Written by Katie Gregory, Edited by Vyas Ponnuri
For the 13th and final round of the WRC 2024 Championship, the series will head to the city of Toyota for Rally Japan. The season may be coming to a close, but the excitement is far from over yet — as we’re in for a turbulent and unpredictable finale.
Rally Japan is one of the most demanding events on the calendar, with tricky asphalt roads across the Aichi and Gifu mountain ranges. The drivers will require utmost precision to secure a good result. The high speeds at play will test the very limit of the WRC vehicles and their capabilities.
The crews will need immense endurance to tackle 302 km of competitive action, spread across 21 special stages.
Significant attention must be paid to the weather, which is known to be utterly unpredictable around this area. There is the possibility of rain or even snow, which we saw last year. With these ever-changing conditions, our contenders will need to adapt their driving style anywhere and at any time.
The asphalt can be difficult to tackle and very slippery, especially in the early morning hours across the rugged, mountainous sections. The terrain would be low in grip, and drivers will have to weigh up the risk versus reward, prioritising either precision or speed.
Our Driver’s Championship points leader, Thierry Neuville - will have to be careful in his approach this weekend. With a 25-point buffer over his teammate, the Belgian will be feeling quietly confident about his chances.
However, Neuville has been the series runner-up five times, and will not want to tempt fate. To finally get his glory, he must keep calm and minimise his mistakes.
Also out for glory will be Ott Tänak, who sits second in the Driver’s Championship. Tänak’s form has arguably never been better, with podiums in each of his last three starts, and a victory at last month’s Central European Rally.
In the polar opposite position to his teammate, Tänak has nothing at all to lose in this title fight — and will do whatever he can to win.
The battle for the Manufacturer’s Championship is also ramping up, and is much closer. Toyota may have the home advantage here — but Hyundai will have high hopes of their own.
Hyundai currently lead the championship, having already accumulated the most-ever points in a single season and equalled the most wins.
Securing the Manufacturer's Championship would be an incredible way to enhance their already record-breaking WRC season. Hyundai’s lineup will consist of Neuville, Tänak and Andreas Mikkelsen.
Toyota head into their home event a mere 15 points behind Hyundai, and will fancy their chances of catching up. They have fought bravely in a closely-contested season, winning seven of the 12 rallies we’ve had so far.
The Japanese manufacturer will hope to claim a fourth consecutive manufacturers’ championship title, and a maximum score will be their target across the event. Toyota’s fight will be led by Elfyn Evans, Sébastien Ogier and local hero Takamoto Katsuta.
Toyota Stadium near Nagoya will host the service park, as well as three super special stages during the weekend, including Thursday evening’s opening test.
Friday will be the longest day of the rally, featuring 126 km of competitive action that starts with the longest stage of the rally, Isegami’s Tunnel. It includes a loop of three stages to be run twice, and two passes of Okazaki to finish the day.
Saturday will see a trio of stages to the north-east run twice before the super special stage at The Toyota Stadium. Sunday’s action will take place towards the south-east, with Nukata and Lake Mikawako both driven twice.
Then there will be a third visit to Toyota Stadium between final service and the rally-ending Power Stage at Lake Mikawako.
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