Katsuta praises WRC safety after heavy Paraguay crash

It was, by any measure, an absolute monster of an accident. and co-drivers Aaron Johnston suffered a massive crash on Sunday during the penultimate Artigas test, an impact so severe that it forced officials to red-flag the stage without a restart.

Following the wreck, both competitors were airlifted by helicopter to a local hospital for precautionary checks before being released later that same afternoon. The force of the collision left a lasting impression on the driver, who noted that the impact ranked among the biggest he has ever experienced in his racing career. Because of the pain, he was initially unable to exit the machine on his own, which speaks volumes about the sheer violence of the off.

"I wasn't able to get out of the car because it was so painful," Katsuta said. "But at least we are here, and that shows how safe the car is and how well it is built from the safety side. A big thanks to the regulations because all of the safety and protection is well covered. At the same time, everything was organised very well to get us to the hospital quickly enough."

Explaining how the disaster unfolded, Katsuta pointed to a sudden loss of composure from his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1. The machine snapped out of line, and a slight clip of an inside bank lifted the vehicle. An outside bank prevented a left-hand correction, and a small lip was enough to trigger a roll.

Unfortunately, this brought a premature and frustrating end to a tough weekend in Paraguay. The Japanese driver had already suffered a roll on Friday morning's opening stage, though the team successfully repaired his car for a Saturday restart. He managed to rebuild his confidence and even won the day-ending Encarnación Costanera super special before Sunday's heavy accident struck.

Despite the setbacks, the driver kept a philosophical view on the struggles of the weekend, expressing gratitude to the crew and apologizing for the damage while vowing to keep working hard. High-ranking support also reached him quickly, with FIA President H.E. Mohammed Ben Sulayem sending a message straight away to check on their well-being, alongside immense appreciation for the passionate fans cheering them on throughout the event.