This time two weeks ago, Takamoto Katsuta should have been tearing through central Greece on the Acropolis Rally of Gods.
He wasn’t. A family issue for his co-driver Keaton Williams meant the #18 Toyota Yaris WRC stayed silent last weekend.
Katsuta didn’t go rallying.
But his Dad did.
Taka-san’s father Norihiko is, of course, a rally driver himself. And an eight-time Japanese Rally champion. His car? A Toyota GR Yaris, of course.
While his son wasn’t on some of the season’s most famous World Rally Championship stages, Katsuta Sr was busy on some of the very best WRC stages from days gone by.
Rikubetsu ring any bells? Pawse Kamuy sound familiar? Both do, obviously. But it was Yam Wakka that made history. Seventeen years ago, the World Rally Championship set foot in Japan for the first time and then defending champ Petter Solberg won the first stage, a 14-miler called Yam Wakka.
It was a slightly shorter version of the same test that opened the 2021 Rally Hokkaido, still based out of one of my favourite places in the world to hold an event: Obihiro City.
At least watching his Dad kept Taka occupied during an unexpected weekend off. And Norihiko delivered, winning the event by 16.2 seconds.
Takamoto wasn’t the only Toyota Motor Corporation employee watching what was going on on Japan’s northernmost island.
His boss was too.
Toyota president and CEO Akio Toyoda doesn’t miss a trick in rallying. And he wasn’t going to miss a second GR Yaris victory for Katsuta Sr (he won July’s Rally Kamuy, too).
“He put in maximum effort also for Takamoto and won it,” said Toyoda of Katsuta Sr.
“I send congratulations to another Katsuta for this weekend and I hope I can congratulate both Katsutas next time.”
Akio Toyoda, quite possibly the coolest man in rallying.
Katsuta Junior is back in WRC action next weekend in Finland, now with Oliver Solberg’s former co-driver Aaron Johnston alongside him.
“I really hope he can reset his mind and enjoy driving to the maximum in Rally Finland,” said Toyoda of Katsuta.
