Katsuta crashes out at Rally Paraguay cancelling penultimate stage
30th August 2026Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta has crashed out on the penultimate stage of the World Rally Championship’s Rally del Paraguay, prompting the stage to be red-flagged and cancelled.
Feature image credit: Jaanus Ree // Red Bull Content Pool
Katsuta has endured a painful event in Paraguay as the Japanese driver has crashed out for the second time in the same weekend on the South American continent; thankfully, both he and his co-driver, Aaron Johnstone, are okay.
The pair have been taken to hospital for ‘precautionary checks’ after their high-speed crash.
On the 21st stage of the event, of 22, Katsuta oversteered at a fast left-right corner and rolled his Rally1 Yaris.
According to fan footage, the car veered onto two wheels after clipping an inside bank while driving down the road, before flipping over in mid-air and colliding with a nearby electrical pole and landing on its side.
Local supporters were able to get the car back onto four wheels after the stage was red-flagged.
Following the incident, Toyota confirmed:
“After the accident of car #18 in SS21, both driver and co-driver are OK.
“Due to the heavy impact, both will be taken to hospital for precautionary checks to confirm that everything is fine”
After the accident of car #18 in SS21, both driver and co-driver are OK. Due to the heavy impact, both will be taken to hospital for precautionary checks to confirm that everything is fine.
— TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRT (@TGR_WRC) August 30, 2026
As a result of the crash and the positioning of the car, the officials had opted to cancel the stage.
Katsuta had been 41st in the overall leaderboard having joined a recovery drive, having been allowed to continue the rally under the restart procedure after he crashed out on Friday morning in another heavy high-speed shunt.
It means only the power stage is left, with Toyota’s Sami Pajari continuing to lead the rally on course for his third consecutive victory.
The final stage of Rally del Paraguay will get underway at 14:15 local time, with the second pass of Encarnacion.
Read more WRC here:
- Rally del Paraguay: Full WRC stage times and guide
- FIA conclude Rally Scotland WRC candidate event
- 2026 Czech Rally: Full ERC stage guide and times
- Rally Paraguay: full WRC Rally1 entry list
- FIA give September deadline for WRC Saudi Arabia finale
- Sebastien Ogier confirms attendance in remaining WRC rallies
- Sebastien Ogier gives update after Rally Finland crash
- Pajari takes over Rally Finland after Ogier suffers big crash
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Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.
I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
Kamron Kent
Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
