Aaron Johnston third in World Championship standings/
It is a landmark week for Irish motorsport as co-driver Aaron Johnston heads into the third round of the FIA World Rally Championship sitting third overall in the global standings.
Following a seventh-place finish at the treacherous Rallye Monte-Carlo in January, Johnston and driver Takamoto Katsuta delivered a masterclass on the snow of Rally Sweden. The duo were a force to be reckoned with all weekend, even snatching the overall lead on Friday evening after a blistering charge through the frozen forests.
While they eventually conceded the win to teammates Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin, their second-place overall finish, combined with critical Super Sunday and Power Stage point, has catapulted the Tyrone man to the sharp end of the championship.
The result in Sweden was part of a historic 1-2-3-4 lockout for Toyota Gazoo Racing. Having already secured a podium sweep in Monte Carlo, this marks the first time since 2010 that a manufacturer has locked out the podium on consecutive WRC rounds.
WRC Co-Driver Standings (After Round 2)
Pos Co-Driver Points
1 🇬🇧 Scott Martin 60
2 🇬🇧 Elliott Edmondson 47
3 🇮🇪 Aaron Johnston 30
4 🇫🇷 Alexandre Coria 28
5 🇧🇪 Martijn Wydaeghe 21
Next Stop: Safari Rally Kenya 🇰🇪🐘
Johnston now prepares for one of the most gruelling tests in world motorsport as the championship heads to Africa from March 12 to 15.
The Safari Rally Kenya has traditionally been a happy hunting ground for the Katsuta/Johnston pairing, with the Japanese driver previously stating that the event’s unique endurance challenges suit his driving style.
Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“This is a great result for the team and I’m very happy to be part of it, so a huge thanks to the team for all their hard work,” ” Katsuta said after the Swedish podium.
“Everything was working well with the car and I was enjoying it a lot. Big congratulations to Elfyn: he was so strong here again this year and deserves this win. Hopefully next time I have a chance to fight for victory I can push harder. It’s always enjoyable to be in the fight, especially on this kind of high-speed rally when it’s so intense and you’re fighting over tenths of a second. Kenya is another rally that seems to suit me, so I’ll look forward to that.”
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