Kenya – Tanak and Hyundai's misfortunes are Evans and Toyota's joy

No one is safe in the Safari Rally Kenya. Not even the undisputed leader since the start of the day. On an incredible run with 4th overall in the first 6 starts of the day, Ott Tänak was not spared from misfortune, seeing his efforts reduced to nothing after a mechanical failure.

Leading by more than 45 seconds after SS8 and with two starts to go in the day, the rider Hyundai finished the said stage with an oil leak under his i20. On the road stage, he was spotted twice stopped working on the front right of his car. While he somehow managed to reach the start of SS9 on time, Ott Tänak was forced to start slowly and lose all the lead he had managed to build up during the first 6 stages of the day.

The world champion suffered a problem with his front right driveshaft, which he eventually removed before SS10, the final stage of this Friday. This situation inevitably benefited his main pursuers, and therefore... Toyota.

While Ott Tänak appeared to be the last line of defense against them, the Japanese were the big winners of the afternoon with Elfyn Evans taking back the lead and Kalle Rovanperä firmly established in 2nd place. As he returned to the service area, the Welshman had a 7" lead over his teammate. Having fallen back to 7rd, Tänak was 3" behind.

Neuville penalized again, Fourmaux on the mat

The other Hyundai drivers also had a hectic afternoon. Penalized twice during the morning, Thierry Neuville received a third penalty: 50 seconds for arriving 5 minutes late at TC8. Luckily, his teammate's misfortunes allowed him to still believe in the podium he could see in the distance, 36 seconds away.

Adrien fourmaux was forced to retire for the second time. After his battery problems on Thursday, the Northerner lost a suspension shaft (the front right) after riding for a few kilometers with a puncture at the first start of the second loop. Two kilometers from the finish, we came across a hole and it turns out there was a rock inside.he confided. The impact broke the suspension arm. Unfortunately, we didn't have the spare part with us, so we couldn't continue. »

The Safari Rally takes no prisoners. 😥 A puncture followed by suspension damage on the toughest stage of the season means @adrienfourmaux and @_alexcoria_ are going no further ❌#WRC #SafariRallyKenya pic.twitter.com/hgRVYhbYXa

— Hyundai Motorsport (@HMSGOfficial) March 21, 2025

General classification after SS10

Saturday's Safari Rally Kenya 2025 will start at 6:35 a.m. with a total of 6 special stages on the program.

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