The two-time Safari Rally podium finisher rolled his GR Yaris during his third shakedown run which ripped the rear wing and damaged the right rear of his car.
The car was transported to the Naivasha service park where Toyota began to repair the vehicle following an FIA inspection that confirmed the GR Yaris’ roll cage hadn’t been damaged in the crash.
The car will now make the trip to Kenya’s capital Nairobi to contest the opening super special stage.
“We did three runs and on the third run there is a small jump into the braking for the hairpin right and there was small bump on the entry to the corner,” said Katsuta.
“I was braking into this bump and straight away the car started to roll.
“To be honest I was quite surprised because the first two runs nothing really happened, but on the third run it did.
“I’m very sorry for the team. It was looking really bad but nowadays the car is full of carbon panels. It looks really bad, but actually the damage wasn’t too bad and the roll cage is okay. The FIA checked it and it was all okay.
“I’m sorry for the team by making them busy but I will try to give them back a positive result.”
Katsuta wasn’t the only driver to hit trouble in shakedown as Safari Rally debutant Hyundai’s Esapekka Lappi failed to log a time after suffering two mechanical issues.
Source: Autosport