Norbert Michelisz led a Honda 1-2-3 in second practice for the World Touring Car Championship at a very wet Twin Ring Motegi in Japan, with team-mates Ryo Michigami and Esteban Guerrieri the only other drivers within a second of the pace.
Japan continues to be lashed by a tropical storm, the second in a number of days, with the first having already caused disruption to the race weekend timetable.
In heavy rain, most of the field were caught out at some point or other. Volvo’s Néstor Girolami was the first to find the limits in the conditions, with the Argentine spinning out into the gravel on his second lap and gaining no further running.
Eventually, the three factory Hondas rose to the top of the times on their flying laps, with Michelisz leading home hero Michigami.
Sébastien Loeb Racing’s Tom Chilton was fourth, with the Brit admitting that he had been able to use the running in the equally atrocious conditions in China two weeks’ ago to improve the set-up on his Citroën in the wet.
Nicky Catsburg was the leading Polestar Cyan Racing driver in fifth, ahead of RC Motorsport’s Yann Ehrlacher in sixth.
Amongst the drivers to endure spins or trips through the gravel were ROAL Motorsport’s Tom Coronel, Zengő Motorsport’s Zsolt Szabó and RC Motorsport’s Filipe de Souza, the latter who needed his car to be recovered after beaching in the gravel.
Eventually Münnich Motorsport’s Rob Huff spun off at Turn 9 and brought out the red flags with seconds to go to end the session once and for all, the Brit having already put in a time good enough for eighth overall.
Qualifying takes place at 09:40 local time (01:40 BST, 02:40 CEST).
Session results
| POS | NO | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 5 | Norbert MICHELISZ |  |
Honda Racing Team JAS | Honda Civic WTCC | 13 | 2:08.935 | 0.000 |
| 2 | 34 | Ryo MICHIGAMI |  |
Honda Racing Team JAS | Honda Civic WTCC | 14 | 2:09.443 | 0.508 |
| 3 | 86 | Esteban GUERRIERI |  |
Honda Racing Team JAS | Honda Civic WTCC | 13 | 2:09.928 | 0.993 |
| 4 | 3 | Tom CHILTON |  |
Sébastien Loeb Racing | Citroën C-Elysée WTCC | 15 | 2:09.956 | 1.021 |
| 5 | 63 | Nicky CATSBURG |  |
Polestar Cyan Racing | Volvo S60 Polestar | 10 | 2:10.545 | 1.610 |
| 6 | 68 | Yann EHRLACHER |  |
RC Motorsport | LADA Vesta WTCC | 16 | 2:10.615 | 1.680 |
| 7 | 62 | Thed BJÖRK |  |
Polestar Cyan Racing | Volvo S60 Polestar | 15 | 2:10.653 | 1.718 |
| 8 | 12 | Rob HUFF | |
ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport | Citroën C-Elysée WTCC | 16 | 2:11.252 | 2.317 |
| 9 | 25 | Mehdi BENNANI |  |
Sébastien Loeb Racing | Citroën C-Elysée WTCC | 15 | 2:11.930 | 2.995 |
| 10 | 24 | Kevin GLEASON |  |
RC Motorsport | LADA Vesta WTCC | 16 | 2:12.024 | 3.089 |
| 11 | 9 | Tom CORONEL | |
ROAL Motorsport | Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 | 12 | 2:12.711 | 3.776 |
| 12 | 11 | Kris RICHARD |  |
Campos Racing | Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 | 15 | 2:12.972 | 4.037 |
| 13 | 27 | John FILIPPI | |
Sébastien Loeb Racing | Citroën C-Elysée WTCC | 13 | 2:13.001 | 4.066 |
| 14 | 26 | Filipe Clemente DE SOUZA |  |
RC Motorsport | LADA Vesta WTCC | 10 | 2:14.585 | 5.650 |
| 15 | 99 | Dániel NAGY | |
Zengő Motorsport Kft | Honda Civic WTCC | 15 | 2:14.956 | 6.021 |
| 16 | 66 | Zsolt Dávid SZABÓ | |
Zengő Motorsport Kft | Honda Civic WTCC | 12 | 2:18.751 | 9.816 |
| 17 | 61 | Néstor GIROLAMI | |
Polestar Cyan Racing | Volvo S60 Polestar | 1 | No time | N/A |