2023 marks the second consecutive year Rally Japan has run since it was removed from the calendar back in 2011. It is now an all asphalt round based on the main island of Honshu.
It is the last round of the 2023 WRC season and the championship has already been decided at the Central European Rally in October, with Kalle Rovenpera building up an unassailable points lead after the nearest and only other competitor able to catch him crashed out on the final stage of saturday morning.
The Japanese event still promises to be a great event. With the manufactures championship also decided, Rovenpera and Evans will presumably be free to fight for the win, and whilst the runner up spots are still to be decided they will not be the only ones with the same aspirations.
The super special stage is brand new for Rally Japan 2023, being hosted in the Toyota Stadium in the Aichi region. The stadium is usually used for Football and Rugby, however, it is being converted into a motorsport stadium for the first time for the event.
