Monte-Carlo shakedown for the WRC2 class. Gryazin would post a time 0.5 seconds faster than last year’s winner Yohan Rossel. Oliver Solberg finished third fastest on the shakedown stage, 1 second slower than Rossel. Pepe Lopez set the fourth fastest time, 2.4 seconds slower than Solberg. Sami Pajari rounded out the top five in the WRC2 class on the shakedown stage, finishing 1.3 seconds slower than Lopez.
What To Expect From Rallye Monte-Carlo Day One
In about 12 hours the first real day of the 2024 World Rally Championship season will kick off. Day one of Rallye Monte-Carlo will see drivers contest two-night stages. These stages total 46.20 km in length. Elfyn Evans will be first on the road tomorrow. As he finished second in the championship last season. Since Kalle Rovanperä won’t be competing this weekend, Evans moves up in the start order. As the reigning champion is supposed to start. At the end of day one’s stages we should get a slight idea of how the event will go. As there’s a lot of time to be gained and lost in 46 km. However, anything can happen as there are still lots of kilometers to race after day one.
The 2024 World Rally Championship season kicks off this weekend with the Rallye Monte-Carlo.
A New Season
Rallye Monte-Carlo will kick off the new World Rally Championship season. Due to this being the first round, there aren’t any championship standings to go over. This means this will be a slightly different preview than the other 12 rounds of the championship. Below I will go over what to expect from the historic event as well as all the teams participating in the event.
Team Rundowns
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
The Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team enters the 2024 WRC season as manufacturer champions. They have also won two of the last three Rallye Monte-Carlo’s. With Sebastien Ogier winning both events for the team. Ogier is the favourite to win the event for the 10th time in his career this weekend. However, drivers such as Elfyn Evans, Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak will look to stop him. Nevertheless, Ogier’s experience at the tricky event will likely be what leads him to victory at his home event. Takamoto Katsuta will join Elfyn Evans and Sebastien Ogier this weekend.
Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT
Realistically speaking, Hyundai has the only drivers that can challenge Ogier for the win this weekend. As Thierry Neuville won the event in 2020. Ending the domination from Sebastien Ogier and Loeb at the event. Rallye Monte-Carlo will also be Ott Tänak’s first event back in a Hyundai. This comes after the Estonian spent last season with M-Sport Ford. Another driver returning to Hyundai will make their debut this weekend. As reigning WRC2 champion Andreas Mikkelsen will suit up for his first event back with Hyundai this weekend. With a team of Neuville, Tänak and Mikkelsen, Hyundai have a strong contender to Toyota’s trio of drivers.
M-Sport Ford WRT
With all due respect to Adrien Fourmaux and Grégoire Munster, don’t expect much out of M-Sport Ford this weekend. Realistically speaking this is Fourmaux’s first event in a Rally1 car since 2022. Sure he contested Forum8 Rally Japan in a Rally1 car last season. However, he had very few stage kilometres in the car before he went off the road and ended his event. As for Munster, this will be his first time in the car competitively since the Central European Rally. Fourmaux and Munster will likely use this weekend’s event to get used to the car. Rather than pushing for a high finish.
Driver Quotes
Jari-Matti Latvala, Team Principal, Toyota
“We have enjoyed some fantastic success over the last few seasons and we naturally hope to continue this in 2024. We expect an even greater challenge and it will be even tougher to claim all the titles. To win the manufacturers’ championship once again will be our primary target, and if we can achieve the drivers’ and co-drivers’ titles too, that would be a really great bonus. Our team is working hard all the time to develop the car through the season and make it an ever-better car. With Rallye Monte-Carlo, we start with one of the most demanding rallies, and I think a good weekend there can really give you a confidence boost. So Elfyn and Taka will be trying to make the best possible starts to their seasons, and it’s always exciting to have Seb driving with us on his home roads where he has been so strong before. We’re also really excited to see the GR Yaris Rally2 in action: after testing we’re feeling confident in the car, but it’s only now in competition that we can really see the level it’s at and gather more feedback for future development.”
