Takamoto Katsuta will be backed by former Toyota Gazoo Racing driver, Juho Hänninen (2012 European Champion) in hopes to succeed in his first full FIA World Rally Championship for 2021.
Hänninen is well acquainted with Katsuta, gaining insight into his driving abilities as he was part of the route note crew and has co-driven with him during previous testing for Toyota.
Hänninen is looking to hone Katsuta’s skills as he eyes more progress in the challenging 12 rounds of the 2021 WRC season in a Toyota Yaris world rally car. Katsuta scored his first top-level stage victory at ACI RAlly Monza in the final speed test of the season earlier this month.
Hänninen explained that he was impressed by the speed Katsuta showed in Estonia and the last rally at Monza, noting that he came back in spite of difficult conditions with really good stage times.
Hänninen mentioned Katsuto’s speed has improved a lot making it much easier for him in the upcoming season. Spending more time in the car on many new rallies will allow him to compare himself against the other drivers and make him more competitive.
Hänninen joined Katsuto at Toyota Racing Rallye Monte-Carlo test in France earlier last week and will be backing the Japanese driver through all WRC rounds in 2021.
Katsuto is hopeful of the new partnership and is looking to benefit from Hänninen’s advice. With every rally, they anticipate working more closely, especially with the car setup. There are plenty of areas to work on, however, both are confident of achieving good results for 2021.
Katsuto stated he knows Hänninen very well and has been testing with him previously. He said Hänninen obviously is a very good driver with many years of experience, meaning he understands the car very well. Katsuto mentioned he will become a better driver with Hänninen’s advice.
It has been a difficult season for Katsuto in 2020 as he suffered heavy crashes in Estonia and Sardina, as well as a first-day retirement at ACI Rally Monza. But he believes his performance and driving has improved since the beginning of the year and last season has been a learning experience for him.
Even though the rally results were not spectacular, there were still some good stage times, and a better understanding of different conditions and car set-up. The experience has made Katsuto more confident than before.
Aerospace Dynamics 