Evans tops first pass of Rally Japan shakedown as championship rivals remain on heels
6th November 2025Toyota’s Elfyn Evans topped the timing boards on the first run of shakedown at Rally Japan, and the Welshman was accompanied by the team’s top drivers amongst the top five.
Feature image credit: Jaanus Ree / Red Bull Conent Pool
The pack arrived in Japan and ran through the first run of shakedown ahead of the official start of the event at Kuragaike Park, a short 2.75km sprint.
The opening run of the first test of the weekend worked out as a dress rehearsal for the first stage of the event, Kuragaike Park SSS, which would allow the teams and drivers to fine-tune their pace notes for when they return in a competitive session.
Evans, thanks to his leading position in the championship, was the first to test the conditions out on the course. It was clear to see the green mossy sections of asphalt twitched grip levels as the early runners fought to find grip.
The Welshman set the benchmark with a two-minute, 13.8-second run, and it was revealed to be a tough time to beat. The points leader was accompanied by his closest championship rivals, and teammates, Kalle Rovanpera and Sebastien Ogier, who completed the first pass in second and third, respectively.
The two Toyota world champions, Rovanpera and Ogier, found themselves between a second and a half up to two seconds behind the leading time.
This left Sami Pajari and Takamoto Katsuta to round out an all-Toyota top five in the first shakedown test. They were then accompanied by the Hyundai trio, who found themselves in sixth, seventh and eighth, with Thierry Neuville, Ott Tanak and Adrien Fourmaux, respectively.
Joshua McErelean topped the timing boards for M-Sport Ford, finishing as high as ninth in the first sprint through shakedown. McErlean’s teammate, Gregoire Munster, finished last of the Rally1 runners, down in 10th, with a deficit of 7.5 seconds.
SS1 will get underway later on today, following the conclusion of shakedown, and will be expected to start at 4:30pm (Local), to ignite the final two rallies of the 2025 WRC calendar.
Read more WRC here:
- Itinerary: what is the official schedule for WRC Rally Japan?
- Rally Japan: the latest weather forecast ahead of penultimate round
- Rally Saudi Arabia: confirmed entry list ahead of WRC season finale
- Kalle Rovanpera completes maiden F2 test ahead of WRC departure
- Rally Japan: Who is confirmed on the entry list?
- Kalle Rovanpera seals victory in Central European Rally as Toyota claim title
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Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.
I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
Kamron Kent
Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
