Safari Rally: Hyundai, a complicated 2nd stage in Kenya

It is probably not yet this year that Hyundai will break the hegemony of Toyota in Kenya. After a difficult first stage marked by a puncture Thierry Neuville, the breakage of Esapekka Lappi's gearbox and the exit ofOtt Tänak, the team led by Cyril Abiteboul had an eventful Saturday.

The three crews once again suffered their share of misfortunes. Returning to the race, Lappi posted excellent times before hitting two birds at the end of the afternoon. “ First there was one, then a second, he recounted with his usual phlegm. The windshield didn't hold up. I could see absolutely nothing and what's more, I was afraid of receiving pieces of glass. We managed to finish and I hope that tomorrow I will manage to score a few points. We are going to open the road and it suited us well this morning so we will try to take advantage of it. » This will also be the goal of Ott Tänak.

The Estonian was the one who experienced the most problems during this Saturday. An open hood in the special, a window that doesn't close properly, a puncture, dust in the passenger compartment... The Baltic had reason to be disgusted at the end of his stage, but he took things in perspective. “ We were so busy here and there keeping the car going that I didn't really have time to think about what I had learned about the car., he smiled. The conditions this afternoon were not that bad so we were still able to ride well. I can't say what I will be able to do tomorrow. Even if you are confident with your bike, you are not sure of anything on this type of road and it will also depend on punctures. »

Thierry Neuville was certainly the most disappointed of the Hyundai drivers this evening. It must be said that he had managed to return to the 2^e place in the morning before losing everything during the 2^e loop on a fuel pump problem. “ Our car did not work during the afternoon, he summarized. Obviously, we are not very satisfied. It's a shame. We drop 7 points against Elfyn. We should have taken 5 more than him and we lose 2 now so that makes a gap of 7 and on Ott we concede 5. These are important points given up. We continued to fight. We were able to do the last ES without stopping with a safety mode which allowed us to ride at 70%. Tomorrow we will have to attack, but we will not be the only ones. With a less good position on the road, this will not be easy. »

The counters being reset to zero this evening, the three Hyundai drivers can still hope to score the maximum points, that is to say 12. For Neuville and Tänak, however, we must be careful, because a retirement during this stage would result in a 0 in the championship.