Takamoto Katsuta won the Croatia Rally, according to multiple reports. His victory came after Thierry Neuville crashed on the final stage while leading the rally, multiple reports indicate. Sami Pajari finished second and Hayden Paddon finished third, according to multiple reports. John Kennard became the oldest person to finish on the podium in WRC history at age 67, multiple reports indicate. Katsuta now leads the World Rally Championship standings, multiple reports state. Major media reports that Elfyn Evans is second in the standings, seven points behind Katsuta.
The rally was marked by multiple crashes and incidents. Major media reports that Elfyn Evans crashed out of the lead on Friday. Oliver Solberg crashed out on the opening stage of the rally, according to major media. Jon Armstrong crashed on Friday while competing for a podium, major media reports. Josh McErlean suffered a puncture on Friday and an electrical fire on Saturday, dropping him out of the points, major media states. Adrien Fourmaux and Jon Armstrong suffered punctures on the second special stage of the rally, according to multiple reports.
Today was bad luck. I did my best to be careful, but a tire puncture happened. This rally has been a bit of a lottery.
Organizational changes and notable performances defined the weekend. The Croatia Rally had a new headquarters in Rijeka this year, moving from Zagreb, multiple reports indicate. Janni Hussi, a member of Takamoto Katsuta's recce team, suffered food poisoning before the rally, according to multiple reports. There were spectator safety issues during the shakedown on Thursday, causing interruptions, multiple reports state. Oliver Solberg was fastest in the shakedown on Thursday, and Sami Pajari was seventh fastest, according to multiple reports. Toyota team principal Jari-Matti Latvala admitted he was wrong about Takamoto Katsuta's chances of winning in Croatia, multiple reports indicate. Sami Pajari led the rally on Saturday morning, and his tire issue on Saturday was a false alarm, multiple reports state. Emil Lindholm is starting his WRC2 season in Croatia with a new co-driver and recce team, according to multiple reports. Hankook tires have been a topic of discussion in WRC, with drivers experiencing issues including punctures, multiple reports state.
The journey started on Wednesday in very expectant spirits. However, the expectant mood turned very quickly upon arrival in Rijeka into honest cold sweat.