Aaron Johnston will miss Rally Chile Biobío on September 10–13 after suffering a broken collarbone in the Rally del Paraguay crash — found in checks after returning home, per Rallyplus. James Fulton will replace him alongside Takamoto Katsuta.
When we covered the Paraguay result, the SS21 crash was a line in the results with no detail attached. The picture since has filled in: motorsport.com's Japanese edition described it as the biggest rollover crash of Katsuta's WRC career, and Johnston's fracture puts a hard fact behind that description.
Why a co-driver change matters
A WRC crew is a two-person instrument, and the pacenote partnership is built over years — Johnston has been Katsuta's regular co-driver through his development into a works Toyota driver. A substitute in the right seat mid-season means adapting note styles and delivery rhythm between driver and co-driver on short notice, on gravel.
Katsuta starts Chile days after the accident, with the drivers' title fight running at the front of the same event. Johnston's recovery timeline has not been announced.