Sebastien Ogier, Car 17, Toyota
“I’m happy to be at the start of another season after all these years, and I take this opportunity with both hands. The last couple of years have been good fun with the team and we managed to secure some good results. I think we want to keep going this way as long as we can and that’s the plan for 2024, starting with Rallye Monte-Carlo of course. For me this is a must-do event and there’s a lot of hopes for this first rally. I think it’s the rally that you need to respect more than any other as the conditions can be so challenging, which means that nothing is guaranteed. Numbers are never my main motivation, but if I could get a 10th win on this event it would be something very special.”
Cyril Abiteboul, Team Principal, Hyundai
“Our goal is to have a clean weekend and maximise the opportunity of the fresh start. It will also be everyone’s first time competing with the updated points-scoring system, which will add a new dynamic to the event.”
Ott Tänak, Car 8, Hyundai
“At the test, the feeling in the car was good and we found a nice rhythm. Our target at the rally is to achieve a podium finish, but of course we will push for the best result possible.”
We are weeks away from the start of the 2024 WRC season. Here are my predictions.
Tänak Wins The Championship
Ott Tänak is one of the three drivers expected to win the 2024 WRC Drivers’ Championship. I’d be surprised if Tänak didn’t beat Thierry Neuville and Elfyn Evans to win his second championship. Tänak is the only former World Champion contesting a full season. His previous championship experience is what puts him over the edge for me. He knows what it takes to win. It’s just up to Hyundai to give him a car that can compete with Evans Toyota.
Toyota Wins The Manufacturers Championship
If I’m being completely honest, Toyota is probably the favorite to win the Manufacturers’ Championship again. Even if Tänak wins the championship, I still can’t see Hyundai winning the Manufacturers’ championship. Why? It comes down to the other drivers. A trio of Sordo, Mikkelsen and Lappi isn’t as good as a duo of Ogier and Rovanperä. Sure Hyundai has the better second driver in Neuville, compared to Katsuta for Toyota. Nevertheless, the duo of Ogier and Rovanperä will likely win, or finish within the top five at every event they contest. Don’t get me wrong, Sordo, Mikkelsen and Lappi are all good drivers, but they aren’t better than two drivers who have 10 World Championships between them.
Katsuta Wins His First
Takamoto Katsuta has yet to take the top step of the podium at the top level. I feel as if this will be the season he finally takes that leap. He’s Toyota’s second full-time driver this season and is a talented driver. He just hasn’t been able to do it yet. He came close at the 2023 running of Forum8 Rally Japan, however a spin and subsequent damage ended those hopes. If Katsuta were to win an event it’ll probably be his home event of Forum8 Rally Japan.
Rovanperä Wins More Events Than Evans
Kalle Rovanperä has moved into a part-time role for the upcoming season. However, I don’t think that’ll stop him from winning more events than his teammate Elfyn Evans. Rovanperä is the best driver in the championship, there’s no denying that. At the events he competes at he will be one of the front runners. I have Rovanperä pencilled in to win over 75% of the rounds he contests. This is more than what I have Evans to win.
Lappi Wins His Second Event
Esapekka Lappi has moved into a part-time role with Hyundai for the 2024 WRC season after he contested a full 2023 season. Lappi has only won a single event so far in his career. I have a feeling he’ll take his second career win this season. Which event that’ll be at I don’t know. However, Lappi showed good pace in the Hyundai last season and was on pace to win Rally Mexico before he hit a power pole.
M-Sport Has At Least Three Podiums
It’s no secret that the M-Sport Ford WRT doesn’t have a championship-calibre driver, no offence to Fourmaux or Munster. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if the duo managed to finish on the podium a couple of times this season. Munster is really good on tarmac. Something he proved at the Central European Rally this past season. Fourmaux wasn’t bad on rough gravel either. Nearly winning the WRC2 class at Rally Italia Sardegna. The rallies the M-Sport will podium at is something I won’t try to predict.
Earlier this week rumors began to circulate about a return to the WRC for Lancia. Find out more below.
The Rumour
Earlier this week an article was put out linking Lanica to a WRC return. This came from Lanica’s parent company, Stellantis. Stellantis also owns brands like Citroen, Fiat, and Dodge among others. The reason Stellantis is interested in a WRC return for Lancia is to help revive the brand. Lancia hasn’t produced any notable vehicles since the 90’s. Stellantis wants that to change. In their eyes, they want to revive the brand by doing the same thing that made the brand notable in the first place. There isn’t much to go off of with this rumor. It sounds like Lancia will start development of the new car this year. While it’s expected to be used in 2025 at the earliest.
