Katsuta lost his chance of a strong result on the penultimate stage of the day, when he rolled his car. The Japanese driver was able to continue, but at the end of the day he was more than two minutes off the lead.
“It was a very tight right-hand corner. We knew there were some rocks, but the car reacted surprisingly quickly when I turned in. Unfortunately, we hit the rock and rolled,” Katsuta explained.
“It was a very small mistake, but it was enough to make us roll. I’m very disappointed.”
Katsuta’s windscreen was pushed in during the incident, which meant he was unable to drive flat out on the final stage of the day.
“I couldn’t see very well. The windscreen was coming further and further in, so the visibility was poor. And at the end, I think the rear wing was gone, and after that it was really difficult to drive,” Katsuta said.
“Hopefully there is no major issue with the car. I’ll try to reset my head and go again tomorrow (on Saturday).”
Katsuta’s roll brought back memories for Toyota team principal Jari-Matti Latvala of his own mistake six years ago. Back in 2019, Latvala had been leading the rally on the opening day, but rolled out of the lead and was forced to retire.
“It was a bit of an ambitious cut from Taka – just like Jari-Matti in 2019 in Sardinia! That time I did it in a left-hander,” Latvala laughed.
Katsuta will start Saturday’s leg of Rally Sardinia from seventh position, with six stages on the schedule for the day.
