ZAGREB, 12 April (Hina) - Japan’s Takumoto Katsuta won the fifth edition of the WRC Croatia Rally on Sunday after a dramatic final stage in which leader Thierry Neuville crashed out.

The drama unfolded on the final, 20th stage from Alan to Senj, when Belgian driver Thierry Neuville went off the road and threw away a comfortable victory, finishing without a single point.

Neuville had led by 1:15 minutes before the final stage, but lost control after a corner, damaging the chassis of his Hyundai i20 beyond repair.

Katsuta, driving a Toyota Yaris, thus joined previous WRC Croatia Rally winners Sébastien Ogier, Elfyn Evans and Kalle Rovanperä.

Finn Sami Pajari (Toyota) finished second, 20.7 seconds behind, while New Zealander Hayden Paddon (Hyundai i20) was a surprise third, 2:07 minutes off the pace.

This is Katsuta’s second career win, following his victory at the Kenya Rally a month ago.

After going off the road on Friday and dropping out of podium contention, Sweden’s Oliver Solberg and Wales’ Elfyn Evans collected 10 and eight bonus points respectively on Sunday.

Katsuta now leads the overall World Rally Championship standings after four rounds with 81 points, ahead of Evans (74) and Solberg (68).