Bad luck struck Takamoto Katsuta at the start of Rally Paraguay. The Toyota driver was forced to stop less than a kilometer into the opening stage after a high-speed roll.
Katsuta, who started the rally third on the road, admitted his mistake in the incident. He explained that he went too deep into a corner and lost the rear.
"We probably came in too fast and then lost the rear. My mistake. I lost the rear and I wasn't able to recover, so we went into the forest on the inside of a high-speed corner," he said.
"Then we rolled. I'm very sorry for the team. It's really not acceptable for me," Katsuta added with disappointment.
The impact of this incident is significant for Toyota in the world championship battle. Katsuta's teammate, Oliver Solberg, was just four points behind him heading into Paraguay. Katsuta's failure to finish could open the door for Solberg to close the gap in the standings.
Katsuta was not yet sure whether he would be able to return to the rally on Saturday. The condition of his car is still under evaluation, especially the damage to the roll cage which is crucial for safety.
"We need to see the roll cage and everything else. We stopped because of damage to the cooling package, but obviously you can see there is a lot of damage around the car. We need to see how badly the roll cage is damaged," he concluded.
Read Also
Sami Pajari mengaku beruntung bisa selamat dari drama pagi di Reli Paraguay, sementara rekan setimnya di Toyota mengalami masalah besar. Simak analisis lengkapnya.
Kejutan di Rally Paraguay: Paddon memimpin, Ogier dan Neuville tersingkir. Evans di posisi 3, Fourmaux tercepat di SS4. Drama pagi yang brutal!
Rally Paraguay SS3: Hayden Paddon memimpin setelah Toyota alami mimpi buruk. Solberg, Fourmaux, dan Evans terkena ban pecah. Siapa yang akan bertahan?
Continue with Google
Discussion (0)
Join the Discussion!
Sign in easily to start commenting, replying, and interacting with other readers.
Latest Comments
No comments yet. Be the first!