Just last year, things were looking bleak for Katsuta. He admitted after Rally Sweden a couple of weeks ago that he might be unemployed as a rally driver today if he had not made it to the finish in last season’s final round in Japan.
This year, however, has started on a more positive note for the Japanese driver. Katsuta went off the road in Monte-Carlo, but in Rally Sweden, he was in the fight for victory until the very end. Perhaps he could have claimed his first career win if he had taken more risks on the final day.
But he didn’t want to take those risks. Instead, Katsuta kept the car on the road and finished second. The team collected valuable points, and while that elusive first win did not come, Katsuta delivered a strong performance.
A key trait of champion drivers is understanding where to draw the line with risk-taking. Katsuta now seems to have grasped this.
This raises an important question: does he feel he has matured as a driver to a level where wins and strong results can be expected from him regularly?
“Maybe, but this weekend (Sweden) was one of the good examples for me of how to manage the weekend, Katsuta told RallyJournal.com
“I was working a lot with engineers – actually last year as well, of course, but also they have been helping me quite much in every rally, talking and analysing, how to manage the weekend and how to use my speed,” Katsuta continued.
Katsuta delivered a solid and consistent performance in Sweden – always a sign of a strong driver.
“Unfortunately, I couldn’t win this rally, but it gave me a good amount of confidence from this rally. So next time should be easier to handle,” Katsuta asserted.
