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WRC Canary Islands: Katsuta takes early lead after stadium super special
TL;DR
Takamoto Katsuta leads the WRC Rally Islas Canarias after winning the stadium super special stage. He outpaced Hyundai's Adrien Fourmaux by 1.4 seconds in a competitive opening round.
Key points
- Takamoto Katsuta leads the WRC Rally Islas Canarias
- Katsuta won the stadium super special stage
- The stage was held inside Gran Canaria football stadium
- Katsuta outpaced Adrien Fourmaux by 1.4 seconds
- The rally marks its 50th edition
Takamoto KatsutaAdrien FourmauxToyotaHyundai
Motorsport photo
World Rally Championship leader Takamoto Katsuta has grabbed the early lead at Rally Islas Canarias after winning a hotly contested stadium super special stage.
The 50th edition of the Spanish asphalt rally kicked off with an all-new fan friendly super special stage, held inside the 32,000 Gran Canaria football stadium, which saw crews go head-to-head across three loops of a tricky 1.89km course.
Katsuta was matched against Hyundaiâs Adrien Fourmaux and it was the Toyota driver that dispatched the Frenchman by 1.4sec. The time was enough for Katsuta to win the stage and take an early lead, eclipsing the benchmark previously set by Toyota team-mate Sami Pajari by 0.4sec.
âThere are lots of people in the stadium, I appreciate so many people coming to see our sport. Not a proper stage, but still the show is important for the sport,â said Katsuta.
Sami Pajari, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT2
Sami Pajari, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT2
Pajari had set the pace after beating home hero Spainâs Dani Sordo, making his first Rally1 start since Greece 2024.
"It's quite a special stage for the fans. A bit of a shame because this car is not meant to drive that slow,â said Pajari. âBut there are three days of proper action coming and I'm looking forward to that. It's a special feeling to race against Dani on this stage."
Q&A
Who is leading the WRC Rally Islas Canarias after the super special stage?
Takamoto Katsuta is currently leading the WRC Rally Islas Canarias.
What was the format of the stadium super special stage at Rally Islas Canarias?
The stadium super special stage featured a 1.89km course held inside the Gran Canaria football stadium, with crews racing head-to-head across three loops.
How did Katsuta perform against Adrien Fourmaux in the super special stage?
Katsuta won the super special stage by defeating Adrien Fourmaux by 1.4 seconds.
