Toyota driver Takamoto Katsuta said he will ‘never forget’ the support he recevied from Hyundai rivals Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe at the scene of his accident at Rally del Paraguay.
Katsuta and co-driver Aaron Johnston crashed heavily on the penultimate stage of the 2026 World Rally Championship’s 11th round.
With his car lifting on two wheels at the inside of a right-hand corner, Katsuta became a passenger as the car drifted to the outside and was flipped into a roll.
Both Katsuta and Johnston were taken to hospital where they were given the all-clear, although Katsuta initially activated the SOS signal as he couldn’t initially extricate himself from the car.
“It was really a big accident, the biggest in my career, I would say,” Katsuta said. “The impact itself was one of the biggest impact I’ve had.
“I was not able to get out from the car, it was so painful. But yeah, at least we are here now, so big thanks to this regulation that all the safety, protection and things that are doing their job. At the same time, they organized well to bring us to the hospital quick enough.
“Also I must say thank you to Thierry and Martijn after our incident,” Katsuta added.
“They arrived at the location just after our incident and cared around us very much until the rescue team arrived.
“I was not able to walk and stay as normal, so it was quite scary, but they helped us a lot at that moment, which is most important for this sport.
“I really appreciate both of you. I never forget about this and we keep pushing each other in the rallies.”
Katsuta revealed he also received a message from FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem who expressed his concern given the size of the impact.
As for the championship, Katsuta’s zero-point score now leaves him down in fourth in the standings, 56 points shy of team-mate Elfyn Evans.
“Sometimes in my life, in my career or whatever, sometimes there are good, sometimes there are bad times,” he said. “So it’s part of the game. And unfortunately, this happened this weekend and it didn’t come in a positive way. But we just need to learn from this and improve and get better for next one.
“This is what I need, what I can do and what I should do. I just must say a big thanks to the whole team and sorry for them at the same time. I just need to work hard, continue to work hard to get better.”
