After having to miss the rally’s return to the FIA World Rally Championship schedule in 2021, Katsuta had plenty to learn about the rocky mountain roads of Greece which combined with high temperatures to test cars, tyres and the drivers throughout the weekend.

The start of the event was therefore particularly challenging for Katsuta and co-driver Aaron Johnston, but progress in his performance was already clear in Friday’s fourth stage, which was new for all the drivers. Finishing the first full day in 10th overall, he had to run near the front of the road with slippery conditions through the longest day of the event on Saturday but still gained positions by avoiding major problems.

On Sunday morning Katsuta moved up into sixth position overall and also found improved speed and feeling behind the wheel of his GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID before clinching his ninth consecutive top-six finish and maintaining his record as the only driver to have completed every round this season in a points position.

Quotes:
Takamoto Katsuta:“This has been a really tough weekend with a lot of learning. This was my first time doing this rally, and I had also never done Rally Turkey for example, so this kind of really rough gravel rally was new for me. On Friday morning it was a bit of a struggle, especially with my pacenotes, but I tried to improve step-by-step and in the afternoon we could find some pace in some sections. Saturday was tough: We tried many things with the setup but we were still a long way from where we wanted to be. On the final day we made some more changes and I could find a better feeling which was positive, and I was able to bring the car home to the finish. Early on we had to accept the situation, so I just focused on trying learn about these kind of stages and on what I need to improve for the future.”

Jari-Matti Latvala (TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team Principal):“It was a difficult weekend for Taka but he was able to keep up his record as the most consistent driver this season. On his first time competing in Greece, these conditions were a new experience for him, and we didn’t have the performance as a team this weekend. But as he has done so often this season, Taka was able to look at the bigger picture and maintain the consistency, and when the feeling wasn’t there he didn’t push over the limits. Like this he has been able to learn a lot over this year and I can be very happy with how he has improved. Next we go to New Zealand which will be another new challenge but I’m sure he will enjoy it.”