Japanese driver Takamoto Katsuta (Toyota Yaris) stormed into the lead of the Rally de Canarias, the fifth round of the World Rally Championship (WRC), after Thursday’s first special stage on April 23.
Katsuta, who arrived as the championship leader, edged out Finnish rival Sami Pajari (Toyota Yaris) by 0.4 seconds in the super special stage held at Gran Canaria Stadium. Italian Roberto Daprà (Skoda Fabia) finished third, 0.8 seconds behind. With the stage measuring just 1.9 kilometers entirely within the stadium, margins were razor-thin.
Spain’s Dani Sordo (Hyundai i20), returning to the WRC after claiming the Portuguese championship in 2025, placed fourth, one second off the pace. Irish driver Joshua McErlean (Ford Puma) was fifth, 1.2 seconds back, followed by Frenchman Adrien Fourmaux (Hyundai i20) in sixth and compatriot Sébastien Ogier (Toyota Yaris) in seventh, both trailing by 1.4 seconds.
“It was a double reward. I loved seeing so many people supporting us at the stadium,” said Katsuta, who has won the previous two rounds in Kenya and Croatia.
Friday’s first full stage will feature seven special stages covering 108 timed kilometers.