2023 WRC season concludes at Rally Japan
We will be tackling the tarmac at next week’s Rally Japan, the 13th and final round of the 2023 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) season. The series’ sole Asian event will cover a total competitive distance of 304.66km split across four days of non-stop action.
“The last rally of the year has arrived and it is our final chance to push ourselves and our i20 N Rally1 Hybrid,” said Cyril, our Team Principal. “We know our car can win here and our victory at Central European Rally shows that we have the performance we need to be successful on tarmac as well as gravel.”
Tunnels, twists and tarmac
The event will begin with a sprint-style 2.10km super special stage inside the Toyota Stadium. The brand-new opener will bare resemblance to the first stage of Acropolis Rally – a fan favourite guaranteed to draw masses of Japanese spectators.
The extended itinerary, which is now comprised of 22 stages, winds across Japan’s Aichi and Gifu mountain regions, with the picturesque vistas providing contrast to the unpredictable roads. Narrow tunnels, most notably found on SS2/5 Isegami’s Tunnel, are a unique feature of Rally Japan that will require precision as well as pace from our drivers.
Driver’s thoughts
Getting behind the wheel of our i20 N Rally1 Hybrid challenger at the event will be Thierry/Martijn, EP/Janne and Dani/Cándido.
“We are going to Japan with the tarmac mileage from Central European Rally and a win from last year,” explained Thierry, who heads to Nagoya hoping to defend his 2022 Rally Japan Victory. “Hopefully we can continue our success and have another great experience out there.”
“It’s my first time in Japan, so my goal is to finish well,” commented EP ahead of his Japanese debut. “I want to end the season as high as we can, I want to be on the podium again.”
“Rally Japan is difficult as the stages are often narrow and twisty, but it is a nice event,” said Dani, returning to our rally challenger for the first time since his podium in Greece. “For us, the keys to success are to have good pace notes and a strong setup. As for our goals, I would like to win for sure.”
Rally Japan will take place from November 16-19.
