Takamoto Katsuta waited 94 events for his first World Rally Championship victory. He waited just one for his second.
After a heartfelt debut win at last month’s Safari Rally Kenya, the emotions couldn’t have been more different in Croatia.
Katsuta couldn’t celebrate – he didn’t want to. What he felt, above all else, was sorrow for the driver who everybody expected to arrive to the stop-line the victor.
Thierry Neuville’s mistake on the powerstage enabled Katsuta to take his second WRC win and move into the lead of the world championship, which is not the way the Japanese driver wished to win.
He told DirtFish: “It’s really crazy to be honest. I did not know anything about that [Neuville’s off] until the finish and I was being interviewed by Molly [Pettit]. Then Molly just suddenly said that he had an issue and then someone told me I won the rally.
It took Katsuta a few moments to make sense of what had happened to Neuville on the powerstage
“Honestly, I don’t know… maybe you could see also that I was not really happy. Even [though] I heard I won the rally, I didn’t feel that I should celebrate or anything because I was so sad for Thierry and Martijn [Wydaeghe], and the Hyundai guys.
“I know how much hard work [is being put in] behind [the scenes] for all of them that’s why maybe… and also I have been many times in the low side as well so I really feel the pain. This is why I was not really feeling so well after the stage.”
Katsuta has made WRC history however, becoming the first Japanese driver to win back-to-back WRC events and to lead the championship.
“Yeah, that’s nice,” he confessed. “Let’s say that’s for the team, so I’m happy if the team is happy.
Katsuta leads the drivers' standings by seven points over Toyota team-mate Elfyn Evans
“Of course, my own emotion, my own feeling is a bit mixed, like I said. But still, I must be happy for the team. So yeah, a crazy week and a crazy end.
“In terms of our own season, so far it’s going well, so we just need to keep focus and doing what we can and improve where I can. That’s the most important for now.”
