Rally di Croazia 2026, SS16: disappointment for Pajari and Katsuta. Neuville is the new leader

The 2026 Croatia Rally continues to hold surprises, which until this afternoon seemed more focused on the battle for second place between Takamoto Katsuta and Thierry Neuville. However, the latter not only finished Day 2 ahead of the Japanese driver, but even as the new provisional leader of the standings. A sudden development due to the misfortune that struck Katsuta and Sami Pajari during a single stage, the SS14, during which both drivers were forced to park their Toyota Yaris to change tires following a puncture. An unexpected event that did not affect Neuville, who is now more than a minute ahead of Katsuta and close to returning to the top step of the podium, missing (barring unforeseen events) since the 2025 Saudi Arabia Rally.

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SS13-SS16: punctures in the early afternoon

After four consecutive special stages closed with the best time, Solberg made a misstep in the first afternoon stage of Day 2, finishing even outside the top 10 in SS13, which instead saw Katsuta as the protagonist, ahead by only two tenths over Evans. Fourth position for Pajari, fully managing his lead, at least until the dramatic encounter with SS14, one of the most challenging stages of this rally. Not surprisingly, during the stage there was a shake-up in the overall standings caused by numerous punctures. Among others, McErlean, Paddon, and Katsuta were forced to stop to change tires, but the worst hit was Pajari, who lost precious time during the operations with his co-driver, dropping to third place behind Katsuta and, above all, Thierry Neuville. Unlike his rivals, the Belgian did not encounter tire problems, to the point of taking the lead of the Croatian rally and building a lead of over a minute on Katsuta, in a stage won by Solberg. The Swede then repeated this in SS15, with Neuville fully managing first place and setting the fourth-best time also in the last stage of Day 2, a day that ended in Evans’ favor. In WRC2, the dominance of Yohan Rossel behind the wheel of the Lancia continues, preparing to face Super Sunday with the goal of defending fifth place in the overall standings. Finally, it is worth noting the presence of an Italian driver like Roberto Daprà in the top 10.

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2026 Croatia Rally, standings after SS16 (Top-10)