WRC
Katsuta sets early pace on dry Monte-Carlo shakedown
Takamoto Katsuta topped shakedown at Rallye Monte-Carlo on Wednesday afternoon as the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship burst into life on unexpectedly dry asphalt.
The Toyota Gazoo Racing driver posted a best time of 2min 31.8sec on the short warm-up test near Gap, edging team-mate Sébastien Ogier by 1.3sec as crews took advantage of sunshine conditions that are unlikely to last with snow forecast later in the week.
Ogier, starting his home event from Gap, was content to ease into the rally, setting his quickest time on the second pass.
“I'm happy to be here like always, it is a special place,” he said. “The sunshine today might be the last of the week. It will be a tricky rally ahead and let's see what the weather brings.”
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Oliver Solberg continued his encouraging build-up to a first full Rally1 campaign by going third fastest, 2.6sec off the pace, while Elfyn Evans and Sami Pajari completed the top five in similarly measured fashion.
Evans summed up the uncertainty facing crews: “Typical Monte ahead and nobody is really sure what to expect,” he said. “It looks particularly challenging.”
With conditions far more benign than forecast for the rally proper, Hyundai Motorsport used shakedown for experimentation. Thierry Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux both ran on studded tyres despite the dry Tarmac, prioritising feeling over outright time.
“It is not the best conditions for now,” said Neuville. “Nobody really knows what the weather is bringing. It is going to be very demanding. I just wanted to get a feeling on the studded tyres.”
Neuville suffered a moment on his second run, hitting a bank with the front-right of his i20 N Rally1, while Fourmaux completed a clean but cautious shakedown ahead of what he described as “almost a home rally”.
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Further down the order, Josh McErlean impressed with sixth fastest time on his final run, just ahead of Rally1 debutant Jon Armstrong, who focused on learning pace notes and tyre behaviour on his first top-level appearance.
Grégoire Munster was eighth fastest, while Hayden Paddon escaped with only minor front-bumper damage after outbraking himself into a bridge section.
“It was just a small moment,” said Paddon. “This is going to be a tough rally and we are in the deep end.”
