TOKYO — Toyota filled the top four places after the opening leg of the manufacturer’s home Rally Japan on Friday, with world championship leader Elfyn Evans 15.7 seconds clear of teammate Oliver Solberg.
Sebastien Ogier, the reigning champion and last year’s winner on the asphalt roads around Aichi when the rally was held in November, was running third and 17.1 off the lead with Finland’s Sami Pajari fourth and 24.4 adrift of the Frenchman.
Japan is the seventh round of the championship and Welshman Evans leads Japanese teammate Takamoto Katsuta by 12 points overall with Sweden’s Solberg a further 19 behind.
Evans had been fourth fastest after the opening Asuke stage, with overnight rain leaving the roads damp, but took the lead by winning the second Isegami’s Tunnel stage, Reuters reported.
The Welshman also won stages three and five, with Solberg fastest on the opener and stage four before Pajari closed the day out by winning stage six.
“It has been an okay day for us overall. It has been relatively clean and we managed to keep a good rhythm,” said Evans, a two-times winner in Japan.
Solberg lost time on stage three when he had to slow for deer in the road.
“It was a horrible stage,” said the Swede. “I had way too many small mistakes. I’m a bit sad with the animals and everything. Instead of being 16 seconds behind it could have been 10 seconds but that’s life.”
Thierry Neuville was in fifth place for Hyundai with Katsuta sixth after clipping a bank and puncturing the left rear tyre.
“It was one of the worst days I have had,” said the Japanese driver. “It is very bad and it was very frustrating.”
