Takamoto Katsuta walks into Rally Islas Canarias as World Rally Championship points leader for the first time in his career — a remarkable turnaround for the Japanese driver who inherited the win at Croatia Rally on the final stage and now steers Toyota Gazoo Racing's championship defence onto the tarmac of Gran Canaria.
Round five of the 2026 WRC runs across April 23-26. The rally is based on the Spanish island of Gran Canaria and travels on some of the fastest, grippiest asphalt stages on the calendar. For Toyota, who built its season on a blend of gravel pace and rally craft, the Canaries represent an abrupt surface change after the chaos of Croatia, where Thierry Neuville's Hyundai crashed out of the lead on the final stage to gift Katsuta an unexpected victory.
Katsuta makes no attempt to hide that the championship lead is new territory.
"I enjoyed Rally Islas Canarias a lot last year and I'm really looking forward to being back," he said ahead of the round. "At the same time, there is absolutely no room for error because everybody is driving absolutely on the limit."
The Japanese driver will open the road on Friday as championship leader, a traditional disadvantage on loose-surface events that is largely neutralised on clean Canaries tarmac.
"It will be nice to be the first car on the road on Friday, even though it's less of an advantage there," Katsuta said.
"Rally Islas Canarias is a very different rally from Croatia," Evans said. "The grip level is much higher."
Eight-time champion Sebastien Ogier, who is sharing the season's programme in Toyota's flexible driver roster, was part of the team's debut on the island in 2025 and is returning in 2026 with designs on another strong asphalt weekend.
"It was fun to do Rally Islas Canarias for the first time last year and I'm looking forward to going back," Ogier said.
The fourth member of the TGR-WRT line-up, Sami Pajari, steps up with confidence. The Finn has made the Canaries one of his favourite events on the calendar since first sampling its mountain roads.
"I'm really looking forward to Rally Islas Canarias: it's one of my favourite rallies," Pajari said.
Reigning world champion Kalle Rovanpera, who is racing a part-time programme, is not entered for Gran Canaria — a reminder that only six Toyota starts in a season can count towards the drivers' championship under the current WRC regulations. Rovanpera currently sits sixth in the standings after only two starts and will return for selected rounds later in the year.
Rally Islas Canarias celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2026 and provides one of the most spectator-friendly asphalt rounds in the series. Stages weave through volcanic landscapes, long sweeping mountain roads and tight town centres in Santa Lucia and Telde, with many of the classic passes returning for the half-century edition.
Hyundai arrive on the back foot after Neuville's Croatia heartbreak, but the Belgian has vowed a fightback. His words are an implicit challenge to Katsuta, whose first stint atop the championship standings will be tested immediately by the altitude-bred, tyre-punishing roads of the Atlantic archipelago.
Shakedown takes place on Thursday morning, with 16 competitive stages across Friday, Saturday and Sunday and a 306-kilometre competitive distance. The Power Stage finale will as ever decide not just the rally, but a crucial tranche of championship bonus points for a title race that Katsuta, for the first time in his career, is leading.
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*Originally published on [Motorsports Global](https://motorsports.global/article/katsuta-leads-wrc-standings-gran-canaria-toyota-tarmac-preview-2026). Visit for full coverage.*