Evans to the Fore Once More
Elfyn Evans leads the 2026 World Rally Championship by 20 points from Toyota teammate Takamoto Katsuta at the halfway point. The little Welsh Wizard and co-driver Scott Martin dominated the three-day Rally Japan at the end of May, after his biggest challenger Oliver Solberg crashed his Yaris out of contention on day two. This was Elfyn’s third Rally Japan victory.
Dare I say it; but could this be the year that Evans, 5-times runner up in the WRC, finally wins the big prize come November! Solberg looks to be his nearest challenger, but the young Swede who won round one in Monte Carlo, has since developed a nasty habit of having high-speed accidents while in contention for overall success!
Sebastien Ogier was second in Japan, Sami Pajari third and Takamoto Katsuta fourth; all of them were in Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 machines. Once again Hyundai were humbled, with their three i20 drivers finishing fifth, sixth and seventh. M-Sport’s Jon Armstrong was eighth on his first visit to Japan and his Puma teammate Josh McErlean tenth after losing time with a wheel-change on day two. Nikolay Gryazin was ninth overall in Japan and he won Rally2 in his Lancia Ypsilon after a rally long battle with Alejandro Cachon’s Toyota GR Yaris.
Only 32 competitors overall started WRC Rally Japan, 10 of which were Rally1 cars and just 12 in the supporting Rally2 category. Japan was the final tarmac event on the 2026 calendar, and the last sealed-surface rally for the present Rally1 cars. The remaining seven WRC events are all gravel based.
RALLY DIARY
Sat. 4th June
Tyrone Stages Rally @ Benone
Organisers Cookstown MC have attracted Bear Competitions as their title sponsors for this event. Based in Limavady the short, tricky 14 tarmac stages are all on private roads in the Magilligan Point/Benone Beach area of Co.Derry. A surprising entry is that of four-times British Touring Car Champion Colin Turkington. In what I think is his first-ever stage rally, the Portadown man will be co-driven by the legendary Rory Kennedy in a historic spec BMW M3. Altogether 66 cars are entered and the rally is a round of the 2026 Sligo Pallets Border Championship. BMMC are covering rescue and stage marshalling as well as radio cover. Sign-on is via the rallyscore.net website or on the day of the event.
Fri. 19th—Sun. 21st June
Donegal International Rally
As usual a cracking maximum 160-car entry (41 Rally2 machines) for this the “Jewel in the Crown” of the 2026 Irish Tarmac Rally Championship. Day one features six new stages in the Gweedore-Falcarragh area while Saturday sees eight more tests including the classic Knockalla and Gartan. On Sunday, the final six stages feature the legendary Atlantic Drive and Fanad Head.
Winner for the past three years, Calum Devine heads the entry list in his Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 while Kris Meeke runs second with Liam Regan on the notes in their Toyota GR Yaris Rally2. Josh McErlean is the third seed in a Ford Fiesta Rally2 as he takes time off from his M-Sport WRC campaign. William Creighton at number four is scheduled to give the brand new Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 its Irish debut in Donegal. Question is, why is Donegal not an ERC event?
Sat. 4th July
Loughgall Stages Rally
After a three-month break, the 2026 Brown & Brown MSUK Northern Ireland Rally Championship resumes with Round 3, the six-stage-closed-road Loughgall Stages Rally run by North Armagh MC. We are covering timekeeping, radio and stage marshalling as usual. Jonny Greer leads the Championship after the Circuit of Ireland but Sam Moffett is close behind. Sign-on via. rallyscore.net.
