Rallying-Katsuta takes first WRC win in Kenya Safari Rally
March 15 : Toyota's Takamoto Katsuta won a gruelling Kenya Safari rally on Sunday for the Japanese driver's first success in the world championship.
Katsuta, in his 94th WRC start, became his country's first WRC rally winner since Kenjiro Shinozuka at the Ivory Coast Rally in 1992.
The former circuit racer won by 27.4 seconds from Hyundai's Adrien Fourmaux with Toyota's Sami Pajari third.
Toyota's Elfyn Evans retained the drivers' championship lead with 66 points, despite retiring from Saturday's penultimate leg with suspension damage, eight points clear of teammate Oliver Solberg after three rounds and 11 ahead of Katsuta.
"It's hard to describe how I felt when I crossed the finish line: it was just crazy. There have been so many difficult moments and these memories all went through my head," said Katsuta.
"It hasn't been easy but finally we are here."
Katsuta has a strong record in Kenya, with three podiums from five previous starts, and he arrived this year on the back of finishing second in Sweden.
A double puncture on Friday left the Japanese in seventh position but a dramatic and muddy Saturday took out teammates and frontrunners Solberg, Sebastien Ogier and Evans and allowed him to move back up through the field.
He was one minute 25.5 seconds clear of Fourmaux on Saturday night, enough of a lead to play it safer through the final four stages.
Solberg, Ogier and Evans all restarted on Sunday and each took a stage win before Solberg won the final Power Stage for five bonus points.
"The whole team is very happy to see Takamoto and Aaron (Johnston) win this rally. They have been close so many times and they really deserve this," said team boss Juha Kankkunen.
"This was the toughest Safari we've seen since it came back to the calendar, and it was a rollercoaster weekend for us.
"To have three cars retire yesterday was quite a disaster but Oliver, Seb and Elfyn all pushed hard and did well today to get maximum Sunday points for the team."
The Croatia Rally, on asphalt roads around Rijeka, is next on April 9-12.
