Aaron Johnston Makes History with Dramatic Croatia Victory
A historic day for Irish motorsport concluded in dramatic fashion on Sunday as Tyrone co-driver Aaron Johnston and driver Takamoto Katsuta secured victory at the WRC Croatia Rally.
The win came after long-time leader Thierry Neuville crashed out on the final Wolf Power Stage. Neuville had held a lead of over a minute heading into the final test, but his hopes were shattered when he struck a concrete block, damaging the suspension of his Hyundai i20 N Rally1.
The retirement handed Katsuta and Johnston their second successive FIA World Rally Championship win, following their breakthrough success at Safari Rally Kenya last month. With this result, Johnston becomes the first Motorsport Ireland licence holder ever to lead the World Rally Championship points standings. He also becomes the first Irish competitor to secure back-to-back victories at the highest level of the sport.
The Tyrone man now joins an elite group of Motorsport Ireland licence holders to reach the top step of a WRC podium. He joins Kerry’s Paul Nagle, who holds five world wins, and Ronan McNamee, who famously won the 1989 RAC Rally alongside Pentti Airikkala.
While legendary co-drivers Terry Harryman (6 wins) and Fred Gallagher (5 wins) reached similar figures, both competed under British MSA licences. Johnston’s achievement marks a significant first for an Irish-licenced competitor leading the world title race.
Rally Summary
Katsuta and Johnston finished the event 20.7 seconds ahead of Toyota teammate Sami Pajari, who was promoted to second. New Zealander Hayden Paddon completed the podium in third. In WRC2, Yohan Rossel secured a landmark victory for the new Lancia Ypsilon HF Rally2, finishing fourth overall—Lancia’s first top-five WRC finish since 1994.
The championship lead now rests with the Toyota pair as the series remains on asphalt for the next round, Rally Islas Canarias, from 23–26 April.
Rally Classification:
T Katsuta / A Johnston (JPN/IRL) Toyota GR Yaris Rally1: 2h 51m 15.8s
S Pajari / M Salminen (FIN) Toyota GR Yaris Rally1: +20.7s
H Paddon / J Kennard (NZL) Hyundai i20 N Rally1: +2m 07.7s
Y Rossel / A Dunand (FRA) Lancia Ypsilon HF Rally2: +5m 19.9s
L Rossel / G Mercoiret (FRA) Citroën C3 Rally2: +5m 58.7s
N Gryazin / K Aleksandrov (BGR) Lancia Ypsilon HF Rally2: +6m 17.8s
Irish WRC Winners (Motorsport Ireland Licence Holders):
Paul Nagle: 5 Wins
Aaron Johnston: 2 Wins
Ronan McNamee: 1 Win
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