Toyota Gazoo Racing junior driver Takamoto Katsuta will contest four of the remaining five rounds of this year’s World Rally Championship.
The Japanese, whose original plan for the season was to contest eight events in the Yaris WRC, made a strong start to 2020, finishing seventh in Monte Carlo and ninth in Sweden. He’s now looking forward to the fast stages more familiar to somebody who’s lived in Finland for the past few years. He re-starts his program with Rally Estonia.
Toyota Gazoo Racing Rally Challenge Program supervisor – and four-time world champion – Tommi Mäkinen said he was looking forward to seeing Katsuta across the Baltic Sea in Estonia.
“We are,” said the Finn, “very much looking forward to resuming the 2020 season soon and I am very happy that we will have Takamoto with us for Rally Estonia. It is a rally that should suit his experience and his strengths. At the same time, it will be his first WRC event for many months, so we do not expect it to be easy. We will provide him with some time in the Toyota Yaris WRC before then to help him to get back up to speed, which will be important for such a fast rally.”
Katsuta, who will be co-driven by Britain’s Dan Barritt, said: “I am glad that the WRC will finally restart from September. I will participate in Rally Estonia which is a new event on our schedule and I am grateful for this opportunity. During this period without any rallies I am concentrating on my physical training and on e-Sports to make sure I am in the best condition for returning to competition. Thank you to everyone for your continued support.”
As part of his preparation for the second half of the season, Katsuta will also tackle the Kokkola-ralli in Finland on August 1.
