Katsuta Suffers Title Blow as Pajari Shines in Finland

Takamoto Katsuta admitted his situation is tough after a difficult weekend at Rally Finland. The Toyota driver dropped to third in the championship, while his team-mate Sami Pajari moved up to second after claiming his second win of the season.

Katsuta has celebrated two top-class WRC victories this year, but consistency remains an issue. In Finland, he failed to deliver and lost valuable points. He now trails championship leader Elfyn Evans, another Toyota team-mate, by 41 points.

With only three or four rounds remaining, Katsuta's title hopes are fading. However, the Japanese driver is not ready to give up just yet. He still believes there is a chance to bounce back, especially with the road position advantage in the remaining events.

Baca JugaKatsuta Kehilangan Poin di Finlandia, Pajari Naik ke Posisi Kedua

“The situation is bad, but not too bad. There could be a bit of an advantage from the road position,” said Katsuta, who will next compete at Rally Paraguay at the end of August.

The battle behind Evans is also intense. Katsuta highlighted the close fight for second place. “It’s going to be a really tight fight. Second place is very close now. Everyone is close together, so every point matters from now on,” he added.

One of his toughest rivals is in the same team. Sami Pajari has been impressive and now sits second. Katsuta was full of praise for the Finn, who also has a personal connection with him.

“Sami is really strong now, so big congratulations to him. I had a really bad weekend, but I’m very proud of him and really happy for him and Marko,” said Katsuta, referring to Pajari’s co-driver Marko Salminen, who previously worked with Katsuta.

“I’m a good friend of Sami, and Marko has done a lot of work with me. I’m disappointed with my own performance, but very happy for them and the whole team. That was one of the positive things from the weekend,” Katsuta concluded.