WRC
President William Ruto welcomes WRC to Kenya.
Kenyan President William Ruto launched the 71st edition of Safari Rally Kenya from Nairobi, the capital city, today (Thursday 28 March). The event marks the third round of this year’s FIA World Rally Championship.
Dressed for the occasion in WRC-branded racing overalls, Ruto flagged away the leading crews as they drove over the ramp in downtown Nairobi. From there, the cars headed to the rally-opening super special stage at the nearby Kasarani Stadium where thousands of fans were vying for every possible vantage point.
Neuville, who carries a three-point championship lead into this round, edged his Hyundai i20 N partner Ott Tänak by a single tenth over the 4.84km opener, while reigning champion Kalle Rovanperä completed the top three just 0.7s further back.
Having recorded two non-finishes in Kenya from three previous attempts, Neuville is well aware that the going will get tougher from Friday onwards.
“It will be a challenging event,” he affirmed. “Our fingers are crossed that, this time, we can get through without any technical problems or mistakes. I think we are well prepared, and I am feeling good in the car, so it’s always good to start a rally like this.”
Africa has been home to two of Takamoto Katsuta’s four WRC podiums. Driving a Toyota GR Yaris identical to Rovanperä’s, he dropped just 0.9s whilst posting the fourth-best time ahead of Hyundai rival Esapekka Lappi.
Elfyn Evans, currently second in the points, went sixth-quickest in his Toyota with M-Sport Ford Puma youngster Adrien Fourmaux following closely behind. Gus Greensmith set the pace in WRC2, taking eighth overall in a Škoda Fabia RS, while Grégoire Munster and Oliver Solberg completed the top 10.
The action resumes at 08:15 local time on Friday morning with the first of the day’s six stages. The biggest challenge will be the 31.50km Kedong test, which makes up the finale of the morning and afternoon loops.
TÄNAK CRASHES OUT OF SECOND PLACE IN KENYA
Ott Tänak’s difficult start to the 2024 World Rally Championship season has taken a turn for the worse, as he crashed out of second place on Safari Rally Kenya.
A fourth-place finish after a trip off-road and a retirement in Sweden left Tänak on the back foot in the championship heading to Kenya, needing a strong result to keep pace with Hyundai team-mate Thierry Neuville and Toyota’s Elfyn Evans early on in the title race.
But a second retirement in as many rallies beckoned for the 2019 world champion, striking a rock in the middle of the road a couple of miles into the Geothermal test, the sixth stage of the rally. Striking a rock sent Tänak’s i20 N Rally1 momentarily into the air, appearing to break his steering and sending him directly into a bank.
Kalle keeps it clean to close in on Safari triumph.
Kalle Rovanperä took a significant step towards clinching his second Safari Rally Kenya victory, steering clear of trouble while his WRC counterparts encountered difficulties on Saturday.
Amidst the most eventful day of this FIA World Rally Championship season thus far, which was marked by fluctuating conditions ranging from dry and dusty to wet and muddy, Rovanperä was one of few stars to enjoy a clean run. He widened his lead to an impressive 2m 8.2s as drivers including Thierry Neuville, Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta faced significant setbacks.
Despite dominating every stage the previous day, Rovanperä adopted a more conservative approach on Saturday’s roads near Lake Elmenteita, located south of the rally’s Naivasha base. He initially headed Toyota GR Yaris team-mates Evans and Katsuta until the pair fell behind after sustaining punctures in the morning.
Thierry Neuville emerged as Rovanperä’s closest threat, but his challenge was short-lived after his Hyundai i20 N encountered a fuel system issue during the afternoon’s first stage at Soysambu. Neuville dropped more than two-and-a-half minutes as he nursed the problem through the remaining two stages, which opened the door for Katsuta to reclaim the runner-up spot ahead of M-Sport Ford Puma man Adrien Fourmaux.
