Evans puts his Toyota GR Yaris into a 26.0s lead over Neuville after winning the morning’s two stages held in extreme wet conditions, but the Welshman came under pressure from Neuville in the afternoon.
Neuville’s charge came to a halt after a crash on stage six which helped push Evans into 50.9s lead over Toyota team-mate Sebastien Ogier.
Newly crowned two-time world champion Kalle Rovanpera inherited third following Neuville’s demise with the Finn, 2m07.4s adrift.
Leading WRC2 runner Andreas Mikkelsen clung onto an impressive fourth (+2m56.3s) following his star performance across the morning stages. The top six was completed by WRC2 driver Nikolay Gryazin (+3m44.3s) and Esapekka Lappi, who took a cautious approach in the sole remaining Hyundai (+3m46.3s). M-Sport WRC2 driver Gregoire Munster held seventh (+3m46.9s).
M-Sport’s Ott Tanak battled electrical issues to sit eighth (+4m43.7s), ahead of the recovering Toyota of Takamoto Katsuta, who won all three afternoon stages after losing time to damaged radiator caused by crash on stage two.
The intense morning rain relented for the afternoon loop, but the roads remained wet and ready to catch out the drivers.
Katsuta put his crash in the first pass of Isegami’s Tunnel this morning behind him by winning the second run to kick off the afternoon.
Equipped with a repaired GR Yaris the Japanese delivered on the impressive pace he showed before his accident to set the benchmark time, 3.3s faster than Neuville.
Source: Autosport