Sébastien Ogier rated his 67th WRC win in Japan "one of the good ones" after a fierce fight with Evans
Photography by Toyota
Words by Luke Barry
Sébastien Ogier’s not exactly unaccustomed to standing on the top step of a World Rally Championship podium. He’d done it 66 times before repeating the feat at last weekend’s Rally Japan.
So when he talks about a win as one of his most special, you know it means something.
The impact of Ogier’s victory in Japan – a sixth from 10 starts this season – is clear, with his deficit to championship-leading team-mate Elfyn Evans shrinking from 13 to three points.
Achieving that, thanks to a maximum 35-point haul for the second time this season, is an obvious source of satisfaction, but not why Ogier is so pleased with his performance.
That lies in the strength of his opposition: Evans – who was second to Ogier in the rally, Super Sunday and the powerstage.
Ogier really had to work for his win in Japan
Ogier told DirtFish: “[This victory] is one of the good ones. I think the whole week has been good because, you know, great victory only happens when you have great opponents and I think Elfyn has been, honestly, driving superbly as well the whole weekend, putting pressure on me all the time and the gap never went really far.
“We were always within a couple of seconds and now end up a little more now [at the end], we just passed the double digit. But it’s been very intense and especially when you have a last day like this, where conditions change completely and you need to change the complete setup of the car.
“Basically, we challenged ourselves in two different kind of rallies and every time we were so close. It’s been a tough week, but it’s this kind of moment you love the sport the most and you enjoy the success the most.”
The powerstage was the best example of how intense that fight was with Evans; Ogier topped the points-paying stage by a mere 0.096 seconds.
Evans admitted: “Of course there’s things you could have done better. Clearly there was a guy that was faster, but it’s very difficult in these conditions. We gave it a good shot and in the end it wasn’t enough.”
It’s more than likely one of these two is going to win the championship in two weeks at Rally Saudi Arabia, and Evans has just as much respect for Ogier as Ogier does for him.
“He’s one of the best that’s ever done it,” Evans said of his team-mate and rival. “He hasn’t earned all the titles and rally wins by fluke.
“So, you know, I don’t make any secret that he’s a very tough opponent. But of course, I’m going to keep trying anyway.”
Words:Luke Barry
Tags: Elfyn Evans, Rally Japan, Rally Japan 2025, Sébastien Ogier, WRC, WRC 2025
Publish Date November 13, 2025 DirtFish 
https://dirtfish-editorial.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com/2025/11/epWQleKP-Ogier13JAP25mj0305-780x520.jpg November 13, 2025
Up Next
