Toyotas ahead of Hyundais at Shakedown

In unfamiliar territory, the drivers did not hesitate to hit the road this Wednesday for the Shakedown of the Rally from Kenya.

Many people have completed four or even five stints like Gus Greensmith (M-Sport) in order to get their bearings before the start of hostilities this Friday.

Winner in Sardinia a few weeks ago and leader of the championship, Sébastien Ogier climbed to the top of the rankings with a time of 3'42"6, obtained during his 4th and final run of the day.

On the timesheet, the Gapençais is ahead of his teammate Elfyn Evans and Thierry Neuville (Hyundai). The first finished only a tenth behind Sébastien Ogier while the second was relegated to just over a second.

Check out the first #SafariRallyKenya action from shakedown #ToyotaGAZOORacing #PushingTheLimitsForBetter #YarisWRC #WRC pic.twitter.com/1og1QV7S8R

— Toyota GAZOO Racing WRT (@TGR_WRC) June 23, 2021

Victim of various problems on his i20 in Portugal and Sardinia, Ott Tänak (Hyundai) did not tempt the devil and was satisfied with the 8th fastest time of the Shakedown, more than 4 seconds from the lead.

The return to the premier category was somewhat eventful in the Kenyan savannah for Oliver Solberg. Engaged aboard the Hyundai i20 operated by 2C Competition in place of Frenchman Pierre-Louis Loubet, the Swede was unable to complete the shakedown. Petter Solberg's son hit a rock on the road, causing the front suspension to break on his first pass.

Update from Shakedown… 

Didn't feel like much of a hit, but that's the Safari Rally for you! All part of the learning curve. We keep our heads up for the rally!  https://t.co/YspyNbUGzA

— Oliver Solberg (@OliverSolberg01) June 23, 2021

Also present in WRC1 after a stint in WRC2 in Sardinia, Adrien fourmaux (M-Sport) was discreet. The Habs, with four passages in this shakedown, set a best time of 3'50. His teammate Gus Greensmith was faster with a time of 3'45"7 and a 6th place finish.