Takamoto Katsuta has already set his goals as he prepares for his return to World Rally Championshipat next week's Central European event, after Toyota left him on the bench at last year's Rally Chile.
The Japanese driver will join the Toyota line-up following the brand's decision to release him, despite being a full-time driver, for last month's visit to Chile.after a poor series of results. After undergoing this readjustment, the 31-year-old driver got back behind the wheel of his GR Yaris Rally1 last week, before the arrival of the complicated asphalt stages of the European rally, and with a clear objective in mind.
“I can’t wait to get back in the car and drive on a completely different surface for the last two rallies of the year,” Katsuta said. “I really like riding on asphalt, I hope to get good sensations again and perform well.. “The Central European Rally is a big challenge for everyone, with many surface changes and dirt on the road.”
“Last year, Friday on Czech roads was particularly difficult, with rain and many road closures. With this experience, it should be easier to return this year, but there will still be a lot of news steps, so We need to focus on taking good road notes and communicating well with our team. I will try to be patient, be there to score points for the team and, if everything goes well, it will be easier for me to attack Rally Japan. [el final de la temporada]”, he continued.
Speaking about the situation at Rally Chile, Toyota team principal, Jari-Matti Latvalasympathizing with how his driver would feel after the decision, but hopes Katsuta will come back stronger. The Finn also revealed that improving his road book entries had been identified as an aspect that would benefit the Japanese.
“We had a few phone calls with him and of course it's never a pleasant situation, because he wanted to come to Chile to drive, but after a few days He thought about it, he understood the situation and he was willing to work and try to improve to come back stronger.“, commented Latvala.
“Understanding that is never pleasant for the driver. But in the end, when you do it and go back to racing, sometimes You realize this is a good thing. We've seen it in the past with other drivers. Adrien Fourmaux is a very good example and it also happened to Ott Tanak Already Elfyn Evans in the past.”
“First of all, I wanted him to disconnect from the rally, and then We wanted him to work with the co-driver to try to improve the notes, because in Greece we realized that maybe there was too much information in there, which took away his concentration. while driving and on the road, because you have to listen too much,” he continued.
Looking ahead to next week's Central European Rally, Latvala added: “The aim will be to have a strong rally, score some points and get some good feeling back in the car for Rally Japan,” he said. he concluded.
