WRC
Evans grabs Safari Rally lead on bruising Friday in Kenya
FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) leader Elfyn Evans led Safari Rally Kenya after a dramatic and attritional Friday leg, as frontrunner Ott Tänak fell foul of mechanical problems late in the day.
In true Safari fashion, few crews emerged unscathed from the rally’s first full day, which featured eight brutal gravel speed tests across the Great Rift Valley. Over half the Rally1 field suffered issues - a stark reminder of the rally’s unforgiving nature.
Tänak had looked unstoppable early on, storming to four stage wins and opening up a lead of nearly one minute. But disaster struck in the afternoon when a driveshaft failure left his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 with only rear-wheel drive. The Estonian haemorrhaged time across the final two tests, dropping to third overall with an overnight deficit of 55.4sec.
That opened the door for Toyota GAZOO Racing’s Evans, who steadily climbed the order in his GR Yaris Rally1 with a clean and consistent performance - despite not setting a single fastest time.
The Welshman, who arrived in Kenya with a 28-point championship lead, ended the day with a slender buffer over team-mate Kalle Rovanperä - a rear-right tyre deflation near the finish of the final stage being his only notable scare.
Tänak looked unstoppable before mechanical problems hit
© WRC
Rovanperä was just 7.7sec adrift in second and might have been leading himself but for a spin on a particularly narrow section of the Kedong stage, which saw him lose time trying to get his car pointed in the right direction. Aside from that mishap, the Finn also enjoyed a relatively drama-free day.
"It's been a difficult day and we've erred on the side of caution,” said Evans. “Obviously some guys have had trouble, which is unfortunate, but it's part of the Safari. It's a bit frustrating sometimes because you feel like you can take a bit more risk and go a bit faster, but I keep reminding myself where we are.
“It’s a shame for Ott, obviously, to have a mechanical [failure] like that. You never know in this game if it’s because the car has had an impact or if it’s just a standard failure, but it’s a shame for him because he was going well.”
A spin denied two-time Safari winner Rovanperä the lead of the rally
© WRC
Tänak wasn’t the only Hyundai driver to hit trouble. Reigning champion Thierry Neuville’s day began with a one-minute penalty after his i20 N was delayed leaving service due to a gearbox change. More issues followed - including a jump start (+10sec), a debeaded tyre, and a further 50sec penalty for lateness to SS8 after another technical glitch. Despite the setbacks, Neuville reached the overnight halt in fourth, 36.0sec behind Tänak.
Adrien Fourmaux, who had rejoined under restart rules following an electrical issue on Thursday, retired again when a front-right steering arm broke on SS7. The Frenchman had been nursing a puncture and drove almost 10 kilometres with the flailing tyre before the suspension finally gave way.
It’s a shame for Ott, because he was going well.
McErlean's Puma took a battering on the repeated afternoon loop
© WRC
It wasn’t a smooth ride for Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta either. Tyre damage early in the day put him out of contention, and a similar issue in the Geothermal test cost more time. He ended Friday fifth overall, more than four minutes off the lead.
Just behind was team-mate Sami Pajari, also delayed by tyre woes, while seventh-placed Josh McErlean led M-Sport Ford’s charge after an eventful afternoon. The Irishman battled through problems that included a squashed exhaust and a boot floor punctured by a loose spare wheel.
WRC2 leader Kajetan Kajetanowicz sat eighth overall after seizing the top spot from Oliver Solberg, who got stuck in a deep section of fesh-fesh on SS7. The Pole, driving a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 for the first time, held a narrow advantage over category rivals Gus Greensmith and Jan Solans.
Saturday’s leg brings another six gruelling tests covering 146.50km.
