The classic competition concluded on Sunday with yet another victory celebration for Toyota, as Kalle Rovanperä finished first and Takamoto Katsuta second.
Read more: Kalle Rovanperä secures season’s opening victory in spectacular style!
The Safari Rally returned to the WRC schedule in 2021. Hyundai hasn’t managed a significant success in Kenya, whereas Toyota has consistently swept the podium every time. In the last four Safari Rallies, Toyota has achieved two impressive quadruple victories and two double victories.
“We want to keep it this way. This is a big market for Toyota,” team principal Latvala chuckled to RallyJournal.com.
This time, the victory came at a crucial moment, as Hyundai had celebrated wins in the season’s first two competitions. Latvala was all smiles during the post-rally celebrations.
“We have to be very satisfied and happy with the result we got here. This is our first victory of the season. We proved our reliability and the strength of the car here in Kenya,” Latvala said.
Rovanperä was utterly dominant and secured his second Safari Rally victory with more than a minute and a half to spare. According to Latvala, Rovanperä demonstrated why he is a two-time world champion over the weekend.
“Kalle’s approach was perfect: saving the car in bad places and then attacking when it was smooth. He had no issues, and he was really consistent,” Latvala praised.
The team principal also had words of praise for Katsuta, who finished second, matching his career-best position in Kenya. The Safari has been particularly suitable for the Japanese driver, as he has made it to the podium in Africa three times.
“There are events where you sometimes feel more comfortable. And obviously here he feels really comfortable, even though it’s a difficult event. I’m really happy for Taka because in Sweden he could have had a good result, but he was attacking a little bit too much. Then he lost it,” Latvala shared.
In the championship, Toyota’s lead driver is Elfyn Evans, who is second in the standings after three competitions. Evans finished fourth in the Safari Rally and collected a total of 16 points.
The Welshman is six points behind the series leader Thierry Neuville, who finished fifth in the Safari Rally but scored the second-largest point haul (19) after Rovanperä.
“Elfyn was having good speed, but this time it just didn’t work out for him. First, you are a little bit unlucky, and then you try to catch time back, and then you have another puncture.”
“But at the end, he fought back and took some points for the championship, which is very important when there is a fight going on against Thierry,” Latvala emphasized.
The season’s next competition will take place in Croatia after mid-April.
