- Multiple Authors
- Dec 2, 2024
- 11 min read
FIA World Rally Championship - Title showdown at Rally Japan, Toyota beat Hyundai on home ground
Thierry Neuville wins his first FIA World Rally Championship, while Toyota Gazoo Racing beat Hyundai to take the manufacturers crown on home soil in dramatic fashion, as Elfyn Evans wins Rally Japan.
Contributions by Charlie Thornton and Ivan Watson
FINAL SHOWDOWN AT RALLY JAPAN
The 2024 FIA World Rally Championship reached its thrilling finale at the FORUM8 Rally Japan, where the two Hyundai drivers, Theirry Neuville and Ott Tänak, were set to fight it out for the drivers’ title. Separated by just twenty-five points, Neuville only requires six points in order to secure his long-awaited first championship WRC title, ending his streak of five times runner-up, and three times third place. For Tänak, victory in Japan would mean a second championship crown, adding to his 2019 crown after winning six rallies out of thirteen.
Neuville entered Rally Japan with a strong championship lead, but faced a setback on Saturday at the Central European Rally after an off-road incident. This allowed Tänak to close the gap slightly, while also keeping the championship fight alive. Elfyn Evans sits third in the championship with one hundred eighty-five points, unable to pass Neuville in the standings, leaving all eyes on the Belgian and Estonian as they battle for ultimate glory on Japan’s twisty and slippery tarmac roads. A strong performance ending in a win for Neuville at the 2022 Rally Japan was overshadowed by a crash at the 2023 edition of the rally, which let Evans take the victory.
In the WRC2 category, Finland’s Sami Pajari is on the edge of championship glory, with him only requiring a win or second place finish at Rally Japan to secure the title over the absent Oliver Solberg. Pajari still faces tough competition, including former F1 driver Heikki Kovalainen competing in a Toyota Yaris WRC2, Norihiko Katsuta, the father of WRC driver Takamoto Katsuta also piloting a Toyota Yaris WRC2. Adding to the excitement, Dider Auriol, the 1994 WRC champion made a special appearance in a national-spec Toyota Yaris.
THURSDAY'S ACTION
The opening stage of the 2024 Rally Japan provided a thrilling start under the floodlights of Toyota Stadium, with a short but technical 2.15km circuit which certainly challenged drivers and immediately delivered action that we did not expect.
SS1 - Toyota Stadium 1: Highlights from the first stage at Toyota Stadium saw the M-Sport Ford Puma of Adrien Fourmaux take an impressive victory in the stage, setting the fastest time of 1:44.4, half a second quicker than championship hopeful Ott Tänak, who beat Elfyn Evans in the head-to-head, and had to settle for fourth. Japanese driver Takamoto Katsuta, on home soil, thrilled the crowd with a strong third place, eight tenths off Fourmaux. The championship leader Theirry Neuville struggled slightly, posting the same time as Sébastien Ogier, both 2.2 seconds off the leader. Neuville was beaten by Katsuta in the head-to-head, potentially scaring the Belgian’s nerves early into the rally. Norwegian Andreas Mikkelsen experienced mechanical troubles, which saw Grégoire Munster capitalise and secure a solid result for the first stage in seventh.
Meanwhile in WRC2, championship contender Sami Pajari opened cautiously, posting a time of 1:50.9, two and a half seconds behind Nikolay Gryazin, the WRC2 stage winner. Gus Greensmith tied with Pajari, requiring the Finn to find more pace in the next three days of action in order to clinch the championship. Former F1 driver Heikki Kovalainen finished fourth in WRC2, narrowly behind Greensmith and just ahead of Kajetan Kajetanowicz.
FRIDAY’S ACTION
Friday saw intense competition, dramatic moments, and shifts in both the WRC and WRC2 standings, with Thierry Neuville’s championship hopes hanging by a thread due to mechanical woes, while Ott Tänak seized the opportunity to dominate the day and position himself for a potential upset for Neuville.
SS2 - Isegami’s Tunnel 1: The highly popular Isegami’s Tunnel featured on Friday, with an exciting round which included multiple tyre issues for the Toyota’s of Ogier and Katsuta, dropping them down the order. Thierry Neuville won the stage, beating Tänak by 1.2 seconds, with Evans in third.
