Safari Rally Kenya – Evans leads Toyota quadruple, Loeb retires

The Toyota sont à l’aise au Kenya. Au terme de la première matinée et des quatre premières spéciales du rally, the four Japanese cars are at the forefront. At the end of SS4, it was Elfyn Evans who led the race. The Welshman stole first place at Sébastien Ogier during the last special of the first loop, while the Frenchman had been in the lead since Thursday's Super Special.

The reigning world champion lost several seconds in the Kedong marathon special (31,25 km). A stage which shook up the general classification. Sebastian Loeb, author of the best time on SS2, lost almost 30 seconds on SS4 and fell to 5th place. But there was a twist: while leaving after the finish, the engine of the Ford Puma caught fire. The Frenchman was able to join the assistance thanks to his electric motor, but the damage was too great and forced Loeb and Galmiche to abandon.

💔 @SebastienLoeb's #SafariRallyKenya return is over 😩 #WRCLive #WRC

- World Rally Championship (@OfficialWRC) June 24, 2022

Kalle Rovanperä, for his part, impresses despite his sweeping role in Kenya. The Finn did not seem to be perturbed by his position as fly-half. The championship leader set the best times on SS3 and SS4 and moved up to 3rd place overall.

Hyundai and M-Sport continue to have problems in Kenya

Si Toyota est à la fête, c’est un rallye déjà bien plus compliqué pour Hyundai et M-Sport. L’équipe coréenne n’a pas eu un début de rallye tranquille. Dès les premiers kilomètres de l’ES2, Ott Tanäk a vu son levier de vitesse se briser. L’Estonien a perdu une trentaine de secondes avant de réparer avec les moyens du bord lors de la liaison.

The Estonian MacGyver 👀🔧#WRCLive | #SafariRallyKenya | #WRC pic.twitter.com/fQ7E3cRvW9

- World Rally Championship (@OfficialWRC) June 24, 2022

Thierry Neuville also experienced a big blow during SS4: on a very dusty special stage, the Hyundai i20 lost its power in the last few kilometers. The Belgian arrived almost a minute late and is now positioned in 9th place overall. Oliver Solberg also experienced the same mishap in the same special.

On the M-Sport side, in addition to Loeb's retirement, Gus Greensmith suffered a puncture on the Kedong special. The Briton had to change his wheel a few hectometers from the finish and lost more than ten minutes. Adrien fourmaux, on the pace during SS2, lost a lot of time in the other two specials. The Frenchman is currently 8th, 31 seconds behind Evans.

The Safari Rally resumes at 12:09 p.m. for the 5th special around Loldia (19,17 km).

The general classification after SS4: