Japanese driver Takamoto Katsuta faced a bitter end to his run at the Acropolis Rally Greece, as he admitted to a costly mistake that led to his retirement from Saturday’s race. Katsuta, driving for Toyota, found himself in fifth place overall and battling to fend off Thierry Neuville from Hyundai. However, just moments away from completing Stage 11, disaster struck when he misjudged a left-hand turn, causing his GR Yaris Rally1 to get stuck.
In a post-race interview, Katsuta expressed his frustration, stating, “Basically the car was bumping a bit under the braking, then didn’t really stop. I nearly got round the corner, but then the front just couldn’t turn. I was only very few km/h over speeding and then outside there was like a gravel bank so unfortunately we just got stuck on top of this bank, and then we couldn’t get out. So I don’t know. My mistake, but also there was quite bad luck with that, so it feels very stupid.”
Despite the setback, Katsuta maintained that he wasn’t pushing the car to its limits. He confessed, “For sure I was not trying to push a lot but still felt very good with the car and everything was under control, then only this one braking caught me like that so it’s very difficult to accept.”
His teammate, Kalle Rovanperä, also faced issues and retired on the same stage due to what is believed to be a brake-related problem. However, Katsuta clarified that his own retirement was solely due to his error, emphasizing, “Car was good and working fine… Maybe I had to be a bit more cautious under the braking, it can be rocky like this, but obviously I was not like any later braking than the morning loop, nothing crazy.”
The unfortunate turn of events not only cost Katsuta his position in the rally but also left the Toyota team disappointed. With Katsuta taking full responsibility for the incident, the team will be looking to bounce back stronger in the upcoming races, learning from the mistakes made in Greece.
