Top drivers from all over the world!
On 23 October, the entry list for the 13th round of the WRC, Forum 8 Rally Japan 2023, was announced. A total of 36 strong vehicles from all over the world will gather to compete in a fierce battle for time on stages in Aichi and Gifu prefectures.
Firstly, as for the Rally1 car entries, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRT will enter a total of four GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrids, with No. 69 Kalle Rovanperä, No. 33 Elfyn Evans and No. 17 Sébastien Ogier as works entries. Japanese driver, #18 Takamoto Katsuta, who finished third in last year’s event, will also take on his home round in the fourth GR Yaris. Katsuta stated, “I’m looking forward to this event as it’s in my home-town. I’m hoping for higher podium position than last year,” he said, expressing his enthusiasm for Rally Japan.
The HYUNDAI SHELL MOBIS WORLD RALLY TEAM will field three i20 N Rally1 hybrids, led by last year’s competition winner Thierry Neuville in the No. 11, along with Dani Sordo in the No. 6 and Esapekka Lappi in the No. 4.
In addition, the leading Ford team M-SPORT FORD WORLD RALLY TEAM will field two Puma Rally1 hybrids, with Ott Tänak, who finished second in last year’s event, and Adrien Fourmaux in the line-up, making a total of nine cars from three teams for the Japan round.
Meanwhile, a total of 11 Rally2 cars have entered, including the 2021 WRC2 class champion Andreas Mikkelsen in a Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo, former European champion, Kajetan Kajetanowicz and promising young driver Nikolay Gryazin in a Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo. M-SPORT’s young driver Grégoire Munster will be competing in a Fiesta Mk II. This makes for an impressive line-up.
In addition to this, familiar drivers from the All Japan Rally Championship will also be competing in WRC2.
Heikki Kovalainen, who won the JN1 class championship two years in a row, will be competing in a Skoda Fabia and says enthusiastically, “There are many strong WRC2 drivers, but I want to aim for a better result than last year”. Osamu Fukunaga and Satoshi Imai will also be competing in a Skoda Fabia R5 Evo and Citroen C3 respectively.
As for the Rally4 cars, Daiki Arai will be competing in a Peugeot 208 Rally4, saying, “Last year, we had to prepare for the race at the last minute, but this year we can take on the challenge with plenty of time to spare and I’m looking forward to running the Super SS at the stadium for the first time.”
In the National category, Norihiko Katsuta from TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRJ will participate in the GR Yaris and Tomoyuki Shinkai in the GR Yaris GR4 Rally DAT. “I’m getting used to the GR Yaris Rally2 through the All-Japan series. I’m sure there will be a lot of attention on me, but I’ll do my best without being self-conscious,” said Katsuta. Shinkai added: “Last year I took part as a zero car, but this year I’m going to set times, so my motivation will be different again. The distance is long, so it will be a big challenge for the DAT, but I want to complete the race in a decent time,” said Shinkai.
Veteran driver Toshihiro Arai from SUBARU TEAM ARAI will also be entering a SUBARU WRX S4. “The tarmac in Aichi and Gifu is difficult, but last year I retired in SS1, so I want to finish the race without any problems. I’m also looking forward to the Super SS at Toyota Stadium”.
In addition, former speed skating gold medalist Hiroyasu Shimizu, who will make his debut in the All-Japan Rally Championship in 2023, has also entered a Yaris and enthusiastically stated, “I think the WRC events are long rallies, but I want to experience the atmosphere of the World Championship.”
With a line-up that includes not only WRC works members, but also a number of impressive members from Japan, Rally Japan 2023 is sure to be another year of fierce battles in all classes.
