01 Jun Alejandro Cachón and Borja Rozada finish second in WRC2 and WRC2 Challenger at Rally Japan 2026
Diego Domínguez and Rogelio Peñate show strong pace in Japan before being forced to retire
Diego Domínguez and Rogelio Peñate delivered a promising performance at Rally Japan until a road exit during the second leg ended their chances while they were fighting for WRC2 podium positions.
The crew arrived in Japan aiming to continue their progress on asphalt, a development already evident in their previous outing at Rally Islas Canarias. In addition, their prior experience of the event raised expectations ahead of a weekend in which they targeted another step forward.
The rally started positively for Domínguez and Peñate, who quickly established themselves among the front-runners in the category. Their strong pace allowed them to run in podium positions up to SS5, holding third place in WRC2. They eventually ended the opening leg in a solid fourth position, fully in contention for the podium battle.
The second leg began with the same objective: to keep pressure on the cars ahead and confirm the pace shown from the very beginning. After the first Saturday loop, Domínguez and Peñate remained in fourth place and underlined their competitiveness by setting the second-fastest WRC2 time on SS8.
However, fortune turned against them on SS10. A road exit brought their day to an end and ultimately forced their retirement from Rally Japan, as they were unable to restart for Sunday’s leg.
The retirement is a disappointing outcome in an event where Diego Domínguez and Rogelio Peñate had demonstrated speed, consistency, and the ability to fight for a WRC2 podium. Despite the final result, the pace shown throughout much of the rally confirms their progress on asphalt and allows them to approach the next rounds of the championship with confidence.
Diego Domínguez (DRIVER): “It’s a shame to end with a retirement because we were having a very good rally. I think we improved a lot our pace on asphalt and made a very important step forward in terms of speed. I take away the feelings and everything we learned over the weekend”.
Rogelio Peñate (CODRIVER): “Our Rally Japan ended earlier than we would have liked. A road exit forced us to retire when we were fighting to close in on third place and had good chances to keep fighting for the podium. It’s a shame because the feeling was very positive and we were showing strong pace throughout the weekend. These things are part of rallying, so we have to learn from what happened, focus on the positives and keep working to come back stronger at the next event”.
Teo Martín (TEAM MANAGER): “They were having a very solid and competitive rally, fighting head-to-head for WRC2 podium positions. The retirement is a real shame as they were showing strong progress on asphalt and very promising pace. These things can happen in rallying, but we take the positive feelings and the clear step forward they have made this weekend”.
Andrea Lafarja and Andrés Blanco secure a new WRC Masters Cup podium at Rally Japan
Andrea Lafarja and Andrés Blanco delivered a strong performance at Rally Japan, finishing third in the WRC Masters Cup and securing their third consecutive podium in a debut season that continues to show highly positive progress.
The Japanese round marked the first time Lafarja and Blanco competed together as a crew. In addition, it was only the Paraguayan driver’s second event on asphalt, following her debut on this surface at Rally Islas Canarias. With this context, the main objective was to continue gaining experience and building on the progress shown in previous events.
During the opening leg, the pair focused on adapting to particularly demanding conditions, with wet asphalt playing a key role throughout the day. After a learning-focused opening stage, Lafarja and Blanco ended Friday in fifth position in the WRC Masters Cup.
The second leg confirmed their progression. In a particularly challenging day featuring eight stages with no mid-day service, the crew delivered a solid performance that allowed them to move up to fourth in the category. Consistency and strong management of a demanding leg were key to staying in the podium fight.
On the final day, Andrea Lafarja and Andrés Blanco continued their upward trend and climbed into third place overall. They reached the final stage with a 26.7-second margin over their closest rivals, focusing on managing the gap and securing a result built over the course of the weekend.
They ultimately crossed the finish line in third place in the WRC Masters Cup, adding another podium to their record and confirming Lafarja’s continued progression on asphalt. The result carries even more significance as it came in only her second event on this surface and in her first outing alongside Andrés Blanco.
Andrea Lafarja (DRIVER): “We dreamed of it and it seemed very difficult on the Japanese asphalt, but we achieved it once again. This third consecutive podium in our debut season is very special. Thank you to all of Paraguay and to everyone who supports us on this journey”.
Andrés Blanco (CODRIVER): “I am very satisfied with the work we did together this weekend. It was my first rally with Andrea and we improved stage by stage, adapting to very demanding conditions. Securing a podium in our first event together, especially in such a challenging rally like Japan, is a great result.”.
Teo Martín (TEAM MANAGER): “We are very happy with their progress throughout the weekend. They adapted well to very demanding conditions and improved stage by stage to secure another podium. For them, this is a very important result, especially at this stage of their joint learning process. We continue to see clear progression, and that is the most valuable aspect of this project”.
Alejandro Cachón and Borja Rozada secured second place in WRC2 at Rally Japan, claiming their second podium finish of the season after fighting for victory right up to the final stage of the event.
The Spanish duo arrived in Japan motivated to return to the rally where they had achieved their first WRC2 victory in 2025. From the opening day, they established themselves among the leading contenders in the category.
On Thursday they had their first shakedown, during which they did two runs and set the fastest time.
On Friday, they set four fastest times from the six stages contested and ended the day leading WRC2 by 8.3 seconds over Nikolay Gryazin.
The battle remained wide open throughout Saturday. Gryazin moved into the lead, but Cachón and Rozada refused to give up ground. After a demanding day, the Asturian driver fought back during the final stages and reduced the gap to just 5.7 seconds heading into Sunday’s decisive leg.
On the final day, Cachón and Rozada once again showed they had the pace to challenge for victory. The Spanish crew added two more stage wins and arrived at the final test, TC20 Lake Mikawako 2, only 2.8 seconds behind the leader. In total, they completed Rally Japan with nine WRC2 stage wins, underlining the strong pace they displayed throughout the weekend.
However, the outcome did not allow him to finish the job, as in the final stretch Alejandro spun out, which prevented him from completing the comeback. Nevertheless, the setback does not overshadow a rally in which the pair once again demonstrated their speed, competitiveness and ability to fight at the front of WRC2.
The result marks Cachón and Rozada’s second WRC2 podium of the season, following their podium finish at Rally Islas Canarias.
With this second-place finish, Cachón moves up to fifth in the overall WRC2 standings with 46 points. In WRC2 Challenger, he now sits fourth with 57 points, remaining firmly in contention as he continues to build momentum throughout the season.
The next event for Alejandro Cachón and Borja Rozada will be EKO Acropolis Rally Greece, taking place from June 25–28.
Alejandro Cachón (DRIVER): “It was a very competitive rally where we were fighting for the win from the start and pushed as hard as we could until the very end. In the final stage I made a mistake while battling for victory. Second place is still a good result, we keep scoring important points and now it’s time to focus on Greece”.
Borja Rozada (CODRIVER): “We’re very happy with the points we’ve scored, although we’re also a little disappointed not to have secured the victory in the final stage. It wasn’t meant to be; we had a small impact in that last test which cost us some time. We leave Japan with a strong haul of points, the team did a fantastic job and the car performed brilliantly throughout the rally. Now it’s time to switch our focus back to gravel after these asphalt events and try to secure our first win of the season after achieving two podium finishes so far”.
Teo Martín (TEAM MANAGER): “It has been a very complete rally for them. They showed outstanding pace from the very first day, leading, setting stage wins and fighting for victory right until the final stage. It is a shame about the small mistake at the end, but we take away the speed, consistency and a very important points haul. This is the direction we need to keep following; we remain fully in the fight for our season goals”.