Highlights from season-ending Rally Japan as Evans victorious but Rovanpera takes overall WRC title
Elfyn Evans secured victory in the season ending Rally Japan but it was teammate Kalle Rovanpera who took the overall World Rally Championship drivers title
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SportTranscript
00:00 After launching under the lights of the Toyota City Stadium, the final round of the 2023
00:05 FIA World Rally Championship really got going in treacherous conditions in the forests of
00:11 Aichi.
00:12 Home favourite Takamori Katsuta set a storming pace through the cloud-smothered early sectors
00:17 before coming unstuck 12 kilometres into stage two.
00:21 No, it's...
00:22 We have no info that corner.
00:24 There'll be no chance.
00:26 No chance.
00:27 The resulting impact causing damage to his radiator, which he kept going by topping up
00:31 with water from a nearby stream.
00:34 But worse was to come at Katsuta's crash corner for both Danny Sorda and Andrew Formeaux, making
00:40 his first top-level start in more than a year.
00:43 Both crews thankfully unharmed, but the stage was red-flagged and the next one cancelled.
00:48 Yeah, I think this is the most difficult conditions I have seen.
00:52 Both Wojtanek and Ezepeka Lapi lost huge time as they struggled to see the road ahead, while
00:57 new WRC2 champion Andres Mikkelsen ended Friday in fourth.
01:01 Facts are some incredible driving.
01:03 And a working windscreen heater on his Skoda Fabia.
01:07 And Thierry Nerville's chances of repeating his 2022 Japan win and finishing second in
01:12 the championship ended just 100 metres into stage six.
01:17 Oh, incredible.
01:18 They were passengers from the air.
01:23 Elvin Evans dealt with the conditions best and led by more than a minute heading into
01:27 day three, where the skies would again play a big part.
01:31 Katsuta and co-driver Aaron Johnson were making an epic recovery after losing more than five
01:36 minutes to their day two damage, proving they would have had the pace to win with multiple
01:41 top stage times.
01:43 After setting the pace on stage 14, the weather turbocharged their recovery further as cars
01:48 behind were caught out by more extreme weather.
01:51 Oh, it's snowing.
01:52 I was going to say, I think it's snowing.
01:54 It's snowing.
01:55 Yeah, Christmas.
01:56 So happy Christmas.
01:57 Look at that!
01:58 It's almost hailstones.
01:59 Yeah, I was going to say, it's certainly liven things up.
02:00 This rally just keeps on giving.
02:01 I don't know what to say.
02:02 I just want to get to the finish.
02:10 We've had blue sunshine, we've had torrential rain and now we've had snow and hail.
02:16 It's been quite something here for this final rally of the season.
02:21 The final blast of 2023, Sauterre-Nerville taking the maximum five points.
02:27 But it was Elvin Evans who came home to take a brilliant third win of the season and finally
02:32 deliver Toyota's dream of victory on home soil.
02:35 It's been quite some weekend.
02:38 There's the flying finish.
02:39 It is secured.
02:40 It is an eight victory for Elvin Evans and it is a one, two, three finish for Toyota
02:48 on their home event.
02:49 Obviously, it feels pretty nice after last year.
02:50 It was a big disappointment on the final day.
02:55 Not easy this year, obviously, with the conditions we had, even if we had a massive gap already
03:00 on Friday night.
03:01 So it's been a long weekend, but a massive well done to the team.
03:04 Obviously, the car's been great.
03:05 A one, two, three, four Toyota home is a mega result.
03:09 So really proud and happy for everyone.
03:12 So Evans wins from Seb Ogier and the new world champion, Kallarov and Perra.
03:17 Ahead of Lappi, Katsuta and Oytanek, sixth on his farewell appearance for M-Sports, with
03:23 the WRC2 champion, Andreas Mikkelsen, ending the season on a high in seventh.
03:28 [SWOOSH]
03:30 [BLANK_AUDIO]