SS3 - Inabu/Shitara 1: In the third stage of the rally, Ogier took a win, showcasing his wealth of experience despite being a part-time entry in 2024. Evans managed to grab second, with the Hyundai’s of Tänak and Neuville in third and fourth respectively. WRC2 saw Nikolay Gryazin take control as Sami Pajari and Gus Greensmith faced significant issues, with Pajari’s front-left puncture costing him forty-two seconds, while Greensmith crashed into the banks.
SS4 - Shinshiro 1: The fourth stage saw Evans make important gains, claiming the win, with Ogier and Tänak following behind. Unfortunately, this stage would see Theirry Neuville face power issues just five kilometres to the end. He would eventually finish tenth, behind the WRC2’s of Gryazin and Pajari. Munster also faced some issues, after a spin during the stage.
SS5 - Isegami’s Tunnel 2: Drama unfolded in the reverse direction of Isegami’s Tunnel, seeing Andreas Mikkelsen going off the road and hitting a tree, which resulted in the stage being red flagged. Tänak took the stage win, extending his rally lead, while Ogier and Evans occupied the second and third positions. Neuville’s power issues continued, finishing thirty-eighth in the stage, two and a half minutes behind his teammate. Both Gryazin and Pajari were given nominal times due to the red flag, leading the WRC2 field.
SS6 - Inabu/Shitara 2: Tänak’s early dominance continued with another back-to-back stage win, with the Toyota’s still showing strong with Ogier and Evans in second and third, meanwhile Katsuta maintained a strong form in fourth. Once again, Gryazin’s comfortable lead in WRC2 extended over Pajari, who remained second.
SS7 - Shinshiro 2: A quiet stage saw Elfyn Evans take another stage win, barely half-a-second over Ott Tänak, with Ogier in third. Katsuta struggled in this stage, losing precious time to Fourmaux who finished fourth in the seventh stage, with his teammate Munster in fifth. This result saw Fourmaux move into third place overall, just eight tenths faster than Katsuta. Gryazin continued to increase his advantage to over a minute, but Pajari stayed second, crucial for his championship bid.
SS8 & SS9 - Okazaki Super Specials: Katsuta took an incredible win in SS8, while Tänak and Ogier finished with identical stage times just six tenths of the home hero. Fourmaux continued to show strong, just a tenth behind the Toyota of Ogier, while Evans made a small mistake which put him in fifth. SS9 saw Fourmaux, Katsuta and Evans set identical times of 2:01.9, with Fourmaux taking the stage win due to being the first car on road, while Tänak finished a tenth behind. In WRC2, Gryazin won both stages, while Greensmith finished second in SS8, and Pajari finished second in SS9.
At the end of Friday’s stages, Tänak led the WRC1 field by twenty seconds over Evans. Fourmaux sat third just one tenth ahead of Katsuta, with Ogier who suffered a puncture early on two tenths ahead of Munster. Neuville sat in fifteenth, nearly eight minutes behind Tänak, but the championship was still up for grabs if he was able to resolve the power related issue overnight. In WRC2, Gryazin had a minute and thirteen second lead over Pajari, but was leading over Joshua McErlean by just fifty-eight seconds.
SATURDAY’S ACTION
Day three of World Rally Championship action at Rally Japan delivered a mix of strategic drives, close battles, and continued twists in the fight for both the championship and rally victory. Ott Tänak maintained his grip on the rally lead, while Thierry Neuville staged a determined and enthusiastic comeback to salvage crucial points in his bid to secure the drivers’ title.
SS10 - Mt. Kasagi 1: Elfyn Evans demonstrated his pace with a stage win, dropping Tänak’s overall lead to just under eighteen seconds. Tänak was tied with Munster for second, just three seconds behind Evans, while Neuville managed to claw back positions with a fifth position. Hiroki Arai claimed the stage win in WRC2, a mere second ahead of class leader Gryazin.
SS11 - Nenoue Kougen 1: Neuville returned to winning ways, taking the stage victory by 1.2 seconds over Ogier, while Katsuta impressed Toyota in P3, a tenth behind his teammate. Tänak drove cautiously, and only managed to finish fifth, five seconds behind Neuville, Tänak retained his overall lead. Arai’s home knowledge proved once again, finishing just two seconds behind Gryazin.
SS12 - Ena 1: Evans struck back with another stage win, piling the pressure on Tänak, who tied with Ogier for P2, one second slower than the Welshman. Neuville finished fourth, managing to get up to ninth in the overall positions. Pajari claimed his first stage win of the rally, finishing with an identical time to Gryazin.
