The iconic Safari has traditionally been a successful event for Katsuta. But this time, things went differently.
Punctures early on took Katsuta out of the fight for victory, but he managed to climb back up to fourth place. On Super Sunday, he set out to chase a big haul of points – aiming for the maximum day points and additional points from the final Power Stage.
Katsuta launched a fierce attack on the final stage – and then disaster struck.
He rolled his Toyota. With help from spectators, he got the car back on its wheels and limped to the end of the stage.
“I don’t know what happened,” Katsuta said, holding back tears in a television interview.
At that point, it was already almost certain that Katsuta would be forced to retire after the final stage. Still, he attempted to push-start the car together with spectators in Hell’s Gate National Park.
Katsuta still needed to drive the car back to the service area – but he was stranded at the gates of hell.
After taking a moment to gather himself, Katsuta was able to comment on the incident that led to his retirement.
“Basically in the beginning of the stage there was a long right hand corner. I completely snapped the rear and we spun. Then unfortunately, the front went into the inside bank and then it catched the bank. Then it started to roll,” Katsuta explained.
“It was very unexpected thing. I don’t know what exactly happened. But of course I had to push and I was pushing, so this can happen.”
Before his mistake, Katsuta had been fighting for the full five-point Super Sunday bonus against Hyundai drivers Adrien Fourmaux and Thierry Neuville. He was the only Toyota driver pushing flat out on the final day, as Kalle Rovanperä had already retired due to an alternator issue, and Elfyn Evans was focused on safely securing the rally win.
Had he succeeded, Katsuta could have delivered valuable points to Toyota while also denying Hyundai. But in the end, the mistake proved costly for both Katsuta and the team. At least 15 points – possibly up to 20 – were lost.
“I feel very, very, very sorry for the team,” Katsuta said.
“Pace was good during the weekend. But at the end, I’m very frustrated and not happy for myself. I need to look what was wrong. And I need to improve and move forward,” the Japanese driver added.
You can view the full WRC championship standings here.
Toyota driver Evans eventually secured the victory in Kenya and extended his championship lead. Hyundai drivers Ott Tänak and Thierry Neuville completed the podium in second and third place.
