With a solid lead of over two minutes, Rovanperä is now positioned to secure 18 conditional championship points.
He has masterfully managed Kenya’s challenging conditions from the start without succumbing to errors.
“I’m pretty sure that in the rough places, I drive quite cleverly. All the tires that come into service have been in quite good condition. There are no big hits or marks, so it must mean something,” Rovanperä stated at the end of Saturday.
“We navigate around the stones more than others, probably, or something like that. And that has been the plan. So it has been working well,” Rovanperä continued.
The preparation has also been spot-on.
“I think we had good notes. Also, I remember quite well, and my memory is good. So I think in these kinds of situations, I can use it to my benefit. And yes, the plan has been there,” Rovanperä mentioned.
“From the start, we haven’t been stressing about going too fast when it’s not necessary, just maintaining our own pace all the time,” Rovanperä explained.
In a rally like Safari, luck plays its part, but driving skill is paramount.
“It’s always quite difficult to know for sure, but I’m quite confident that I’m doing well. We have good notes. I’m taking quite good care of the car and haven’t had any big hits,” Rovanperä explained.
The rally continues with Sunday’s “sprint.” More points are available, but the Finn isn’t actively chasing them.
“Let’s see what the team says. But for me, I think I’ll let Taka and Elfyn handle that. I’m here only to secure the overall win. I don’t need the points elsewhere. Of course, if there’s a need to help the team secure some points, we can do it. But I think I don’t have any need tomorrow to go fast because I would just be risking my overall victory for that,” Rovanperä outlined.
