Sébastien Ogier was the fastest driver in the Rally Japan 2026 shakedown with a time of 1.55.3 seconds. His teammate and championship leader Elfyn Evans was 1.0 second behind in second place, while Sami Pajari finished third. Toyota completed the shakedown in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place.
💥 Ogier is the fastest in the shakedown, Toyota 1-2-3! Neuville is the slowest of all Rally1 drivers. Stages start tomorrow morning — surprises may be in store 🤔 https://t.co/oRozqKgdbz#WRC #RallyJapan #FrenYok pic.twitter.com/zoxiRW8rAY
— Fren Yok (@frenyok46) May 28, 2026
Nine-time world champion Ogier made his intentions clear at the end of the shakedown: “The only thing that matters is repeating last year’s result, and that’s what I’m here for.” The Frenchman, who has a semi-final contract until 2026, reminds everyone that he has a championship title to defend in Japan.
Worrying signals from Neuville.
Hyundai's Adrien Fourmaux finished in 4th place, while home favorite Takamoto Katsuta was 5th with the same time. Thierry Neuville, also representing Hyundai in the championship standings, recorded the slowest time among all Rally1 drivers.
Neuville stated that he tried all the tuning options available but found no performance increase and didn't have high expectations for the weekend. Following the victory in Portugal, it's already clear that Japan will be much more challenging for Hyundai.
What will happen tomorrow?
The real challenge begins Friday morning at 08:03 with the Asuke stage. The legendary Isegami's Tunnel is also on the first day's schedule.