Can Hyundai take down Toyota in Kenya?

Hyundai won the first two rounds of this 2024 edition of the WRC. In Monte Carlo, Thierry Neuville finished just ahead Sébastien Ogier (Toyota) and in Sweden, it was Esapekka Lappi who pocketed the victory, his second in his career. The dynamic is positive in the Korean clan, which is a good start to the Kenyan weekend which promises to be more complicated than the previous ones. Indeed, rival Toyota is racing on one of its favorite rallies this weekend: the Japanese clan remains on three consecutive victories since Kenya's return to the calendar in 2021, with two quadruplets over the last two editions.

Hyundai drivers ready for battle

Neuville, Thank you and Lappi will then fight a big battle against Toyota this weekend, a crucial showdown for the manufacturer's championship. With the progress of the event in March, Kenya could offer us a rally extraordinary since at this time of year, rain is particularly present in East Africa. “If it rains it gets very muddy and it makes it harder to control the car and then you add the constant variations in the road surface, it makes the rally very unpredictable. It is difficult to find the fastest line through the stages", judge Esapekka Lappi.

The puddles are already waiting for the pilots. ©DPPI

The weather conditions will then have a major impact on the performance of the drivers throughout the weekend. “Depending on when the rain starts, our position on the road can be an advantage or a disadvantage; we might be emptying the puddles or walking through them after they have been cleaned up,” underlines Thierry Neuville. On such unpredictable stages, the question will not be who is the fastest, but rather who will manage to cross the line without incident. “The car does not need to be the fastest, but it must be able to survive in the conditions we encounter throughout the stages,” continues the current WRC leader.

Finally a good weekend for Tänak?

Ott Tänak's start to the season was particularly complicated. Unable to play for victory, neither in Monte-Carlo nor in Sweden, the Estonian must absolutely wake up to stay in contact with Thierry Neuville and Elfyn Evans to hope to glean a second world champion title. But the Hyundai driver does not hide, his start to the season has not lived up to expectations. “Personally, I haven't yet managed to get into the swing of things this season and I haven't had good results. Admits the person concerned. I hope I can change that by staying clean and achieving good results in Kenya. I have to be up to it. »

It must also be said, Tänak was not helped by his machine at the start of the year either. “In the last two rallies we had difficulties with the engine mapping,” he admits. Problems which should be felt less in Kenya since it is a high altitude event, which allows the engine map to overheat less.

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