| 2006 Rally Japan 3rd Rally Japan | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Round 11 of 16 in the 2006 World Rally Championship
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| Host country |  Japan | ||
| Rally base | Obihiro | ||
| Dates run | 1 – 3 September 2006 | ||
| Stages | 27 (345.72 km; 214.82 miles)[1] | ||
| Stage surface | Gravel | ||
| Transport distance | 1,240.8 km (771.0 miles) | ||
| Overall distance | 1,586.52 km (985.82 miles) | ||
| Statistics | |||
| Crews registered | 87 | ||
| Crews | 87 at start, 78 at finish | ||
| Overall results | |||
| Overall winner |  Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena Kronos Citroën World Rally Team3:22:20.4 | ||
The 2006 Rally Japan was a motor racing event for rally cars that was held over three days between 1 and 3 September 2006. It marked the 3rd running of the Rally Japan, and was the eleventh round of the 2006 World Rally Championship season.[2] The event was also the fifth round of the 2006 Production World Rally Championship. The 2006 event was based in the town of Kita Aikoku near Obihiro in Japan and was contested over twenty seven special stages, covering a total competitive distance of 345.72km (214.82 miles).
Marcus Grönholm, along with BP Ford World Rally Team were the defending rally winners, trailing behind championship rival Sebastien Loeb by 31 points. Red Bull Škoda Team, as well as one of OMV Peugeot Norway's cars would miss the event.
Loeb and co-driver Daniel Elena won the rally, their first win since the 2006 Rallye Deutschland and their seventh of the season.[3]