The TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team continues to fight for the victory at Rally Japan with Elfyn Evans only four seconds from the lead going into the final day of the season.

Encountering more new and demanding asphalt stages in the mountains of the Aichi prefecture, Evans made a strong start to the day with the fastest time in the opening stage, and increased his rally lead to 6.5 seconds over the course of the morning.

In the afternoon, the tables were turned and rival Thierry Neuville took over the lead in SS12, with Evans just four seconds behind after the Okazaki City super special that rounded out the day.

Evans said: “We got off to a good start this morning. Everything was working well in the car and we managed to extend our lead.

“Then this afternoon we were not performing as well as we would like. I was still trying but I was struggling to find the same feeling and deliver the stage times.

“We’ll need to have a look tonight and try to understand why that was.

“It’s unfortunate to be in this position now after the strong morning we had.

“But it’s still pretty tight – like it has been for the whole rally – and there are plenty of kilometres left in which to fight back, and if the rain comes as expected then it could be a complicated day.”