Few may doubt that Takamoto Katsuta’s Rally Sweden efficiency, which netted a detailed second to Toyota team-mate Elfyn Evans, was the most effective – if not the greatest – of his World Rally Championship profession.
The ever-smiling Japanese driver has performed a lot of his studying over the previous 5 years in rallying’s high tier within the public eye. It has been a rollercoaster experience, netting 5 podium finishes earlier than final week’s occasion whereas struggling numerous heartbreaking moments alongside the best way.
However from the despair of crashing out of final 12 months’s Rally Sweden lead battle, Katsuta bounced again to be a real contender for the highest step of the rostrum all through this 12 months’s version.
After snatching the rally lead on the ultimate morning, Katsuta in the end fell simply 3.8 seconds in need of snaring his maiden WRC rally win and changing into the primary Japanese victor since Kenjiro Shinozuka greater than 30 years in the past.
He might need been pipped by a resurgent Evans – himself arguably within the type of his life – however Katsuta had proved that he really can ship on the highest degree.