Why A Return Makes Sense
Lancia could be Citroen’s replacement in the WRC2 class, and potentially become the fourth manufacturer in the top class. Citroen only has a couple of seasons of use remaining in the C3. Before the car’s homologation runs out. Citroen going out of the WRC would be unfortunate. As the manufacturer is one of the most successful in the WRC. Unfortunately, Stellanois doesn’t seem interested in having two manufacturers under their control compete.
A History In The WRC
Lancia is probably the second most iconic manufacturer in WRC history, behind Subaru. As Lanica helped make the WRC become what we know today. Before the Lancia Stratos, rally cars were often just slightly modified road cars. The Stratos was the first car designed specifically for rally. The Stratos went on to become one of the most legendary cars in WRC history. Winning Lancia three consecutive Manufacturers championships from 1974-1976.
From 1977-1981 Lancia was absent from the WRC. However, in 1982 the brand would return to start the Group B era. Lancia would return with the brand new and legendary 037 rally car. This rear-wheel drive beast won the 1983 manufacturers championship. However, in 1985 an issue with the 037 would become apparent. The car was rear-wheel drive while the likes of Audi and Peaugot were running all-wheel drive cars. To counter this Lanica built a brand new car, the Lancia Delta S4.
The Delta S4 was both supercharged and turbocharged, giving it a load of power. However, all that power came at a cost, the car was difficult to control. Nevertheless, with Henri Toivonen behind the wheel, the Delta S4 won its first two events and would’ve won the third if it wasn’t for an engine issue. The Delta S4 went on to win two more events in 1986, including the Olympus Rally, the final event of the Group B era.
The M-Sport Ford World Rally Team have announced their 2024 driver line-up. Find out all you need to know below.
The Drivers
The 2024 M-Sport Ford WRT lineup consists of two familiar faces. Those faces are Adrien Fourmaux and Grégoire Munster. Both Fourmaux and Munster drove a Puma Rally1 last season. With Munster competing at Rally Chile Bio Bio and the Central European Rally in the car. While Fourmuax competed in Rally Japan.
Adrien Fourmaux
It’s no surprise that Adrien Fourmaux is once again getting a chance behind the wheel of a Rally1 car. As the Frenchman was demoted to the WRC2 championship at the end of a disappointing 2022 season. However, Fourmaux seemed to have found himself in 2023. As he went on to win the British Rally Championship with M-Sport. Becoming the first Frenchman to win the championship. Fourmaux also aided M-Sport in developing the Fiesta Rally2 car. Fourmaux didn’t win any WRC2 events last season. Although he did come close in Italy. However, an off on the last stage costed him the event win.
Grégoire Munster
Grégoire Munster is a bit of a surprise. As he was expected to get a part-time drive with the team and compete at Rallye Monte-Carlo. However, a full-time drive was unexpected. Munster has even said himself that he wasn’t fully ready for it. Add that to a comment from higher-ups at M-Sport made just last month about Munster becoming their main driver for WRC2 and it leaves some question marks. Sure Munster put up a strong performance at the Central European Rally. However, why rush him into a spot he’s not ready for? Sure Munster could’ve changed his mind, if that’s the case then okay. However, if he was still on the edge why give him a full-time seat?
Why These Drivers?
M-Sport had a very slim selection of drivers to pick from. As the team relies on drivers willing to pay for a drive as opposed to paying drivers to drive. Only on rare occasions will M-Sport pay a driver to drive for the team. Fourmuax has the backing of Redbull to sponsor a full-time drive. While Munster will be backed by Jourdan Serderidis and other sponsors.
Earlier this week the Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT announced the final two drivers for their 2024 WRC lineup.
He’s Back!
Andreas Mikkelsen will return to the top level of rally for the 2024 season. The 2023 WRC2 was in talks with Hyundai for a spot during 2023 after Craig Breen passed away. However, Hyundai decided to go a different route and Mikkelsen took part in the WRC2 championship for Toksport. Mikkelsen last drove at the top level of rally in 2019 with Hyundai. Mikkelsen won the WRC2 championship just two years later. Since then Mikkelsen has been the most deserving driver to get a rally1 drive. Well, he will get that chance this season at select events.
