Takamoto Katsuta Finally Wins Safari Rally Kenya WRC 2026

WRC, Sportrik Media - Takamoto Katsuta and co-driver Aaron Johnston secured their first FIA World Rally Championship victory after winning Safari Rally Kenya 2026. The Toyota Gazoo Racing duo finished the event 27.4 seconds ahead of Hyundai Motorsport driver Adrien Fourmaux, while team-mate Sami Pajari completed the podium in third place.

The result ends a long sequence of near misses for Katsuta in the championship. Despite not winning any of the rally’s 20 special stages, the Japanese driver delivered a consistent and controlled performance across the demanding Kenyan terrain. The victory keeps him third in the championship standings while reducing the gap to rivals Oliver Solberg and series leader Elfyn Evans, both of whom retired on Saturday.

Katsuta’s rally began with significant difficulties. Heavy rain on SS1 Camp Moran caused his intercom to fail, leaving him unable to hear the pacenotes from Johnston. A double puncture on Friday then dropped him to seventh place overnight before he began his recovery through the field.

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A cautious but effective strategy on the rough Saturday morning loop proved decisive. Katsuta climbed to fourth place before multiple problems struck his Toyota team-mates, dramatically altering the rally’s outcome.

Evans, who had been running third, suffered two punctures on SS12 which damaged the rear-right suspension of his car. The failure ultimately forced the Welsh driver to retire on SS13. At the same time, Solberg and eight-time world champion Sébastien Ogier also encountered technical issues with their Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 cars, including alternator and transmission failures.

Once in the lead, Katsuta maintained a disciplined pace to secure his maiden WRC victory, becoming only the second Japanese driver to win a WRC event after the late Kenjiro Shinozuka. The emotional moment was evident at the finish, where Katsuta sat on the roll cage of his car during the end-of-stage interview.

“I don’t know what to say. We had so many difficult times. Aaron has worked very hard with me and the team always believed in me, even when I was failing. Thanks to the whole team – we are here because of them and Aaron,” Katsuta said.

“My family has always supported me and this means so much. Many things happened this weekend but we are here. Thank you also to Ott Tanak who kept contacting me and helping me, even waking up earlier than me every morning. Akio-san, finally we are here.”

Behind the winner, Fourmaux delivered Hyundai’s first podium finish of the season after the team struggled with overheating issues during the early stages of the rally. Pajari also repeated his Rally Sweden result by finishing third, despite losing around five minutes due to a tyre explosion and another puncture on Saturday morning.

Hyundai driver Esapekka Lappi finished fourth after adopting a careful approach throughout the rally to avoid the issues that have affected him in previous Safari appearances. Meanwhile, reigning champion Thierry Neuville retired on Saturday after suffering a driveshaft failure.

In the WRC2 category, Estonian driver Robert Virves claimed victory by defeating Toyota driver Gus Greensmith by 30.3 seconds. Fabrizio Zaldivar completed the category podium ahead of Andreas Mikkelsen.

Katsuta’s breakthrough victory at Safari Rally Kenya 2026 adds new momentum to the championship fight. With several key contenders losing points due to mechanical problems, the WRC title battle is set to intensify as the season moves to its next round.