Takamoto Katsuta claimed victory in Croatia after a dramatic final stage that saw Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville throw away a likely first win of the 2026 World Rally Championship season.
Neuville took a 1m15.4s lead into the final stage and was seemingly on course to end Toyota’s 100% winning start to the season. However, the Belgian lost the rear of his i20 N and clouted a concrete block, causing terminal damage to the front-right of his car.
Neuville lost over 20 minutes but did manage to finish the final stage, provisionally classified down in 20th place overall.
It handed Safari Rally Kenya winner Katsuta a second consecutive WRC win by 20.7s from Sami Pajari, with Hyundai’s Hayden Paddon in third.
Neuville had been locked in the victory fight throughout the 20-stage contest in what proved to be one of the most attritional asphalt rallies for some time.
Neuville found himself firmly in the victory fight on Friday after the championship’s top two Elfyn Evans and Oliver Solberg retired on Friday morning. Monte Carlo winner Solberg went off the road just 4.8km into the event after clipping a rock face which sent his GR Yaris off the road in the opening stage.
After rejoining the rally on Saturday, Solberg dominated the stages claiming 10 fastest times on his way to salvaging 10 vital Super Sunday points for his title push. Likewise, Evans managed to secure eight points.
Such was the attrition rate, WRC2 runners filled the top 10. This was headed by Yohan Rossel, who claimed a historic first WRC2 victory for Lancia following the iconic brand’s decision to rejoin rallying’s top series this year. It is the first time Lancia has finished in the top five of a WRC event since 1993.
Rossel guided his Ypsilon HF Integrale to the win by 38.8s from his younger brother Leo Rossel, driving a Citroen C3 Rally2. Lancia’s Nikolay Gryazin claimed the final podium spot after overtaking Roope Korhonen on the final day.
M-Sport-Ford’s Armstrong showed impressive pace throughout and came close to securing a maiden WRC stage win on several occasions. A crash on Friday ended any hopes of a top-five finish but the Northern Irishman did pick up six Super Sunday points.
Team-mate McErlean finished the rally but again was delayed by several issues. The Irishman suffered three punctures, an engine issue and lost seven minutes to a cockpit fire in his Ford Puma on Saturday.
