Takamoto Katsuta accelerates at the Safari Rally: "We are still in contention for the win."

The first day of the Safari Rally left a bitter taste for Takamoto Katsuta. Suffering from a communication problem with his co-driver at the start of the first special stage, the Japanese driver had to contend with a particularly tricky situation on tracks already transformed by the rain. Deprived of his pace notes for part of the route, the crew focused primarily on reaching the finish without any major incidents. The following morning proved much more positive for the driver. ToyotaOver the first three stages of the day, he gradually regained confidence and a competitive pace, notably setting the second fastest time on the sixth stage. Interviewed at the end of the loop, the Japanese driver reflected on the difference between the previous day and this more controlled morning.

“Yes, obviously, yesterday was a pretty bad day, due to a bad start, let’s say. But it could have been worse. Fortunately, these kinds of conditions helped us close the gap a bit. It could have been really disastrous for us without the road notes on these kinds of stages. So yes, we’re still in contention for the win and the podium. There’s still a long way to go, so we just have to keep driving without any problems.”

The Toyota driver explained that he mainly sought to prioritize consistency in this first loop of the day. "This morning, as I said, I was very, let's say, consistent, without really pushing, but the times aren't too bad and they're getting better and better, of course also thanks to the conditions, but the overall feeling in the car is good." In one rally As unpredictable as Kenya's, strategy often remains more important than pure speed.

"I'm just going to try to stay as close as possible."

Takamoto Katsuta therefore prefers to remain cautious for the rest of the weekend. "So yes, I think that tomorrow, anyway, and this afternoon, we'll see the conditions and the weather, but if it rains again, ten seconds or even a minute, it's almost nothing. So I'm just going to try to stay as close as possible until Sunday. That's my plan, without mistakes or problems, and then if I have a fight on Sunday, then I'll push."

The special stages contested during this loop perfectly illustrate the diversity of the Safari Rally. Crews must constantly adapt to very different surfaces, sometimes within just a few kilometers. The Japanese driver emphasizes the difficulty of adjusting to these rapid changes. "The stages have very different characters, each one, especially today: the first is in the forest, narrow, with a fairly hard surface, the second is very wide with many ruts, and the third is almost completely straight. So it's quite different, but everywhere the car handles rather well and it's easy to manage all situations."

He also explains that the pressure increases especially when it becomes necessary to attack more. "I think that, of course, the problem arises when you have to attack; there's more pressure then, and you really have to change your mindset, but for now, everything is under control, no major setbacks, and I feel pretty good." After six stages, Takamoto Katsuta finds himself in fourth position overall, just over a minute behind Solberg. In a Safari Rally renowned for its twists and turns and sometimes significant gaps, this gap is still easily close, and he will undoubtedly try to begin his climb back up the standings during the seventh stage, scheduled for Friday, March 13th at 12:00 PM.

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