Katsuta drove a decent rally in Saudi Arabia and eventually finished fifth overall, but there had been potential for a better result.
He was still able to fight for victory even on the final day of the rally, but on the 16th special stage he dropped out of that battle.
Katsuta rolled his car, but he was still able to continue driving with a badly damaged vehicle.
“It was good to reach the finish of this rally but today could have been better,” Katsuta said bluntly.
According to Katsuta, the rollover resulted from a relatively small but costly mistake.
“We were fighting for the podium until one slightly optimistic pacenote in the penultimate stage. We went off and when trying to come back to the road, we dug into the very soft sand and it caused us to roll,” Katsuta explained.
“It’s such a pity because we were being patient all weekend and then made this small mistake, but this is rallying,” he continued.
Overall, Katsuta’s season was a mixed one. On the one hand he was at times able to show flashes of top speed and fight for victories, but on the other hand the Japanese driver also made several mistakes during the season.
“I’m sorry to the team but I want to thank them for the massive support they gave me this year, and I will work hard to come back stronger,” Katsuta promised.
