Kenya - SS18: Katsuta plays with the limits, Rovanperä throws in the towel

Despite some errors on SS18, Takamoto Katsuta set the fastest time on the stage ahead of Adrien Fourmaux. Kalle Rovanperä, who suffered a mechanical problem on the road section, retired from the Safari Rally Kenya.

Published 23/03/2025 à 06:34

Dorian Grangier

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Kenya – SS18: Katsuta plays with the limits, Rovanperä throws in the towel

Takamoto Katsuta continues to attack in an attempt to secure a podium finish in this Safari Rally Kenya... but the Japanese, sometimes too optimistic, makes mistakes that handicap him in his duel against Thierry Neuville. If he set the best time on SS18 and was faster than the reigning world champion, the driver Toyota could have gone even faster if he hadn't missed his braking in a tight right-hander, and if he hadn't hit a dirt bank a few seconds later. In the fight for 3rd place, the gap between the Belgian and the Japanese is now 35 seconds, with three stages remaining. rally.
On the other hand, Kalle Rovanperä lost everything before even starting SS18: the day after a hectic day, the Finn suffered another mechanical problem on the road between SS17 and SS18. The double world champion encountered a problem with the alternator belt on his Yaris and had to stop to try to repair it, without success. The Toyota driver was finally forced to return to the service park and retire. Kalle Rovanperä will therefore not score any points in Kenya, as his difficult start to the season continues...
Despite a clear lack of riding after his two retirements at the start of the weekend, and despite an opening position this Sunday, Adrien fourmaux is in good form on this Super Sunday: the Northerner set the 2nd time in the special and is currently in 4th place in the Super Sunday ranking, a ranking currently dominated by Thierry Neuville in front of Ott TänakAs a reminder, whoever achieves the best cumulative result in Sunday's specials will receive 5 additional points.
For his part, Elfyn Evans continues to manage his lead: author of the 5th time in SS18, at a rather "easy" pace, the Welshman still has a 1'45 lead over Ott Tänak in the general classification.