Back For Another Season With Hyundai
Dani Sordo’s future with Hyundai was questionable. As the Spaniard didn’t even know what his plans for 2024 were at Forum8 Rally Japan. Sordo did say he would do at least one outing in a Rally1 car in 2024. However, from there it was all question marks. Sordo will provide Hyundai with a safety net throughout the season. Something he has proven time and time again in 2022 and 2023.
What Events Will They Do?
Hyundai would say in their press release that Lappi will get snow and fast gravel events. Sordo will get rough gravel and Mikkelsen tarmac. There could be some room for changes throughout the season. However, based on what Hyundai has said each driver will do the following. Mikkelsen will do Montecarlo, Croatia, Central Europe and Japan. Lappi will do Sweden, Poland, Finland, Latvia and potentially Chile. That leaves Sordo doing Kenya, Italy, Portugal, and Greece. Obviously, things can change throughout the season as previously mentioned. As Lappi may not want to do all the fast events or Chile for example.
Why Three Drivers For Hyundai?
Lappi, Sordo and Mikkelsen are each good in their own respective ways. One thing they all share in common is the fact that they can challenge for a podium when needed. It’s no secret Hyundai is targeting both the manufacturer and drivers championships. Hyundai also knows to achieve this they need a safety net in case Neuville or Tänak fail to finish an event. All three drivers have previously won events and finished on the podium numerous times. All three drivers also know their role on the team and what the objective is. They also don’t take unnecessary risks. Only time will tell how having three drivers share a car works out.
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing has switched up the style palette for 2024 as they ditch the dominant white livery for a more blacked out design. The design have more of an edgy presence to them which seems to be the direction many teams are headed for in 2024. Bold and definitive seems to be the new look.
Toyota Gazoo Racing Reveals the 2024 WRC Livery. Photo Courtesy of Toyota Gazoo Racing WRTThe reveal came on the same day the team announced their 2024 motorsport team setups. The announcement came from “Morizo” (Chairman Akio Toyoda), Tomoya Takahashi, President of GAZOO Racing Company, and the drivers leading the TGR activities in Japan joined the attendees. He gave the following speech.
Chairman Akio Toyoda’s Speech on the 2023 Season
“In the 2023 season, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing won eight titles!
Morizo hates to lose too often…
Therefore I am as delighted as you could expect with eight titles.
I’m so happy! To the team, to the drivers, and to the fans, thank you so much! Now the phrase “hate to lose” has become our slogan.
In Rally Finland, Kalle Rovanperä said to me “We hate to lose” after he went off couse and showed that we never give up. Not only the drivers, but also everyone in the whole team hates to lose!
I felt that this common understanding is the secret to our strength!
Why do I hate to lose too often? The other day, I looked back at my past.
I remembered a scene at the Nurburgring when I was being overtaken by other cars. This scene was the origin of my ‘hate to lose’ mentality! This scene was the origin of my ‘hate to lose’ mind! The cars that overtook me were new vehicles developed by European manufacturers…and I was driving an 80 Supra, which had already gone out of production and sales…I felt that the cars that overtook me were saying “Toyota will never make such a car like this…” It’s frustrating to remember even now… This frustration was my origin.
The No 8 Toyota Gazoo Racing Hypercar at the Season Closer in Bahrain. Photo Courtesy of Toyota Gazoo RacingSince then, I have been determined to make a car like that! I have been working hard to achieve this.
That’s the reason I’ve continued my driving training.
Even though I am not an engineer, I wanted to participate in car development somehow, which is why I took action.”
Toyoda Continued
“It took almost 20 years, and now I really have a lot of friends.
Not only drivers but also engineers and mechanics.
We share our frustrations… and we fight in motorsport.
We are all friends trying to make a car that was said to be “impossible” to make at the time.
To win in motorsports, you have to make a car that is easy to drive together.
I believe that the eight titles are exactly the result of our ability to make such cars.”
Earlier this week it was announced Kalle Rovanperä would contest a part-time campaign in 2024. What could this mean for the WRC? Find out below.
A New Champion
Let’s get the obvious out of the way first. With Rovanperä only competing at select events he won’t be able to win the championship. Unless he competes at say 10 of the 13 events, which is something he sounds as if he doesn’t want to do. Meaning there will be a “new” champion in 2024. The term “new” is used loosely as Ott Tänak has a strong chance at winning another championship. Although his last and only title win came in 2019. The battle for the championship will likely be a three-horse race. As Hyundai drivers Ott Tänak and Thierry Neuville will battle it out with Elfyn Evans from Toyota.
