Ott Tanak has strengthened his Rally Japan lead while Thierry Neuville moves closer to claiming his first WRC championship title.

Neuville, who has finished runner-up five times previously, climbed from 15th to seventh position during Saturday's stages. Despite facing turbocharger issues on Friday, he now needs just two more points on Sunday to secure the championship, which would make him the first Belgian WRC champion.

Tanak maintains his lead with a 38.0-second advantage over Toyota's Elfyn Evans, helping Hyundai's bid for the manufacturers' championship. The team currently leads Toyota by 11 points heading into the final day.

Sebastien Ogier showed impressive recovery, claiming two stage wins and moving up to third overall, while Adrien Fourmaux holds fourth place, narrowly leading Takamoto Katsuta by 6.1 seconds.

In WRC2, Nikolay Gryazin leads by 1m25.3s, though second-placed Sami Pajari is positioned to secure the WRC2 title if he maintains his position.

Current Standings after Leg Two, SS16:

1. Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveoja (Hyundai) 39m48.0s
2. Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota) +38.0s
3. Sebastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota) +2m10.9s
4. Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Ford) +2m19.1s
5. Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota) +2m52.2s

Sunday's final leg consists of five asphalt stages totaling 43.85 miles, including the bonus points-paying Wolf Power Stage at Lake Mikawako.

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