France’s Adrien Fourmaux finished second, delivering Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT its first podium of the season, while Toyota’s rising star Sami Pajari completed the podium in third. Katsuta’s breakthrough triumph propels him to second in the championship standings, just three points behind leader Elfyn Evans, who retired on Saturday following suspension damage.
Triumph amid chaos
The rally was full of challenges from the start. Heavy rains during the opening Camp Moran stage caused Katsuta’s intercom to fail, leaving him without pace notes from Johnston. A puncture on Friday dropped the Japanese driver to seventh overall overnight.
Katsuta steadily climbed the leaderboard on Saturday’s punishing gravel stages, taking advantage of troubles faced by his competitors. Championship leader Elfyn Evans suffered two punctures and eventual rear suspension failure, forcing him to retire. Rising star Oliver Solberg and eight-time world champion Sébastien Ogier also retired with mechanical issues, handing Katsuta the rally lead.
Starting Sunday’s final leg with a 1-minute 25-second advantage, Katsuta carefully managed the rough terrain of Oserengoni and Hell’s Gate to secure victory.
“I don’t know what to say. We have faced so many difficult moments. Aaron has worked very hard with me, and the team always believed in me even when I was struggling. I’m here because of them and Aaron,” Katsuta said, emotionally overwhelmed at the finish.
Kenyan President William Ruto was present at the finish to personally present Katsuta with the winner’s trophy.
Podium and other highlights
Fourmaux delivered a composed drive to secure second overall despite Hyundai battling severe overheating issues. Pajari, despite suffering a tyre explosion and another puncture on Saturday morning, guided his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 to a solid third-place finish.
Esapekka Lappi finished fourth after adopting a cautious approach across the demanding Kenyan stages. Meanwhile, Robert Virves claimed the WRC2 category victory on his first Kenyan appearance, beating Gus Greensmith by 30.3 seconds, with Paraguay’s Fau Zaldívar rounding out the podium.
Rwanda was represented by four crews, with notable performances. Christian Kanangire and Kevin Shyaka, driving a Subaru Impreza WRX STi, finished as the top-performing Rwandan team, placing 27th overall after showing remarkable consistency through the final Hell’s Gate stages.
Queen Kalimpinya made history as the first Rwandan woman to compete in the WRC Safari Rally. Despite a technical setback that ruled her car out of the ARC classification, she continued in the national category and showcased resilience to reach the final stages alongside co-driver Olivier Ngabo.
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