From May 28 to 31, Rally Japan 2026, round seven of the World Rally Championship (WRC), was held in Aichi and Gifu prefectures. The competition had always been held in November, but this year it was moved to May.
It began with an opening ceremony at Nagoya Castle. Morizo performed a demo run with Nagoya Mayor Ichiro Hirosawa in the passenger seat, giving the rally an exciting start.
This year’s rally further strengthened ties with the local communities. Kojima Industries (Toyota City), which was previously featured by Toyota Times, opened its employee recreation facility, Kojima Stadium, to the public. Employees and local children hoisted handmade banners to support the drivers. Meanwhile, residents around Koshoin Temple in Okazaki City strung up carp streamers, creating a quintessentially Japanese scene for the rally cars to pass through.
Takamoto Katsuta, a competing driver, claimed his first WRC victory at Safari Rally Kenya, the third round of the championship in March, and went on to win the Croatia Rally in April. As the first Japanese driver to win two consecutive WRC rounds, he attracted a great deal of attention at this rally.
On the first day of the competition, he had trouble with a flat tire and a slippery wet course, leaving him in sixth place. The following day, he regained his pace but finished fourth. While he fell short of a podium finish, strong support from roadside spectators continued to the end.
Elfyn Evans won the rally, marking his third Rally Japan victory after 2022 and 2023. Sébastien Ogier finished second, followed by Sami Pajari in third and Takamoto Katsuta in fourth, giving Toyota a clean sweep of the top four positions. Yuki Yamamoto also finished third in WRC2*, securing his first podium in the category.
*A rally class based on production cars, mainly contested by privateers
Rally Japan 2026 was a rousing success thanks to strong support from the local community. Check out this week’s video to see some spectacular driving.
