There might have been even more on offer for Katsuta in the challenging gravel event. The Japanese driver was running close to the leaders midway through the opening day—until a driving error cost him dearly.
Katsuta rolled his Toyota on the same stage that also sidelined Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville and M-Sport Ford trio Josh McErlean, Grégoire Munster, and Martins Sesks. Katsuta didn’t retire, but he dropped over two and a half minutes behind the leaders.
On Saturday, a puncture cost him more time, but Katsuta eventually finished the rally in fifth place. His time deficit to rally winner Sébastien Ogier was just over seven minutes.
“It’s good to finish. But then I’m not very happy,” Katsuta admitted.
“We had some difficulties during the weekend with the roll and some other things, but this can happen in a rally like this. At the end we finish fifth overall and that’s not so bad,” he added.
Katsuta also collected a few bonus points from the rally-ending Power Stage by setting the fourth-fastest time.
“I tried to push in the Power Stage but maybe I was a bit too safe on few places. Then on the last section I made mistake and got stuck in the very soft and loose surface.”
“So my feelings are a bit mixed but I think we are heading in a good direction looking forward to Greece,” Katsuta summed up.
The next round of the WRC season takes place at the Acropolis Rally in Greece at the end of June.