How It Benefits The WRC
There is a silver lining that makes the Rovanperä move to part-time a good one for the WRC. The part of this that benefits the WRC is basically the same thing as the above section. As a prolonged title fight equals more fan interest throughout the season. Fans don’t want to watch a title fight that they can guess the result of before the season even starts. Before Rovanperä, if you guessed Ogier or Loeb would win the championship, you were most likely correct. In 2024 we will get a taste of what it was like before the Sebastien domination. As before the mid-2000s the championship was pretty much anybody’s to win.
Does Rovanperä Move To Part-Time Say Anything About The WRC
To be honest, no Rovanperä wanting a part-time drive next season doesn’t say much about the WRC. As Rovanperä had a very good reason for wanting to do a part-time drive. That reason being he has driven rally cars for the past 15 years with no real breaks. Like anyone when you do something for that long you get tired of it. Rovanperä also wants to explore other motorsports while he’s still young. He’s not really interested in chasing Loeb’s nine-championship record, or at least anytime soon.
The Underlying Facts
Kalle Rovanperä going to part-time isn’t necessarily a bad thing for the WRC. As if not only allows a new champion to be crowned. It also allows him a break to hopefully pursue rally into his late 30’s. At the end of the day, Rovanperä will be missed, however, if he needed a break he needed a break. For him why wait? He has nothing to lose. He’s the best driver in the WRC currently. A year off isn’t going to change that.
Earlier today the Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT announced their 2024 World Rally Championship lineup.
Full-Time Drivers
Elfyn Evans
Elfyn Evans remains a full-time driver for the Japanese team. This comes after Evans had a strong 2023 season. Winning three events and pushing the championship battle to the Central European Rally. A battle that could’ve gone further if Evans hadn’t crashed into a barn on the third day of the event. Evans also claimed 4 additional podiums in 2023.
“I’m looking forward to heading into what will be my fifth consecutive year with the team. We’ve had some great successes together over the last four years and I’m excited to continue that story with Toyota Gazoo Racing. I gelled with the team immediately when I joined and it feels very much like home now. The support from everyone to get me feeling comfortable in the GR YARIS Rally1 has been great, and we’ve continued to make progress this year. I’m keen to build on that and be even better in 2024. We have a lot more to achieve together and I’m excited about the future. As always, the target will be to win, whether that’s in each rally or in the championship.” Said Evans.
Takamoto Katsuta
This also isn’t a change. As Katsuta has been a full-time driver for Toyota since 2021. Katsuta still has yet to claim his first rally win. However, Katsuta had a strong showing this past weekend at his home event in Japan. As the 30-year-old put on the drive of a lifetime. Winning nearly half of the events stages, nobody could stop Katsuta. However, this didn’t lead to a win as a crash on SS2 forced Katsuta into EV mode for SS2 and SS3. Toyota is hoping this is a sign of things to come for the Japanese star.
“I’m really excited to start a new season with [the team] next year. I learned a lot this year: there were some rallies that were good for me and some that were not so good, but those have made me stronger and will hopefully help me in the future. Next year will be important to prove what I can do, and I will try to make it the best season of my career so far.” Said Katsuta.
Part-Time
Sebastien Ogier
Eight-time World Rally Champion Sebastien Ogier will once again be a part-time driver for the Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT. Ogier was arguably a top-three driver this past season. Winning three of the eight events he competed in. He likely would’ve also won Rally Italia Sardegna if his foot hadn’t slipped during a stage. Ogier will provide Toyota with a strong third car at the events he competes in. The number of events Ogier will compete in is still unknown. However, it sounds as if Ogier will compete in 10 events next season.
“I am of course really happy to still be with Toyota Gazoo Racing for next year. The 2023 season has been good for me and more importantly for the team, and managing to clinch all three titles again is great. I also really enjoy the balance that this kind of partial programme gives me, and next season should be pretty similar in that respect. As long as the success is there for me and the team, I think we should try to carry on in a similar way.” Said Ogier.
Kalle Rovanperä
The biggest shock of the Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT is Kalle Rovanperä moving to part-time. Rovanperä has good reason for this, however. As the two-time World Rally Champion wants a little break.
