Kenya: Disaster for Hyundai, three Toyota ahead / WRC

Esapekka Lappi, winner of the second round of the World Rally Championship in Sweden, retired in the fifth round in second place overall after sliding in the Hyundai i20 N Rally1. After Esapekka Lappi, Hyundai lost the second car in the next decision. Second-placed Ott Tänak, making his third driving mistake after Monte Carlo and Sweden, hit a large rock in the middle of the road in the third race of the season, which damaged the steering wheel and forced him to retire.

Drivers’ championship leader Thierry Neuville, winner of the opening round in Monte Carlo, was fourth behind the three factory Toyotas in the final Hyundai i20 N Rally1 after a tire puncture in the fourth attempt.

Toyota rules again

In 2022 and 2023, Toyota won four times in East Africa in eleven Tour victories. This year, the Jari-Matti Latvala team put all three factory Toyota GR Yaris Rally1s on the provisional podium one day after the first of three stages of the first gravel rally of the year.

Reigning world champion Kalle Rovanperä returned to central duty in Naivasha as the front runner after seven tries from 19 in his second start of his self-selected interim season. Rovanperä set the best time in all six tests on Friday to take a clear lead of 56.9 seconds over fellow rider Elfin Evans, who beat his partner Takamoto Katsuta in the final day’s decider, Kenya’s longest test at 30.92km Released to the final. platform space for 3.9 seconds.

Clear statement from the soloist of “Safari” Rovanperä: “I have to enjoy this day. The situation was very difficult, the songs became louder with each car. I would like to be faster.”

As always, Evans also criticized East Africa: “I may have hit something behind. I attacked too hard. I’m very disappointed with the day. It was going in the right direction this afternoon, but we have to do better.”

Katsuta stuck to his Kenyan streak this year as well, placing second in 2021, third in 2022, fourth in 2023 and now third again (+ 1:00.8). Katsuta, with reservations, was satisfied with his good performance again: “I missed the junction. But we are happy to be here, tomorrow will be a difficult day. But I have to stick to my strategy to avoid making mistakes.”

Neuville crossed the finish line for the day with a 6.5 second gap to Katsuta. Without his puncture in the fourth decider, the first round of last Friday’s test, the WRC leader would have been on the podium. However, Neuville, usually on the side of criticism, was satisfied: “I am satisfied with my performance. It was difficult to find the right grip at every intersection. The puncture cost us time, but we are here. It was a difficult day for Hyundai.”

Behind him were two M-Sport drivers Adrien Fourmaux (+ 1:46.6) and Grégoire Munster (+ 3:34.2) in the two Ford Puma Rally1 races.

Former M-Sport works driver Gus Greensmith led the Skoda trio in WRC2 in P7. There he was already leading by 3:23.0 minutes ahead of Poland’s Kajetan Kajetanowicz, the 2023 WRC2 winner in Kenya, and 3:37.5 minutes ahead of Swedish winner Oliver Solberg, slowed by a puncture.

Rally Safari on Servus TV:

Easter Saturday, March 30, 2024:
07:00 am CET: SS 9 “Elementaita 1” (15.08 km)*
1:30 pm CET: SS 12 “Elementaita 2” (15.08 km)*

Easter Sunday, March 31, 2024:
08:00 Uhr MEZ: WP 16 «Hellsgate 1» (10.53 km)*
1:00 pm CET: SS 19 “Hellsgate 2” (Power Stage/km 10.53)

* Good knowledge of English is required