Takamoto Katsuta revealed he feels ‘lighter’ and “more relaxed” now that the burden of trying to clinch a maiden World Rally Championship victory has been lifted.
The Toyota driver will head into this week’s Croatian round of the 2026 campaign after he and co-driver Aaron Johnson secured a breakthrough victory at Safari Rally Kenya last month.
It came on Katsuta’s 94th WRC start and marked the first success for a Japanese driver in rallying’s top flight since Kenjiro Shinozuka in 1992.
The 33-year-old has had three weeks for the enormity of the achievement to sink in before the WRC season kicks back into life with the first true asphalt round of 2026 in Croatia.
Reflecting on the victory, Katsuta says he’s now feeling more relaxed as the pressure of trying to clinch a maiden win has dissipated: “Obviously it was one of the best memories of my career, the first victory in Kenya, but it feels like it was already one year ago. It’s a long, long time ago in my head.
«I was in Japan and doing some [PR] events and it was such a nice event as well. But yeah, I am fully focused for the next rally in Croatia. I almost forgot what happened. But of course it was one of the nice memories.
“I was never thinking about if I had crazy pressure or not, but now after Kenya, I feel a bit of a light feeling. Let’s say, probably, I had that kind of pressure, but it was quite normal for me.
“I didn’t feel that it was making [me] any worse or anything. But it just feels much more relaxed and easier to focus for the next one, and to think about the big picture, the whole weekend and the whole season.”
Takamoto Katsuta, Aaron Johnston, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
Photo by: Toyota Racing
Katsuta’s triumph marked his best start to a WRC season, having accumulated 55 points from the opening three rounds, leaving him third in the standings and 11 behind early leader Elfyn Evans.
The Japanese driver’s previous best tally after three rounds came in 2024, when 30 points left him tied for fourth. However, thoughts of a title push have been kept in check for now.
“I’m now only thinking about each rally and trying my best to get a good result, as much as I can,” said Katsuta. “The championship will come if I do well on every single rally. I’m not thinking about the championship too much.”
While keen to build on this momentum, the Croatia visit is set to provide plenty of new challenges for WRC crews with only three stages retained from the previous visit there in 2024.
Drivers will once again face the narrow and bumpy asphalt roads synonymous with Croatia, although these stages will now be complemented by a selection of smooth tarmac roads, located near to the rally’s new headquarters in Rijeka.
“Croatia is one of the trickiest asphalt events because even in the dry the grip changes a lot, and in my test we had a lot of rain and even some snow,” said Katsuta. “With many new stages too, we have to be ready for surprises.”
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