SS13 - Mt. Kasagi 2: Tänak managed to reassert control over the field, winning the stage by eight tenths over Ogier, with Katsuta finishing third once again. Neuville cut his gap to the field to finish fourth, and only eight tenths behind the WRC2 competition of Pajari in eighth. Hiroki Arai claimed another stage victory ahead of Gryazin and Pajari, extending his gap to Heikki Kovalainen in eleventh.
SS14 - Nenoue Kougen 2: Ogier and Neuville tied for the stage win, as the Frenchman continued to solidify his grip on P3 in the championship, with Katsuta in third and Tänak fourth. Pajari managed to achieve another stage win, this time winning by nine tenths of a second, with Greensmith following closely in third. Neuville’s stellar performance in this stage allowed him to overtake Pajari in the overall standings into eighth.
SS15 - Ena 2: Ogier claimed another stage win, edging the gap to Neuville to just a tenth, with Ogier’s compatriot of Fourmaux taking third, while Tänak fourth. Neuville’s strong performance after the repairs saw him get into seventh overall, overtaking Pajari, who also claimed the stage win in WRC2, ahead of Arai and Yuki Yamamoto. Gryazin finished fourth in class, but still led over Pajari.
SS16 - Toyota Stadium Special 2: Tänak capped off a somewhat calm day for him with a stage win, just over a second clear of Fourmaux, while Munster finished third ahead of Katsuta by just a tenth. Polish WRC2 driver Kajetan Kajetanowicz scored his first stage win of the rally, while Pajari finished fifth in class, only 2.8 seconds behind the leader.
After Saturday, Ott Tänak still led the rally, increasing his by seventeen seconds throughout the day, thirty-eight seconds ahead of Evans. Neuville continued to fight back, and his recovery was remarkable, moving up to seventh overall, although a large deficit of four-and-a-half minutes to Munster would make or break the championship. Pajari looked set to win the WRC2 championship, sitting quietly in second, the least he could do to be crowned champion.
SUNDAY’S ACTION
The final day of Rally Japan 2024 saw intense action, heartbreak, and triumph as Elfyn Evans clinched his first rally win of the season, a whole year after his last. Thierry Neuville was crowned the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship Drivers’ Champion as drama unfolded early on with rally leader Ott Tänak crashing out, solidifying Neuville’s title as the Belgian remained unbeatable in the standings.
SS17 - Nukata 1: Stage seventeen saw Andreas Mikkelsen take the stage win, while not in any contention to take the rally victory, with Evans finishing second and Neuville third. Tänak’s rally ended abruptly after understeering into a ditch and rolling his Hyundai i20 N Rally1, with WRC2 runner Heikki Kovalainen flying off the road, and landing on top of Tänak’s. Both crews were unharmed, but retired. Due to the retirement of Tänak, Neuville was officially crowned champion, as no other driver could mathematically surpass his points tally.
SS18 - Lake Mikawako 1: Neuville continued his resurgence, winning the stage by 3.4 seconds over Mikkelsen. Fourmaux and Evans followed closely, but Ogier and Katsuta maintained their positions in the overall standings. Gryazin took yet another class victory, with Jan Solans in second, and Pajari third.
SS19 - Nukata 2: Neuville and Ogier shared the stage win with identical times of 11:51.9, with Mikkelsen in third and Evans consolidating his rally lead in fourth. Sami Pajari finished fourth in the WRC2 class, but had a comfortable lead over third overall after Nukata 2, while Solans took his first stage win in Rally Japan.
SS20 - Toyota Stadium Special 3: Katsuta delighted the home fans once again by taking the stage victory narrowly ahead of Fourmaux by just three tenths. Mikkelsen completed the top three, while Evans and Ogier secured their overall positions by playing safe in fourth and fifth. Gryazin won, with Kajetanowicz and Greensmith following behind.
SS21 - Lake Mikawako 2: Ogier won the Wolf Power Stage ahead of Neuville, while Evans secured valuable bonus points with third, ensuring a strong finish to his season, as well as winning Rally Japan by a minute-and-a-half. In the end, Pajari managed to win the WRC2 championship, outscoring Oliver Solberg by just three points.
