Rd.1 THE SNOW IN HOKKAIDO (2/2)
Rd.2 HIETSUKI (5/25 - 26)
Rd.3 Rally of KYOTO (6/7 - 9)

The domestic Rally Championship is not just about speed like in WRC or European Championships, but is held in demerit system by keeping the limited maximum speed regulated in the Road Traffic law and to score the time as close as possible to the established standard time.

The competing cars must be road licensed with license plates accessible on public road, and is basically slightly broadened range of modification to Group N regulation of FIA. The cars are divided into three classes according to its displacement volume, Class A (up to 1000 cc), Class B (1001 to 1600 cc) and Class C (1601 cc and above).

In All-Japan Rally Championship 2002, STI supports Subaru Impreza in Class C. Just like WRC, its strongest rival is the Mitsubishi Lancer for last couple years. The opening event this season was in Hokkaido in the middle of the snow. Yujiro Nishio was 2nd, Mitsuo Ayabe was 5th, Norihiko Katsuta was 6th, and Hiroshi Yanagisawa was 7th. Round 2 was held in Miyazaki after much interval of 4 months. Much of commotion during the first half of the event, when many of the expected winners retired from the race, and Nishio finished the race again in 2nd place, Ayabe in 5th, Katsuta in 6th and Yanagisawa in 7th.

Round 3 was held in Kyoto with much of both tarmac and gravel on the course. Konishi came in 3rd, Katsuta in 5th, Yanagisawa was 6th but more experienced drivers suffered in this round as Nishio was 7th and Ayabe was 8th. Round 4 was in Hokkaido of early summer. Nishio did not enter as its entry was rejected, and Katsuta, Ayabe and Nutahara had to retire on the first day. Konishi won the first race for Subaru, and promoted himself in the series point ranking to 2nd place. To follow him, Nishio is right behind with rank 3 of the series.