After disappointing performances at Rally Finland and Rally Greece, Toyota’s team principal, Jari-Matti Latvala, was forced to make a tough decision, benching Katsuta. As a result, Katsuta did not compete in the Rally Chile, where his spot in the Rally1 car was filled by Finnish driver Sami Pajari.
Latvala explained that the decision was made in good spirits.
“With Taka, we had a few phone calls, and of course, it’s never a nice situation. He really just wanted to come to Chile to drive,” Latvala said.
“But after a few days, he thought about it and understood the situation – what we wanted – and he was willing to put in the work, make changes, and try to improve himself to come back stronger,” Latvala added.
Latvala believes that this difficult decision was the right call and could help Katsuta in the long run.
“For him, the most important rally is Japan, which is the final one of the year. So I think having this time to reset and understand is crucial. It’s never easy for a driver, but in the end, I think when you go through it and then come back, you sometimes realize that this was actually something beneficial,” Latvala commented.
Latvala pointed out that a break has benefited other drivers in the past.
“We’ve seen this in the past with other drivers moving from Rally1 to Rally2, where they have less pressure and can return stronger. Adrien Fourmaux is a great example, but this also happened with Ott Tänak and Elfyn Evans in the past,” Latvala noted.
Latvala mentioned that during his time off, Katsuta has been focusing on improving his pacenotes.
“We realized in Greece that maybe there’s too much information in his notes, which can take focus away from the driving and the road because he has to listen so much. So now, we’re working with our coach on that aspect as we prepare for the upcoming tarmac events,” Latvala explained.
Katsuta will return to Toyota’s Rally1 car this weekend for the Central European Rally, which takes place across the Czech Republic, Germany, and Austria.
