Katsuta wins Safari Rally
Takamoto Katsuta scored a career‑defining victory at the Safari Rally Kenya, the 20‑stage, 350.52‑kilometer event finished in 3 days, 16 hours, 5 minutes and 6 seconds — a rare WRC win for a Japanese driver (japan-forward.com). Toyota is already accelerating development toward the 2027 season off the back of the result, signalling long‑term programme investment (sports.auto-moto.com).
Takamoto Katsuta and co‑driver Aaron Johnston secured the Safari Rally Kenya win on March 15, 2026, finishing 27.4 seconds clear of Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux with Sami Pajari third. (dirtfish.com) Katsuta’s triumph was his maiden WRC victory on his 94th start and made him the first Japanese driver to win a WRC round since Kenjiro Shinozuka’s 1992 successes in the Ivory Coast. (motorsport.com) The result reshuffled early 2026 standings: Elfyn Evans kept the championship lead while Katsuta moved to third, closing to within three points of Oliver Solberg and narrowing the gap to the leaders. (dirtfish.com) Toyota’s victory continued the manufacturer’s unbeaten run at the Safari since the event’s WRC return in 2021 and has coincided with an accelerated development push toward the 2027 WRC regulations. ( ) Behind the scenes, Toyota Gazoo Racing has been running a camouflaged WRC27 prototype in Portugal and using drivers including Oliver Solberg (and Sami Pajari in shared tests) to fast‑track its 2027 programme, with media outlets reporting spy images and municipality posts showing the tests. ( )
