Evans remaining in the Rally Japan lead on Saturday morning

It seems to become a good rally for the Japanese manufacturer Toyota as their British driver Elfyn Evans is still holding on to the Rally Japan lead after the Saturday morning three special stages but Hyundai´s Thierry Neuville is not that far behind with only 6.5 seconds to spear for the last win of the 2022 season.

The pair started the penultimate day of the season only three seconds apart, Evans managed to gain some advantage on the opening Nukata Forest 1 stage where he won but on the following Lake Mikawako 1 stage, Neuville came a bit closer to later lose some time on the final morning stage of Shinshiro City.

In third place currently is Ott Tänak who sits 26.9 seconds back as Kalle Rovanperä dropped down the order after he hit a rockface and had to change a puncture on the first stage this morning. The Finn also received a time penalty for being late at the check-in for the final morning stage and he is now in 12th overall.

Home hero Takamoto Katsuta is starting to close in on a podium at his home rally, the Japanese driver who had struggled with understeering issues yesterday is currently in fourth with 18.7 seconds down on Tänak but he has a large gap to a fifth place where M-Sport´s Gus Greensmith is currently with over two minutes.

Thursday night leader Sébastien Ogier has moved back up the order and he is currently 5.7 seconds down on Greensmith, the Frenchman is looking to pass Greensmith come to the afternoon stages. The rest of the field only consists of WRC2 runners where the title contender Emil Lindholm has moved back up to the class lead, he is ahead of his two fellow Finns Teemu Suninen and Sami Pajari while Grégoire Munster is rounding up in tenth.

Results after SS10 (top 10)