The monkey is finally off Takamoto Katsuta’s back.
Yes, he’d stood on a World Rally Championship podium before. Thrice, even. And at the legendary Safari Rally Kenya and his home event Rally Japan of all places.
His Finland podium was different. It was, finally, a chance to make up for the heartbreak of Portugal a year earlier, where third was dramatically snatched away by Dani Sordo on the powerstage.
Up against a Hyundai (Teemu Suninen) in a final-day battle for the podium, this time Katsuta held his nerve.
Fast forward to post-Estonia and Katsuta’s spirits were crushed again. After a promising 2022 an underwhelming 2023 had followed; losing sixth place on the last stage in Estonia, rather than third in Portugal, was not supposed to be his trajectory.
“I had no speed at all,” Katsuta admitted of his Estonia efforts.
On what should have been a strong rally for Katsuta to rebound on, he’d instead drifted even further far adrift of the leading pack.
So the leader of the pack, Kalle Rovanperä, stepped in.
“I was with Kalle in the test and I was in the car; Kalle was driving and I was sitting next to him,” explained Katsuta.
“He showed me how to drive and he gave me a lot of tips. This was also helping me a lot to understand how to really drive.
“After Estonia I was almost losing my confidence,” he chuckled, perhaps out of a sense of relief that he’d finally drawn his barren streak to a close. And in front of Akio Toyoda, no less.
Akio-san’s name badge for the weekend read team principal, given Jari-Matti Latvaia was otherwise preoccupied driving a fourth Yaris. One that Taka simply couldn’t afford to be outpaced by.
That Rovanperä-inspired test – and advice for the final stage of Saturday where Katsuta ultimately made the difference over Suninen – couldn’t have come at a better time.
“I’m really happy that I’m here on the podium in front of Akio-san and with huge support from Akio-san,” Katsuta said. “And my family, and all the local Finnish supporters also,” he graciously added.
The Toyota engineers played their part, of course, showing Katsuta plenty of data analysis on where he’d fallen short in Estonia. But it goes to show why Toyota could afford for its team principal to skive off work and muck about in a GR Yaris Rally1.
“After his rally finished, Kalle was giving lots of advice to Takamoto. This shows we are a real one team,” said Akio-san.
Katsuta’s confidence might have been shattered by a battering Estonia – but Rovanperä was there to pick up the broken pieces and glue them back together again.
