Takamoto Katsuta faced a harsh reality on the opening stage of Rally Chile. Just four miles into Friday's leg, the Toyota driver ran wide, clipped a bank, and got his GR Yaris Rally1 stuck. The incident dealt a severe blow to Katsuta, who is striving for consistency in the 2026 season.
"Obviously, there has been quite a rain overnight, so the stages are quite muddy in places and changing a lot of grip and surface and all the gravel materials are different, so changing a lot the grip level," Katsuta explained. "Unfortunately one of the corners, kind of downhill corner, there was quite muddy corner, just not able to slow down enough. Actually speed was not very, very high but we just went wide on the outside and then hit the bank and unfortunately we were stuck after."
Although the car sustained little damage, Katsuta found it impossible to rejoin due to the steep ditch. "The car has not really much damage but basically it was very steep ditch and not able to back on the road because basically we were beached. So yeah, very tough, very unfortunate things happening now and facing the very difficult moment so it's not easy, but yeah. Try to focus and come back stronger."
This is not the first time Katsuta has failed to finish this season. He crashed twice at Rally del Paraguay—on Friday and Sunday—making this his third retirement from four WRC rally legs. That record puts immense pressure on him, especially with Toyota's competitive driver lineup.
However, there is good news for fans: Katsuta will restart Rally Chile on Saturday. "Yeah of course, it's not an easy situation but we try our best to come back and get the feeling and good rhythm," he added. "Just need to learn and get stronger from this."
The decision to restart shows Katsuta's determination not to give up. In rallying, the ability to bounce back from setbacks often separates the ordinary from the champions. With plenty of stages left, Katsuta still has a chance to score points and build positive momentum.
Rally Chile is known as a challenging event with rapidly changing gravel surfaces. The rain before the rally further complicated conditions, as Katsuta experienced. Drivers must remain vigilant and adapt quickly to grip changes.
For Toyota, this incident is a reminder that rallying can be cruel. Nevertheless, the Japanese team still has depth with other drivers ready to step up. Now, all eyes will be on Katsuta as he tries to turn things around for the remainder of Rally Chile.
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