A highlight of the All Japan Rally Championship calendar, Rally Hokkaido was held around Obihiro, Hokkaido on September 28th and 29th, with Tatsuya Kato finishing 3rd in his Demio in the JN2 Class. Meanwhile, Koichi Okada completed the race in 4th, having suffered lost time due to trouble on day one, with Tamotsu Minamino in 5th, and Rina Ito, the only woman, coming in 8th.

Kato said, “This is a long rally, so I was striving to aim for an improved ranking without overdoing it on pace. On leg one, I drove at a decent pace, while remaining aware of the time difference to the other drivers, and although we sustained a bit of damage along the way, I managed to finish in 3rd. To keep 3rd place on leg two, I kept abreast of the time difference, while avoiding taking any risks. I think it's good that I was able to secure the points for 3rd place, considering the large points coefficient for this event.” Teammate Ito said, “I went in with enthusiasm, thinking, ‘I'm definitely gonna finish’. Long, high-speed stages are the real attraction of Rally Hokkaido, but in the SSS (Super Special Stage) at the start, I had a baptism of fire when I hit something in the poor visibility and lost a mirror. In the latter half of day one, I had a problem with the transmission, which meant I could only get fourth gear, so I couldn't make the most of the car's power on the long stage. The replacement transmission for leg two didn't feel right, and I ended up unable to control the power the way I wanted. Having said that, at this rally, where just surviving was important, it was really good that I managed to complete the race.” Okada commented, “I enjoyed Rally Hokkaido. Of course I'm not satisfied with the result, but then again, we discovered lots of areas that need work, so it was a learning experience. I'll keep doing my best, along with Rina and Kato, to put the Demio on top before too long.”

Entered in the JN2 Class this time were a total of 10 vehicles, composed of five Toyota Vitzes (Yarises) and five Mazda Demios. Excelling in handling, the Demio has developed into an even match for the well-aged Vitz.