Toyota City mayor Toshihiko Ota and WRC Promoter Managing Director Jona Siebel today (Sunday, 27 October) confirmed the extension of the agreement that will keep Rally Japan on the WRC Calendar and Toyota City as the hub of the event for three additional years.
The FIA World Rally Championship has been based in Toyota City since returning to Japan in 2022 with stages taking place in the mountainous Aichi and Gifu prefectures surrounding Toyota City.
Fuelled by the popularity of Aichi-born WRC star Takamoto Katsuta, over 160,000 spectators attended the event and it’s official fan zones in 2023. An estimated 370,000 fans lined the road sections to catch the World Rally Championship heroes.
The rally has grown in stature across its previous two editions as evidenced by strong demand for tickets for this November’s event. The rally has a major global appeal and rates among the most-watched rallies on the calendar, bringing substantial exposure to Toyota City.
Once again in addition to the mountain stages in 2024, the WRC will come close to the fans with three spectacular super special stages planned for inside the 45,000-seat City of Toyota Stadium. The stadium is once again in the heart of the service park, whilst spectators can get close to the action during the super special at Okazaki Central Park. Further stages are held in the neighbouring cities of Ena, Nakatsugawa, Shinshiro and Shitara.
Every stage of this year’s FORUM8 Rally Japan can be seen live on JSports, with further stages and highlights set for broadcast on NHK, TV Asahi and Abema TV.
“I am thrilled that the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) has decided to continue to hold a Japan round for the 2026-2028 seasons,” experessed Mayor Ota.
“Rally Japan has been highly acclaimed both in Japan and overseas for its backdrop of iconic Japanese scenery that includes beautiful mountains, lakes and Shinto shrine gates.
“We hope to use this acclaim to foster a strong rally culture and expand the fan base at home and abroad. We look forward to delivering excitement and thrills to fans through intense competition between the world’s top drivers.”
“Toyota City has been incredibly welcoming to the WRC since we returned to Japan. The centralised service park results in an amazing fan experience in the heart of the city,” enthused WRC Managing Director Jona Siebel upon announcement of the agreement.
He continued: “We have an excellent partner in Toyota City that shares our values in sustainability and clearly sees the benefit that we bring to the city by extending our agreement there.”
“For sure it is big news for me, Japan and the Toyota team,” expressed local hero Katsuta. “It is very important to do the home rally for me, but of course for Toyota and all the Japanese fans.
“It is a very special thing – the important thing is how long you continue these events – if you stop once the popularity goes down again.
“I believe it was a massive job from the organisers to make the extension so huge respect and a big thanks to them for doing it. The next three years will be even more important for my career and life and for Japanese rally and motorsports. I try to do my best for sure and to get more fans.”
The announcement came on the occasion of the Hyundai N x TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Festival at Everland Speedway, Yong-in, South Korea where WRC Promoter’s Senior Sporting Director Peter Thul was present to congratulate Mayor Ota and Takamoto Katsuta