“I am really excited to have signed a multi-year contract and to continue working with the team. Next year I am only going to be driving some of the events and the biggest reason for this is that I have been driving rally cars for 15 years already, which is quite a long time, and while the last seasons have been amazing of course, they have also been really demanding mentally and physically. So, I felt that now would be a good moment to take a year for recharging the batteries, and then come back again full-time to fight for the championship once more with a full attack. I enjoy all kinds of motorsport and I’m looking forward to doing some drifting and maybe some other cool events as well as the rallies which we will be selecting next year.” Said Rovanperä.
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Principal Jari-Matti Latvala said the following about the 2024 lineup. “We are very happy to be keeping our winning driver line-up together for the future. It’s great to know that we have such a strong squad of drivers who feel at home in our car and our team and want to continue working with us. Kalle’s programme will be a bit different in 2024 but the important thing for us is that he is a Toyota driver and he wants to stay with the team and keep enjoying his passion for rallying.
Even though he is young, he has been driving rally cars at a serious level for a long time and he feels a part-campaign would be best for him now so that we can look forward to more full seasons together in the future. It’s also great that Seb continues with us, and it means that together with Kalle, we will have two multiple world champions as strong assets in our defence of the manufacturers’ championship. Elfyn has shown us again this year that he can win rallies and compete for championships, and we know he will give his best efforts in every rally. Taka proved at Rally Finland this year that he can be up there in the fastest rallies and hopefully, we can see him as a contender for podiums in almost every rally next season.”
The fourth and final day of Forum8 Rally Japan has come to an end. Elfyn Evans held on to take home the win.
SS17, Asahi Kougen 1
Thierry Neuville kicked off the final day of Forum8 Rally with a stage win. As Neuville would set a time 2.1 seconds faster than Takamoto Katsuta to win the day’s opening stage. Elfyn Evans and Esapekka Lappi tied for third fastest on the stage, with both drivers finishing 2 seconds slower than Katsuta. Kalle Rovanperä posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.1 seconds slower than Evans and Lappi. Sebastien Ogier rounded out the top five times on the stage, 0.7 seconds slower than Rovanperä.
SS18, Ena City 1
Thierry Neuville also took the win on the second stage of the day. With Nueville posting a time 6.1 seconds faster than Takamoto Katsuta for his second stage win of the day. Elfyn Evans finished with the third fastest time on the stage, 4.5 seconds slower than Katsuta. Ott Tänak set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 4.7 seconds slower than Evans. Sebastien Ogier rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.5 seconds slower than Tänak.
SS19, Nenoune Kougen 1
Takamoto Katsuta snapped Thierry Neuville’s win streak on the nineteenth stage of Forum8 Rally Japan. As Katsuta would set a time 5.3 seconds faster than Neuville to win his first stage of the day. Esapekka Lappi finished third fastest on the stage, 4.4 seconds slower than Neuville. Elfyn Evans posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.6 seconds slower than Lappi. Sebastien Ogier rounded out the top five on the stage, 1.6 seconds slower than Evans.
SS20, Ena City 2
Thierry Neuville was back to his winning ways on SS20. As the Belgian posted a time 3 seconds faster than Esapekka Lappi to win the stage. Ott Tänak finished third fastest on the stage, 8 seconds slower than Lappi. Takamoto Katsuta set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 2.4 seconds slower than Tänak. Sebastien Ogier rounded out the top five on the stage, 0.4 seconds slower than Katsuta.
SS21, Nenoune Kougen 2
Takamoto Katsuta took the stage win on the 21st and penultimate stage of Forum8 Rally Japan. Katsuta won the stage by setting a time 4.6 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville. Ott Tänak finished third fastest, 0.4 seconds slower than Neuville. Esapekka Lappi posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.8 seconds slower than Tänak. Kalle Rovanperä rounded out the top five on the stage, 1.7 seconds slower than Lappi.
SS22, Wolf Power Stage Asahi Kougen 2
Thierry Neuville took home the final stage win of the 2023 WRC season. As Neuville posted a time 2.3 seconds faster than Ott Tänak to win the stage. Esapekka Lappi finished third fastest, 4.4 seconds slower than Tänak. Takamoto Katsuta set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.2 seconds slower than Lappi. Sebastien Ogier rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.2 seconds slower than Katsuta.