Takamoto Katsuta of Toyota won the Rally Croatia after Thierry Neuville crashed on the final Power Stage and retired, finishing outside the points. Sami Pajari and Hayden Paddon completed the podium in second and third place respectively. According to major media, Katsuta now leads the World Rally Championship standings after his victory.
Thierry Neuville of Hyundai had led the overall competition with a safe margin before Sunday's stages. 6 seconds behind Neuville, despite a cruel turn on Saturday when a tire puncture ended his victory hopes. Pajari had led the rally after four special stages on Friday.
This weekend everything just clicked. The car has felt better from the start than in previous rallies. We have improved step by step, and I am comfortable with this car. We can maintain a good pace. The most important thing is that I have a good feeling in the car. I am enjoying this.
Tire punctures and retirements plagued multiple drivers throughout the rally. Two Rally1 cars suffered tire punctures on the second special stage. Jon Armstrong of Ford suffered a second tire puncture and a broken suspension arm on Friday, forcing him to retire.
Oliver Solberg of Toyota retired on the opening stage of the rally. Elfyn Evans of Toyota crashed out of the lead on Friday. The Croatian World Rally Championship event culminated on Sunday with four special stages remaining.
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 included a new headquarters in Rijeka and a new route this year. Hankook replaced Pirelli as the tire supplier in the WRC starting in the 2025 season. Emil Lindholm of Toksport WRT began his WRC2 season in Croatia with a new co-driver, Gabriel Morales, and hired Toni Gardemeister and Reeta Hämäläinen for his recce team.
Audience behavior caused problems during the shakedown stage on Thursday, leading to multiple stoppages. 2 minutes. John Kennard, Hayden Paddon's co-driver, became the oldest person to finish on a WRC podium at age 67.
The journey began on Wednesday in very expectant spirits. However, the expectant mood turned very quickly upon arrival in Rijeka into honest cold sweat.
Janni Hussi served as a member of Takamoto Katsuta's recce team during the rally but suffered severe food poisoning upon arrival in Croatia.
Well, a quick check-in at the hotel, a dash to the room, a tight neck hold over the toilet, and speaking Norwegian. A little food poisoning right at the start! Does good the day before the rally starts.