Can WRC leader Katsuta make it three wins in a row on Canary Islands Rally’s ‘racetrack’ asphalt?

Takamoto Katsuta made FIA World Rally Championship history after back-to-back victories in Kenya and Croatia (above) made him the first non-European driver to lead the WRC points.

The Japanese driver heads Toyota Gazoo Racing teammate Elfyn Evans by just seven points in the overall WRC drivers’ standings, and now his title credentials are about to be put to the test on one of the championship’s most demanding all-asphalt events, the Canary Islands Rally, April 23-26.

Katsuta’s Safari Rally Kenya win – his first overall WRC victory after 90 starts – was secured after a controlled drive through the African mud and ruts; his second win, on dirt- and gravel-strewn Croatian asphalt, came after attrition among the field and a final-stage retirement for erstwhile leader Thierry Neuville’s Hyundai.

This time, riding his momentum and starting first car on the road courtesy of his points lead, Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 driver Katsuta heads the field into an event where precision and confidence will be critical from the outset.

The Canary Island Rally is part two of the WRC’s first back-to-back asphalt run of the year, but presents a very different test to Croatia. The roads on the Spanish archipelago off the northwest coast of Africa are wider, cleaner and offer higher grip, with a racetrack-like character that rewards commitment and accuracy.

“I enjoyed Rally Islas Canarias a lot last year and I’m really looking forward to being back,” said Katsuta, who finished fourth when the rally made its WRC debut last season. “It’s very different to Croatia, but it’s very nice to drive. At the same time, there is absolutely no room for error because everybody is driving absolutely on the limit, so a small mistake can cost you a lot, even if it’s only a few tenths or one second.

“It will be nice to be the first car on the road on Friday, even though it’s less of an advantage there because there’s not much cutting and the roads stay quite clean. I will try my best and maybe get some tips from my friend [and 2025 winner] Kalle Rovanpera, who was very fast there last year.”

Rovanpera won’t be defending his victory in 2026, the two-time WRC champ swapping his Toyota factory seat for a currently-on-hold tilt at open-wheel racing in Japan’s Super Formula Championhip. But there are plenty of other factory-backed GR Yaris Rally1s in the field – five, including Katsuta – for an event where Toyota locked out the top four positions last year.

Swedish Rally winner Evans needs a response after consecutive retirements and will be looking to build on his 2025 Canary Islands podium, while Oliver Solberg, winner of the season-opening Monte Carlo Rally, remains firmly in contention after scoring maximum Super Sunday points in Croatia. He sits six points behind Evans and 13 behind Katsuta in a Toyota-heavy leaderboard.

Sami Pajari continues the Toyota theme as he continues to build consistency in another of the GR Yaris fleet. He arrives fourth in the standings after three consecutive podium finishes, including on the Croatian asphalt.

Toyota’s strength is further underlined by the return of nine-time and reigning WRC Sebastien Ogier, who skipped Croatia, but finished second here last year behind the flying Rovanpera.

Sebastien Ogier returns to add firepower to Toyota’s five-car fleet. The reigning WRC champ finished second in the Canary Islands last year. Red Bull Content Pool

Hyundai, fielding three factory Rally1 entry against the Toyotas, has reason for optimism. Adrien Fourmaux is the only current Rally1 driver to have previously won this event when it formed a round of the FIA European Rally Championship, while team talisman and 2024 WRC champ Neuville shows up determined to respond after losing that nailed-on victory on Croatia’s final stage.

“Rally Islas Canarias is probably the most straightforward [asphalt] event of the season in terms of road conditions – it’s the cleanest event, with the highest grip conditions of any asphalt rally we do,” said Neuville. “The roads have a very circuit-like character, but they are very demanding and technical when it comes to pace notes. That’s one of the main challenges here: making good pace notes that you can trust, because the corners are so long. We have worked hard on the car, trying to make it more precise while also improving the balance.”

Thierry Neuville looked set for a dominant Croatia Rally win (above), until a final-stage crash dashed his hopes. He’s looking fro redemption in the Canary Islands. Red Bull Content Pool

Dani Sordo’s return in the third Hyundai i20 N Rally1 gives the local fans someone to cheer on roads that should suit his asphalt skills.

It’s the Spaniard’s first WRC Rally1 start since finishing second on Acropolis Rally Greece in 2024. During his absence, Sordo, alongside co-driver Candido Carrera, remained active and successful, claiming the Portuguese national title last year in a Rally2-spec i20 N

“I am really excited to be back in the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 car and especially looking forward to being in Canarias,” said three-time WRC event winner Sordo. “My target is to have a good setup and fight for the victory or a podium. When I start a rally I always aim for the win, and being in Spain on asphalt makes that feel very achievable.”

Completing the overall victory-chasing Rally1 cars, M-Sport Ford fields Jon Armstrong and Josh McErlean in a pair of Pumas. Armstrong showed encouraging pace in Croatia, while McErlean will be aiming for a clean run after going off the road here last year.

In WRC2, the second tier of international rallying, Yohan Rossel is aiming to follow up WRC returnee Lancia’s breakthrough class win in Croatia, but faces a deep field of asphalt specialists in the Canary Islands.

Rossel earned the Ypsilon HF Rally2’s maiden WRC2 victory in Croatia, putting in a near-flawless peformance ahead of his brother, Leo, in a Citroen C3 Rally2 and Lancia teammate Nikolay Gryazin.

The Frenchman won the WRC2 class in the Canary Islands for Citroen last year and, having switched to Stellantis stablemate Lancia, believes a second asphalt win on only the third event for the all-new Ypsilon is a possibility.

“I feel good,” he said. “The weather can change fast [on the Canary Island stages], but the car will be fast, I’m sure. We’ve worked at the maximum to be ready.”

After taking a WRC2 victory for world rally returnee Lancia in Croatia (above), can Yohan Rossel make it two wins in a row in the Canary Islands? Red Bull Content Pool

This year’s rally, the 50th edition of the event, but only its second in WRC guise, features 17 stages covering 187 competitive miles. The majority take place over the mountain roads inland of capital and rally base Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, but a centerpiece of the opening leg is a historic return to the BP Ultimate-Circuito Islas Canarias super special, where the drivers will compete side-by-side in a stadium-style showdown reminiscent of the legendary Race of Champions.

• Catch WRC action from all rounds of the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship on RACER Network and the RACER+ App. Next up, the latest WRC Magazine Show episode, setting the scene for the Canary Island Rally, premieres Thursday, April 23 at 10.30pm ET on the RACER Network.
• And tune in on Monday, April 27 at 9.00pm ET for full highlights from the Canary Island Rally. It’s the WRC’s second all-asphalt round of the season, so get set for racetrack-style action on the fast, wide mountain roads around capital city Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
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