Rovanperä sped through the over 13-kilometer-long Geothermal stage 1.4 seconds quicker than Hyundai’s Esapekka Lappi. In the overall standings, Rovanperä maintains the lead, with Lappi rising to second, the gap to his fellow countryman exactly three seconds.
“This one was not so bad. On the fast corners it’s not easy on this rally, the setup is not optimal for this stage and with two spares it’s a bit sketchy sometimes,” Rovanperä commented.
“A couple of mistakes, but was okay, nothing special. A couple of times I was not breaking enough for the regen and missed the boost on the uphill. Lots of places to improve for the second pass,” said Lappi.
Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville experienced a minor setback as his right rear tire got damaged. The Belgian lost 19.9 seconds to Rovanperä’s best time.
“I don’t know where, but very early into the stage. Car was showing me two punctures.. I don’t know if it’s true but rear left felt still okay,” Neuville explained.
Hyundai’s Ott Tänak is currently third in the rally, 5.7 seconds behind the leader. Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta is in fourth place, ahead of Neuville and Elfyn Evans. The Welshman has been surprisingly subdued this Friday morning, with a gap of 23.4 seconds to the lead.
“Not easy still to be honest, struggling with the balance quite a lot. Very very loose. We tried,” Evans summed up.
There was drama in the WRC2 class when Oliver Solberg had to change a tire during the stage.
Four more special stages are scheduled for Friday in the Safari Rally. The competition concludes on Sunday.
Standings in the Kenya Safari Rally after SS3/19:
1. Kalle Rovanperä Toyota 24:11.0 2. Esapekka Lappi Hyundai +3.0 3. Ott Tänak Hyundai +5.7 4. Takamoto Katsuta Toyota +14.8 5. Thierry Neuville Hyundai +21.7 6. Elfyn Evans Toyota +23.4 7. Adrien Fourmaux Ford +26.9 8. Gregoire Munster Ford +1.10.6 9. Gus Greensmith Skoda +1:30.9
Safari Rally Itinerary (CET):
Wednesday, March 27th 08:01 Shakedown Loldia (5.40 km) Thursday, March 28th 12:05 SS1: Super Special Kasarani (4.84 km) Friday, March 29th 06:15 SS2: Loldia 1 (19.17 km) 07:33 SS3: Geothermal 1 (13.12 km) 08:26 SS4: Kedong 1 (31.50 km) 10:23 Service (40 min) 11:48 SS5: Loldia 2 (19.17 km) 13:06 SS6: Geothermal 2 (13.12 km) 13:59 SS7: Kedong 2 (31.50 km) Saturday, March 30th 06:01 SS8: Soysambu 1 (29.32 km) 07:05 SS9: Elmenteita 1 (15.08 km) 08:03 SS10: Sleeping Warrior 1 (36.08 km) 10:28 Service (40 min) 12:34 SS11: Soysambu 2 (29.32 km) 13:35 SS12: Elmenteita 2 (15.08 km) 14:33 SS13: Sleeping Warrior 2 (36.08 km) Sunday, March 31st 06:02 SS14: Malewa 1 (8.33 km) 06:52 SS15: Oserengoni 1 (18.33 km) 08:05 SS16: Hell's Gate 1 (10.53 km) 09:18 Service (15 min) 10:20 SS17: Malewa 2 (8.33 km) 11:10 SS18: Oserengoni 2 (18.33 km) 13:15 SS19: Hell's Gate 2 (10.53 km) *Power Stage
