Particularly dreaded by all competitors, Saturday morning’s first three-stage loop at Rally Kenya did less damage than expected, despite hard-to-read weather that soaked some sections and left others completely dry. In this context, it’s almost the status quo for the leading duo.
Starting with a 22”8 lead over Kalle Rovanperä, Sébastien Ogier returned to service with a margin of… 22”1, or 7 tenths lost in more than seventy kilometers covered. In fact, the Frenchman from Toyota had increased his lead over his teammate in the first two times before giving up some ground in Sleeping Warriors, the most complicated and mechanically dangerous stage.
Difficult morning for Elfyn Evans
It was for third place on the podium that things changed the most. Elfyn Evans (Toyota), third in the morning, first suffered an engine problem coming out of a ford, causing him to lose more than 40 seconds, then suffered a puncture on the last special which cost a bit more time. Esapekka Lappi (Hyundai) made the most of it. The Finn, comfortable for his big first on this ground, achieved solid times, without making any mistakes. He is now 1’18” from the head of the race. Evans is 2’8”, under pressure from his teammate Takamoto Katsuta, regular Saturday morning (+2’13”). Dani Sordo has not given up hope of getting his Hyundai into the top 5, as he is only 36 seconds behind Katsuta.
Elfyn Evans, Friday on the Kenya Rally. (T. Karumba/Afp)
Weighed down by their punctures (with wheel changes) the day before, the M-Sport Ford drivers are advancing at a slower pace. Ott Tänak is seventh (+4’21”). Pierre-Louis Loubet, who experienced a small scare with a contact against a tree in a very muddy and slow part, remains eighth at 11’01”. The same loop will be offered again on Saturday afternoon (from 1 p.m. French time) to the crews, with a lower risk of rain than expected a few days ago. Which should make things a little less difficult, although many pitfalls will still be there.
