The battle for the WRC Safari Rally title will come down to the wire as Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Sebastian Ogier and Kalle Rovanpera vie for the top spot, ensuring a clean sweep for the Japanese manufacturer in the 1-2-3-4 positions.
Defending champion Sebastian Ogier appeared to have a firm grip on the rally, managing the stages with his expertise and avoiding any major mishaps.
However, rain during the final 31.04km Sleeping Warrior stage disrupted his plans, with Ogier finishing 15.3 seconds behind Rovanpera, narrowing his lead to just 16.7 seconds.
Commenting on his victory in the final stage, Rovanpera remarked, “Last year was slippery, but nothing like this. Even on the straights, second gear was quite high-speed. We are here in one piece, and that was the only goal for today.”
Hyundai’s Esapekka Lappi, despite his impressive performance in his Safari rally debut, disappointingly retired his i20 N rally 1 hybrid car due to prop shaft failure during the Soysambu 2 stage. This opened up the race for third place, resulting in Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta exchanging positions in the final stages.
Following Lappi’s retirement, Evans initially took the third position but lost it to teammate Katsuta in the Elementaita 2 stage after a 4.2-second time loss. Nevertheless, Evans recovered the position with a remarkable drive in the final Sleeping Warrior stage, taking advantage of an error from Katsuta.
Reflecting on his performance, Katsuta said, “Too many moments. Even with no rain, I spun and had to reverse. Here we lost 10 seconds, and after we got to the muddy sections, it was horrible. I am really happy to be here at the finish line.”
Evans finished 18.8 seconds faster than Katsuta, securing third place overall heading into the final day of the rally.
In the WRC 2 category, Kajetan Kajetanowicz is on track to defend his title from last year after luck favoured him with the retirement of Gregoire Munster.
Munster had led at the end of day two, but Kajetanowicz regained the lead in the early morning loop. However, Munster briefly reclaimed the top spot by winning the Soysambu 2 stage before retiring due to mechanical problems.
Munster’s retirement propelled Kajetanowicz back to the top, while Kenya’s local star Carl “Flash” Tundo moved up to the third place, comfortably ahead of fourth-placed Armin Kremer.
