Katsuta has a consistent record of sixth places from the past three years in Croatia. However, at his home event in Japan, during the 2022 season, Katsuta demonstrated that he could compete for a podium finish on tarmac when everything falls into place.
“I’m feeling more and more confident on asphalt after my performance on Rally Japan last year, and some stages of Monte-Carlo this year,” Katsuta says.
“However, Croatia is one of the trickiest rallies because of the amount of cutting and the number of surface changes.”
Katsuta acknowledges that it is in these varying conditions where he needs to improve his performance.
“Being able to fully commit when the road is dirty is an area where I can still improve in my asphalt driving, and I want to take this event as an opportunity to continue making progress,” Katsuta states.
The first two rounds of the season did not go well for Katsuta. In Monte Carlo, he was not fast enough to challenge the leaders, and in Sweden, he slid off into a snowbank. However, he did take some consolation from his third career podium finish at the Safari Rally in Kenya in March.
Katsuta is currently sixth in the championship standings and will start as the fifth car on the road, as fellow Toyota driver Kalle Rovanperä is not competing in Croatia.
“It will not be an easy rally, especially with our starting position on Friday and even more so if it rains,” Katsuta summarizes.
“So it could be important to have some patience in the beginning and then try to find the rhythm and a good balance to be able to push hard.”
A total of 20 special stages are scheduled for the Croatia Rally, covering approximately 280 kilometers.
