Fast-starting Katsuta puts down a marker in WRC Canary Islands Rally curtain-raiser

WRC points leader Takamoto Katsuta leads the Canary Islands Rally after Thursday evening’s opening super special, edging Toyota teammate Sami Pajari in a closely-fought shootout inside Las Palmas’s Gran Canaria Stadium.

Katsuta comes to the FIA World Rally Championship’s second all-asphalt event of the season riding the momentum of back-to-back wins in the mud and ruts of Kenya’s Safari Rally and the gravel-strewn asphalt of Croatia. The GR Yaris Rally1 driver set a best time of 1m54.2s on the 1.17-mile test (above), beating Pajari by 0.4s in front of an enthusiastic local crowd.

Cars ran head-to-head on the short, technical stage, which featured tight turns and a donut section around the stadium’s playing surface, making for close times across the field.

“It is a double bonus,” said Katsuta, who currently leads Toyota Gazoo Racing teammate Elfyn Evans in the WRC drivers’ points. “I really appreciate all the people coming to cheer our sport.”

Pajari had earlier set the benchmark and remained quickest for much of the running, eventually ending the stage just 0.4s off the lead.

“It is quite a special stage for the fans,” he said. “It is a shame the car is not made to drive this slow. It was a special feeling to race Dani on this stage.”

Behind the leading pair, WRC2 class-contending Roberto Dapra provided a major surprise as he slotted into third overall in his Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, with Hyundai’s Dani Sordo fourth on his return to Rally1 machinery in one of three factory-entered i20 N Rally1s.

WRC2 contender Roberto Dapra put in a surprise third-fastest overall time in his Skoda Fabia RS Rally2.

M-Sport Ford’s Joshua McErlean impressed with the fifth-fastest time in his Puma Rally1, ahead of Hyundai driver Adrien Fourmaux and Toyota’s Sebastien Ogier, who shared sixth.

“A lot of people here, it is nice,” said nine-time and reigning WRC champ Ogier, who returns to the fray after skipping the Croatia Rally. “It is great to see the atmosphere.”

Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville and Toyota’s Evans were inseparable, setting identical times to sit eighth and ninth, respectively, just 1.9s adrift of the lead.

“It wasn’t brilliant, but it is so easy to take a wheel off here,” said Evans of his time. “I was trying not to do anything silly.”

Oliver Solberg in the fifth of the factory GR Yaris entry completed the top 10 after a cautious run. Earlier, he’d headed a Toyota 1-2-3-4-5 on the pre-rally shakedown stage, outpacing Pajari by 0.5s, with Ogier 0.2s further back in third. Hyundai’s Fourmaux was best of the non-Toyotas, albeit 3.4s down on Solberg’s time.

So, that’s 1.17 competitive miles in the book with another 186 across 17 more special stages to go before the rally ends on Sunday afternoon. Friday’s action continues with seven stages totaling 67.6 miles of some of the fastest, but most technical asphalt in the WRC.

WRC Canary Islands Rally, positions after Thursday/Leg One, SSS1
1 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) 1m54.2s
2 Sami Pajari/Marko Salminen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +0.4s
3 Roberto Dapra/Luca Guglielmetti (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2 leader) +0.8s
4 Dani Sordo/Candido Carrera (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +1.0s
5 Josh McErlean/Eoin Treacy (Ford Puma Rally1) +1.2s
6 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +1.4s
7 Sebastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +1.4s
8 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +1.9s
9 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +1.9s
10 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +2.0s

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 race track-style action on the fast, wide mountain roads around capital city Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

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