This was the third running of the event as a round of the FIA World Rally Championship. The stages around the Croatian capital, Zagreb, have become known for their variety of different asphalt surfaces and constantly changing grip levels. Weather conditions were more consistent than on last year’s rain-affected event, but drivers still had to cope with mud and gravel being dragged onto the road by the cars in front of them.

Katsuta and co-driver Aaron Johnston made a solid start to the rally on Friday morning, quickly moving up to fifth position as others lost time with issues including punctures. A brief spin on the first stage of the afternoon followed by a gamble on rain tyres on the next test that did not work out cost him two places, but he regained those positions with a strong fourth-fastest time in the day’s final stage.

Throughout Saturday, Katsuta was part of a close four-way fight for fourth overall that also included fellow TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team drivers Sébastien Ogier and Kalle Rovanperä: the two previous winners in Croatia. Some strong times towards the end of the day allowed him to finish it in sixth, directly behind his team-mates. On Sunday he showed improved confidence and pace, setting a trio of fourth-fastest times – including in the rally-ending Power Stage.

Quotes:
Takamoto Katsuta:“It was nice to finish this rally after two difficult events for me, and to have quite a clean drive without any big mistakes. We knew from the last two years that this rally is very demanding and the conditions are very difficult. This year the weather was OK but it was still hard to know where to push and to read the grip level, and it was difficult for me to find the confidence in the dirty sections. Sunday’s stages were the trickiest I would say, but at the same time I found a good setup for the car and straightaway felt much better. It’s the third year in a row that I’ve finished sixth in Croatia, which on quite a demanding rally is not so bad, but of course I want to improve and get better results. I’m now looking forward to the next rally in Portugal.”

Juho Hänninen (TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRC Challenge Program instructor):“After quite a difficult start to the season for Taka, it’s good to have a positive result from Croatia. Last year, he didn’t feel confident in this rally and compared to then, the time difference to the top drivers is much smaller now, which is good to see. We still need to keep working to find more confidence for this kind of event where there are a lot of grip changes. But to finish and get two extra points from the Power Stage is a good boost for Portugal, where he has always been more comfortable.”