Rally Japan – Day One
Hyundai Motorsport has ended a shortened opening day for Rally Japan, the final round of the 2022 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), in strong contention for victory with Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe just three seconds off the provisional lead.
The Belgians were on the pace from the outset of Friday’s itinerary, claiming the second fastest time through Isegami’s Tunnel (SS2, 23.29km), a stage on which there was significant drama for their team-mates Dani Sordo and Cándido Carrera.
The Spaniards were forced to abandon their Hyundai i20 N Rally1 just 16km into the opening stage of the day after a fire broke out. The crew was able to exit safely and tried to put out the flames with their in-car fire extinguisher but there was little they could do. The car was completely destroyed by the sheer ferocity of the blaze.
Subsequent delays to the rally caused the cancellation of the following Inabu Dam test (SS3, 19.38km). Neuville continued his fine form into the final stage of the morning loop, Shitara Town R (SS4, 22.44km) to head into lunchtime service in the joint rally lead. Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja, in their final WRC event for Hyundai Motorsport, held fourth spot after reporting transmission issues.
The afternoon loop was also curtailed with the repeat of Isegami’s Tunnel shortened due to the earlier incident with Sordo’s car. The second pass of Shitara Town R (SS7, 22.44km) was also cancelled due to a safety barrier damage caused by another competitor earlier in the day. Still, Neuville and Tänak made it through the rest of the day cleanly in second and fourth positions respectively.
Crew Notes: Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (#11 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)
The Spaniards were forced to abandon their Hyundai i20 N Rally1 just 16km into the opening stage of the day after a fire broke out. The crew was able to exit safely and tried to put out the flames with their in-car fire extinguisher but there was little they could do. The car was completely destroyed by the sheer ferocity of the blaze.
Subsequent delays to the rally caused the cancellation of the following Inabu Dam test (SS3, 19.38km). Neuville continued his fine form into the final stage of the morning loop, Shitara Town R (SS4, 22.44km) to head into lunchtime service in the joint rally lead. Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja, in their final WRC event for Hyundai Motorsport, held fourth spot after reporting transmission issues.
The afternoon loop was also curtailed with the repeat of Isegami’s Tunnel shortened due to the earlier incident with Sordo’s car. The second pass of Shitara Town R (SS7, 22.44km) was also cancelled due to a safety barrier damage caused by another competitor earlier in the day. Still, Neuville and Tänak made it through the rest of the day cleanly in second and fourth positions respectively.
Crew Notes: Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (#11 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)
- Belgians jointly led the rally at lunchtime service
- On a shortened afternoon, they continued to maintain pace with the front-runners
Neuville said: “Despite a shorter day than we expected, it was still a tough challenge out there; a lot of hard work for the drivers and the co-drivers. We managed our day quite well, I think. It was a bit up and down because of the characteristics of the road, and some changing conditions. It’s difficult coming to a brand-new rally because we have to start from zero; you have to go through different options and settings. We prepared as well as we could, but we didn’t expect so many grip changes. We need to find the right compromise and we’re fighting with that a bit at the moment. At the end, we’ve done a good job, and we’re near the front and with some good times. We will do our best to continue in this way.”
Crew Notes: Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja (#8 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)
- Transmission issues hampered the Estonians’ morning loop
- The crew completed the day in fourth but within reach of the podium places
Tänak said: “We managed two stages in the morning; the first one was very demanding with many grip changes and overall, it wasn’t easy to drive. On the following one it was almost the opposite, with high grip but tricky with the visibility and we also had some issues with our diffs. The afternoon felt a bit better, gaining in some places and losing out in others; but altogether it was an improvement. It’s been hard to find a confident feeling on tarmac, but we are there or thereabouts. It’s challenging, of course, but if the grip levels are higher then it’s OK. Tomorrow’s stages are more or less the same as today, the first one quite slow and twisty, but the other ones a bit more ‘racey’. We are still in the fight; there is a long way to go, so let’s see what the rally looks like at the end.”
Crew Notes: Dani Sordo/Cándido Carrera (#6 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)
- Spaniards stopped 16.1km into SS2 (Isegami’s Tunnel) after a fire broke out
- The crew, unharmed, tried to put out the blaze but could not prevent the car from burning
Sordo said: “At some point during SS2 we started to have a lot of smoke in the car, and it all happened really fast. I stopped, and we used the small extinguisher to try and put out the fire. Unfortunately, we couldn’t do more; I was trying all that I could, but it was impossible. I’m so sorry to the team to lose the car. I have never seen anything like this before. It is definitely something we all have to look into and learn from.”
Deputy Team Director Julien Moncet said: “Coming to a new rally like this one was always going to be a jump into the unknown and today certainly proved that to be the case, with a lot of dramas. It was a shocking start to the day when Dani’s car caught fire in stage two. Fortunately, both Dani and Cándido are fine, which is the most important, but these were definitely images that no-one wants to see. The issue will be duly investigated but with the car burnt to the ground, it will make it difficult to identify the cause. Obviously, the rally is over for them. Despite a quite disrupted itinerary with stages being cancelled or shortened, Thierry had a reasonably good day avoiding mistakes on these twisty and narrow Japanese roads. Currently, he is second overall, but firmly in the fight for the lead. Ott had a more complicated day with transmission concerns in the morning loop followed by more hybrid issues. Nevertheless, the game is still on for tomorrow.”
Saturday at a glance
- Seven stages are scheduled for Saturday, beginning with an opening loop of three timed tests: Nukata Forest (SS8/SS11, 20.56km), Lake Mikawako (SS9/SS12, 14.74km) and Shinshiro City (SS10, 7.08km)
- After a lunchtime service, the first two stages are repeated before a twice-run super special at Okazaki City (SS13/14, 1.40km) to conclude the day’s modest 80.48km leg.
Classification after Day One
| 1 | E. Evans | S. Martin | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | 57:18.8 |
| 2 | T. Neuville | M. Wydaeghe | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | +3.0 |
| 3 | K. Rovanperä | J. Halttunen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +5.1 |
| 4 | O. Tänak | M. Järveoja | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | +13.9 |
| 5 | T. Katsuta | A. Johnston | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +20.6 |
| 6 | G. Greensmith | J. Andersson | Ford Puma Rally1 | +2:00.4 |
