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Safari Rally Kenya – Kalle Rovanperä on a royal road

Despite the cancellation of SS14, Kalle Rovanperä was able to widen the gap a little further with Elfyn Evans at Safari Rally Kenya. The Finn is well on his way to collecting a 4th victory this season.

Published on 26/06/2022 à 09:14

Dorian Grangier

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Safari Rally Kenya – Kalle Rovanperä on a royal road

Almost a minute ahead for Rovanperä before the last 3 stages © Nikos Katikis / DPPI

We could imagine that this last day in Kenya would be just as explosive as those of Friday and Saturday. But it is wiser and cautious pilots that we found this Sunday morning. At the end of the morning's three stages, Kalle Rovanperä now has a 3-second lead over his runner-up, Elfyn Evans.

But to say that there were 3 stages would be a lie, since SS14 was finally canceled while it was underway. The reason: Oliver Solberg's blocking at the 2nd kilometer of the special, trapped by the famous "fech-fech", this very sandy area typical of Kenyan roads.

The Swedish driver, stuck in the middle of the road, was forced to replace his air filter in the middle of the special. The commissioners, aware that the Hyundai wouldn't move for a while, so decided to bring out the red flag and then cancel SS14. Solberg was then able to restart for the other two stages, but fell to 8th overall.

Hyundai to save honor, Toyota to secure the blow in Kenya

With only two timed stages on the first loop, short stages and 40 seconds behind overall, Elfyn Evans faced a big challenge if he wanted to catch up with the leader. But during SS15, Rovanperä knocked out the Welshman with a fantastic time. Beaten, the vice-world champion changed his mind during SS16, preserving his car with a view to points for the Power Stage. The gap between the two Toyota now stands at 56 seconds before the last 3 stages of the Safari Rally.

Behind, Takamoto Katsuta (3rd) and Sébastien Ogier (4th) also preferred to secure their positions to score points in the championship. On the Hyundai side, neither Neuville nor Thank you have something to play overall. The two drivers of the Korean brand therefore prepared for the Power Stage, with a double during SS16. Thierry Neuville is currently 5th in the general classification but very far from Ogier's 4th place.

The general classification after SS16:

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

ALSO READ > Skipping school at Safari Rally

Dorian Grangier

A young journalist nostalgic for the motorsport of yesteryear. Raised on the exploits of Sébastien Loeb and Fernando Alonso.

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