Safari rally in the upcoming weekend

Elfvyn Evans and Scott Martin is in the championship lead ahead of the Safari Rally in Kenya. Photo: Fredrik Sundvall / FotoINorr

The third event of the year is the upcoming weekend, the Safari rally in Kenya. The rally is famous for its unforgiving “fesh-fesh”, a very soft type of sand that easily stops the cars. The rally is also famous for its breathtaking views and lots of safari animals close to the roads. Last years winner in Kenya, Elfvyn Evans, is the leader of the championship going into this round, with former Hyundai driver Ott Tänak as runner up, and Thierry Neuville in third place. Evans has three podiums from five starts in Kenya. Evans has a good form, having ended up first or second in six of his seven last WRC events, his sixth place in Saudi as the one outside the top two.

Toyota has won every Safari rally since its return in 2021, and they will have a strong lineup this year as well. Apart from Evans, reigning champion Sebastien Ogier is doing his second start of the season after not competing in Sweden. Ogier has two wins in Kenya, his last one in 2023. Another Toyota driver is Oliver Solberg, his first WRC1 event in Kenya, but he knows all about the danger in Kenya, getting caught in the fesh-fesh sand last year in WRC2. Takamoto Katsuta had a good rally in Kenya last year, just until the last stage where he rolled his Yaris. Apart from last year, Katsuta has finished every year in Kenya, with three podiums. The final driver for Toyota, Sami Pajari, made his debut in Kenya last year, finishing fourth.

Hyundai have had some troubles finding pace and keeping up with the Toyotas. This might not be a major issue in the Safari rally, since the rally is not just about raw pace, but also about keeping the car out of trouble. Hyundais full time drivers, Thierry Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux and joined by part-time driver Esa-Pekka Lappi, for his second event of the season after finishing sixth. Last time Lappi drove in Kenya, he had no luck since his car broke down and he had to retire. The last rally with similar sand, Saudi Arabia, Hyundai ended up 1-2 with Neuville and Fourmaux on the podium. Maybe the team will claim some major points and close up the gap to Toyota.

M-Sport will start with two Irish drivers, Josh McErlean and Jon Armstrong, who will be full of redemption from Sweden, where the team had major issues with punctures. McErlean drove in Kenya last year, ending up on tenth place, whereas Armstrong will be going to Kenya for his first time.

Driver standings:
1. Evans (Toyota) 60
2. Solberg (Toyota) 47
3. Katsuta (Toyota) 30
4. Fourmaux (Hyundai) 28
5. Neuville (Hyundai) 21
6. Ogier (Toyota) 18
7. Pajari (Toyota) 17
8. Lappi (Toyota) 9
9. Rossel, Leo (Citroen) 8
10. Rossel, Yohan (Lancia) 6

WRC2:
1. Korhonen (Toyota) 25
2. Rossel (Citroen) 25
3. Dapra (Skoda) 17
4. Suninen (Toyota) 17
5. Joona (Skoda) 15

Written by: Christian Flodin