At Toyota, we are banking on Katsuta for the future

L’heure de vérité a sonné pour Takamoto Katsuta. Membre du programme « junior » de Toyota en WRC so far, the Nippon will discover the next level since he has been promoted to the ranks of the official team in the same way as Elfyn Evans or the reigning world champion Kalle Rovanperä.

If this promotion is the logical reward for a 2022 campaign where he showed real signs of progress, Takamoto Katsuta knows that he will be expected in 2023. Playing in the same league as his “new” teammates, the Japanese is aware that Obtaining good results will be regularly required of him. But despite this additional pressure, the Japanese leaders have confidence in their protégé.

« This is an important step for him, said Sébastien Ogier according to whom Takamoto Katsuta is in the right direction. We will try to support him in this phase. The best thing he can do is simply not change his fundamental approach and try to stay the same and approach every rally as he would naturally do. I think this is the best way to go about it. If you start thinking too much, it can limit your abilities. So from that side, I'm definitely going to try to talk to him and reassure him that he can do it and that if the team decided to put him in that position, it's because everyone thinks he can do it. Of course, I will be very open to discuss it with Takamoto."

Elfyn Evans, for his part, compared Takamoto Katsuta's arrival in the TGR ranks to his full-time WRC in 2014. Unlike the Japanese, the Welshman was barely discovering a WRC. A difference which could be of great use to its garage neighbor for this new exercise.

« It was definitely a learning year when I started, I had never really driven a WRC before, he underlines. Takamoto has a lot more experience than I had at the time, and he already knows how to perform at this level. At the end of the day, you can only do your best and that's what everyone wants to do. I'm sure he doesn't need me to tell him. He will simply continue to focus on his work and give his best. I'm sure the results will come by themselves for the team and him. » He certainly has pressure with this promotion but above all Takamoto Katsuta has the trust of everyone around him who intends to help him to continue to progress.

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