The Safari Rally concluded on Sunday with Kalle Rovanperä‘s victory celebrations. The Finn grabbed the biggest points haul of the weekend (20), but Neuville, who finished fifth in the overall standings, collected just one point less (19).
Neuville was in good form on Sunday, securing a total of 11 points for the day. The Belgian now holds a six-point lead over Elfyn Evans, who finished fourth in Kenya and collected a total of 16 points.
Adrien Fourmaux, who finished third in the Safari Rally, is also third in the championship standings. The Frenchman has now achieved two consecutive podium finishes.
Hyundai’s Ott Tänak retired from the event on Friday but ultimately garnered 12 points for the weekend, thanks to the new points system. The majority of the Estonian’s points came from Sunday, when he was the fastest driver of the day and finished second in the Power Stage.
In the championship points, Tänak is fourth, trailing Neuville by 34 points.
Rally winner Rovanperä has jumped to fifth in the championship standings, right behind Tänak. Rovanperä is participating in only a selection of events this year, so he is not in contention for the world championship. Takamoto Katsuta, who finished second in the Safari Rally, holds sixth place in the championship standings.
In the manufacturers’ championship, Toyota is in the lead with a four-point advantage over Hyundai.
