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Katsuta triumphs in Safari Rally as Toyota driver ends 94-start wait with grit and resilience
A gritty Safari Rally saw Takamoto Katsuta claim his first WRC victory after 94 starts, overcoming chaos, attrition, and setbacks to deliver Toyota a popular triumph
Mud took its toll in Kenya, but Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta and co-driver Aaron Johnston, inset, survived the conditions; tears would follow
TGR WRT/McKlein
He wasn’t the fastest driver in Kenya – he failed to win a single stage – but traditionalists will tell you that speed is not the most important thing on the Safari Rally. Instead, Takamoto Katsuta shrugged off his own setbacks to make sure he was there when it counted. He was seventh when the crews set off on the second full day of action; leading by lunchtime after attrition had struck. The result, one day later at the end of the event? A popular maiden World Rally Championship victory for Toyota’s perennial hard-trier.
Regular WRC viewers will know that Katsuta’s co-driver Aaron Johnston cuts an impassive figure. Before a stage start, the Omagh native looks like he’s sharing a car with a colleague on the way to work, wondering whether his driver would mind if he puts Absolute 80s on the radio. He might as well have done that on Thursday’s opening test through the mud of Camp Moran – intercom failure cost Katsuta over a minute, his salty language at the stage end interview prompting a flashed-up apology on the TV footage.
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A double puncture on the Friday afternoon, meaning his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 had to be coaxed with no spares through the remaining stages before service, cost more time. But then team-mates Sébastien Ogier, Oliver Solberg and Elfyn Evans all went out on Saturday, and Sami Pajari’s exploding tyre caused the Finn a mid-stage stop for repairs. The Hyundai challenge wilted thanks to overheating caused by the mud – but while Thierry Neuville went out, Adrien Fourmaux pressed on to finish just 27.4sec adrift of the coasting Katsuta, with the recovering Pajari a distant third.
After the final stage of his 94th WRC start, this time there was no need for any broadcast apologies. Sure, there was saltiness again, but it was from Katsuta’s tears. “I don’t know what to say,” he blabbed. “Aaron worked very hard with me, and the Toyota team always believed in me, even when I failed.”
For a driver who did a reverse Rovanperä – Katsuta was a single-seater racing ace in his youth – this was glorious vindication.
Driver briefing notes
Jag’s electric charge and an F2 Bulgarian live wire
● There was a second consecutive Formula E victory for António Félix da Costa at the old Spanish Grand Prix circuit of Jarama. The Portuguese joined Jaguar for this season and led home team-mate Mitch Evans, who was furious about the imposition of team orders. Porsche’s series leader Pascal Wehrlein was third.
● It was three winners from the first three races of the IndyCar season. Reigning and four-time champion Álex Palou kicked things off in St Petersburg, 2017/’19 king Josef Newgarden triumphed on the Phoenix oval, and Kyle Kirkwood overhauled Palou for victory in the inaugural Arlington street race.
● A Bulgarian in Formula 1? It could happen… Red Bull Junior Nikola Tsolov, above, who hails from 40 miles out of Sofia, leads the F2 chase after victory with Campos Racing in the opening round supporting the Australian GP over Brazilian Ferrari protégé and reigning F3 champion Rafael Câmara.
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