Confirmed
Johnston injured, Fulton joins Katsuta for Rally Chile
Aaron Johnston will miss Rally Chile due to a fractured collarbone, with James Fulton stepping in as Takamoto Katsuta's co-driver.
Co-driver Change for Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
Aaron Johnston, co-driver to Takamoto Katsuta in the Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team, will miss the upcoming Rally Chile due to a fractured collarbone sustained during a significant incident at Rally Paraguay. James Fulton will step in to navigate for Katsuta during the event, which runs from September 10–13. This change is confirmed by Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT, which has also extended well wishes to Johnston for a swift recovery, according to RallyJournal.
Details of the Incident
The incident occurred during the third special stage of Rally Paraguay. Katsuta’s Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 car collided with the inside bank, causing it to lift onto two wheels and subsequently roll onto its side, ultimately bringing down an electricity pole. Both Katsuta and Johnston were able to exit the extensively damaged car unassisted; however, precautionary medical examinations at a local hospital, as reported by Motorsport.com, later revealed Johnston’s collarbone injury.
Motorsport.com also quoted Toyota deputy team principal Juha Kankkunen, who described the crash: “It looked quite strange as it was very fast left and right hander and the rear snapped out and the front hit a small wall and it has kicked him onto two wheels. There was no space to do anything else.”
Implications for the Championship
This injury forces Johnston to recuperate, sidelining him from the next World Rally Championship round. RallyJournal stated that Fulton's move alongside Katsuta means Topi Luhtinen will co-drive for TGR WRC Challenge programme driver Yuki Yamamoto at Rally Chile. Luhtinen typically serves as Seth Quintero’s co-driver in the US-based ARA rally series.
Regarding current championship standings, Elfyn Evans leads with 201 points, followed by Sami Pajari with 171 points, and Takamoto Katsuta is third with 160 points. Four rounds remain in the WRC season, making every point crucial for the championship contenders.
While this co-driver change impacts a leading team, it does not directly involve any Finnish drivers or Finnish teams. The Finnish presence in the WRC remains strong, with drivers like Sami Pajari and Esapekka Lappi currently competing, but this particular news item has no direct Finnish connection.
Status And Sources
This story is labelled Confirmed, which means the people involved have said this on the record. The rules behind those labels are in the editorial policy, and the desk that published it is Sanni Koskela.
Written from the following reporting. Each link goes to the newsroom's own page, not to an aggregator:
- RallyJournalrallyjournal.com
- Motorsport.commotorsport.com
