Safari Rally Kenya – Rovanperä untenable, debacle at Hyundai

The Safari Rally is already an epic competition in dry conditions. So, add rain, and you end up with a legendary event, where the greatest are the winners. This Saturday, the biggest, was Kalle Rovanperä. The Finn maintained and even consolidated his lead over the Rally from Kenya.

First beaten by Elfyn Evans in SS11, the world championship leader then responded in the best possible way on the last two specials. Stages spiced up by the passage upstream of heavy rain, which made the course muddy and dotted with enormous puddles.

Tightrope walkers! 😮

The conditions are very complicated on the 12th special, watch out for mistakes in the quagmire, the drivers are on eggshells ⛈#WRCSafariRally pic.twitter.com/ajOXKmRHKA

- CANAL + Sport (@CanalplusSport) June 25, 2022

In these Dantesque conditions, the young 21-year-old driver demonstrated the maturity and mastery of a great champion. At the end of SS13, the gap between Rovanperä and Evans climbed to more than 40 seconds.

Hyundai, a Kenyan Rally to forget…

At Toyota, we couldn't be more satisfied with this day. The 4 Yaris are positioned in the first 4 places in the rally. Behind Elfyn Evans, Takamoto Katsuta and Sébastien Ogier took up a place left vacant by Thierry Neuville. Carrier of podium hopes for the Korean brand after the abandonment ofOtt Tänak in the morning, the Belgian had managed to recover 3rd position overall before suffering the harsh law of the Safari Rally.

Stopped for the first time in SS13, the driver Hyundai was then able to leave, but poor visibility trapped Neuville who ended up hitting a tree. Forced to stop again, car number 11 did not restart and retired.

#WRC 🇰🇪​ SS13

⚠️UPDATE – @thierryneuville and @MWydaeghe initially stopped on the stage as the engine cut. The crew was able to restart the car but a lack of visibility caused them to hit a tree from which they could not continue. Crew is OK.#HMSGOfficial #SafariRallyKenya

— Hyundai Motorsport (@HMSGOfficial) June 25, 2022

The only remaining representative of the Asian firm, Oliver Solberg did not commit an accident and preferred to play it safe, despite a small mishap in the 13th stage. The Swede is currently 5th overall, ahead of the first M-Sport, that of Craig Breen, who drove several minutes behind the best times on each special of the afternoon. The Irishman complained of a still unknown problem with the Ford Puma.

Thanks to the abandonment of Thierry Neuville, Sébastien Loeb should move back into the top 10. The nine-time French world champion was also the victim of a broken suspension in SS13 but was able to reach the finish without losing too much time.

Times for SS13 at @wrcsafarirally⏱️ 🇰🇪

1️⃣ @SebOgier 19:19.1
2️⃣ @KalleRovanpera +3.4
3️⃣ @TakamotoKatsuta +10.6

LIVE STREAM & Standings ➡️ https://t.co/IXbfRuzl7M
Live Updates ➡️ https://t.co/bLCtXqa8cN#WRC | #WRCLive | #SafariRallyKenya

- World Rally Championship (@OfficialWRC) June 25, 2022

The general classification after SS13: 

The full ranking of Safari Rally Kenya can be found here.

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