Elfyn Evans’ victory demonstrated consistency and speed, especially after Ott Tänak’s crash, securing a dominating win over Ogier and Fourmaux. Despite his early struggles on Friday, Thierry Neuville’s comeback on Saturday and Sunday ensured he remained competitive, capping his season with the 2024 FIA WRC Drivers’ Championship. Sébastien Ogier returned to the podium, after his last podium at Rally Finland, where he won the event over Neuville by forty seconds. His performance during the power stage solidified a strong end to his season. Tänak’s rally ended in heartbreak, but his overall season was still a testament to his pure skill and pace, narrowly missing out on the championship. Toyota claimed their fourth manufacturer's title in dramatic fashion by just three points over Hyundai, who had extremely high hopes ahead of the final rally of the season.
After Tänak went off the road, Toyota had a glimmer of hope of retaining the title but needed an almighty push from their drivers in the Wolf power stage. Neuville was on course to win the Wolf power stage before Ogier produced the drive of the weekend to beat Neuville by 1.9 seconds to give Toyota their eighth manufactures, fifth under the branding of Toyota Gazoo Racing, which puts them tied second in the all time list alongside Citroen.
Sami Pajari’s consistent and determined efforts were rewarded with the WRC2 championship, edging out Oliver Solberg after a tense battle over the final stages. Pajari won three rally’s at Sardegna, Poland and Acropolis, and scored podiums in three at Sweden, Latvia and Japan - a solid season for the Finn. Rally Japan winner Nikolay Gryazin finished third in the championship after taking three rally victories in 2024, with Yohan Rossel in fourth after two victories.
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2025
With the 2025 season kicking off at the end of January for the Rallye Monte Carlo, Toyota announced their driver lineups for the season a day after Rally Japan. Four full-time drivers will drive for the Japanese brand in 2025, with Elfyn Evans, Kalle Rovanperä, Takamoto Katsuta and WRC2 champion Sami Pajari. Sébastien Ogier will drive as a part-time entrant, similar to 2024 fashion. Hyundai will retain Theirry Neuville and Ott Tänak for 2025, with additional seats still to be filled. M-Sport’s Ford’s are still empty, with rumour of Adrien Fourmaux moving to Hyundai, after reportedly being offered, and rejecting a part-time seat at Toyota.
2025 will see a change to the regulations, with Hankook becoming the official tyre supplier, replacing Pirelli who supplied tyres for the championship between 2021 and 2024. Rally1 cars will also no longer use the hybrid system which was introduced to the championship in 2022, with the minimum weight of the cars, as well as the width of the air intake reduced to compensate for the change, so that the cars maintain the same power-to-weight ratio. The decision to remove the hybrid systems comes as teams expressed concerns about the increasing costs of repairing them.
Rally Islas Canarias will become a World Rally Championship event under a two-year deal, after being promoted from the European Rally Championship, and is planned to be run on tarmac roads. Rally Estonia will return to the championship after missing the 2024 season, and will replace Rally Latvia. Rally Paraguay will become a WRC event after signing a multi-year deal, which will mark Paraguay the thirty-eighth nation to host a World Rally Championship round. The Croatia Rally, as well as Rally Poland will be removed for the 2025 season, with Croatia set to return in 2026, and Rally Poland making a one-year return to the championship in 2024. Rally Saudi Arabia will join the championship in 2025, under a ten-year contract with the championship promoter, with the rally planned to be based in Jeddah, and will run as the 2025 season finale.
Round 1: Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo, 23rd - 26th January 2025
Round 2: Rally Sweden, 13th - 16th February 2025
Round 3: Safari Rally Kenya, 20th - 23rd March 2025
Round 4: Rally Islas Canarias, 24th - 27th April 2025
Round 5: Rally de Portugal, 15th - 18th May 2025
Round 6: Rally Italia Sardegna, 5th - 8th June 2025
Round 7: Acropolis Rally Greece, 26th - 29th June 2025
Round 8: Rally Estonia, 17th - 20th July 2025
Round 9: Rally Finland, 31st July - 3rd August 2025
Round 10: Rally del Paraguay, 28th - 31st August 2025
Round 11: Rally Chile, 11th - 14th September 2025
Round 12: Central European Rally, 16th - 19th October 2025
Round 13: Rally Japan, 6th - 9th November 2025
Round 14: Rally Saudi Arabia, 27th - 30th November 2025
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