Dominant drive ensures third WRC win of the season for Welsh star.
Elfyn ended the 2023 FIA World Rally Championship season in the best possible way, with his victory at Rally Japan heading home a spectacular 1-2-3 finish for the Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team. Battling challenging conditions all weekend, Elfyn secured a dominant win for Toyota on its home event and led the podium lockout – the result confirming his runner-up spot in the championship fight.
After a stunning opening stage inside the Toyota Stadium, competitors faced extreme conditions on Friday’s opening day with torrential rain causing havoc across the first loop of stages.
However, Elfyn delivered a sterling drive to master the conditions and moved into a 26 second lead after the first loop, which he extended to 1m 43 seconds by the end of Friday.
While the rain stopped for Saturday, the low grip stages were extremely slippery and the narrow forest roads were covered in both leaves and pine needles, ensuring the tricky conditions continued through the day. A light dusting of snow on Sunday rounded off a tough weekend, but Elfyn was able to push enough to maintain his lead while navigating the difficult stages.
He finished 1m 17 seconds ahead of team-mates Sebastien Ogier and Kalle Rovanpera to take his third overall victory of the season, which included wins on Toyota’s two home events, Rally Finland and Rally Japan.