Takamoto Katsuta wants to take a short break from competing in WRC and will skip Rally Chile as Sami Pajari will take his place there.
The Japanese driver has decided not to take part in Chile which will be held later this month as he wants to take a break. His best result is the second place at Safari Rally last March while he has five restarts under the SuperRally regulations so far this season. In addition to that, Toyota wants to test Pajari's skills on the following two events as the team is considering of adding him to the squad in 2025 after his fourth place at Rally Finland a month ago. However, Toyota wants to retain Katsuta and to have a Japanese driver at the squad, thus they decided to give to him time to rest and to reset. Katsuta will return back to the wheel of the GR Yaris Rally1 at Central European Rally next month while he cannot be absent from his home event which host the final WRC round of the championship. Last but not least, it must be mentioned that Katsuta is seventh on the championship with 80 points and is just six pointsbehind his teammate Kalle Rovanpera who has a partial campaign this year.
"I and Aaron will not drive Rally Chile", Katsuta said.
"We will have a short break from competition after an intense summer that maybe didn’t go as planned, can help me reset and come back stronger for CER and Rally Japan.
"Of course it’s tough and I am really disappointed with myself, but the team is supporting me to find again the good feeling.
"Sami and Enni are really great and I wish them all the best for the rally!
"Good luck for Sami and Enni!!"
Photo Credits: Toyota
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