The Toyota driver Rovanperä set the fastest time on every special stage of the day. On the day’s final stage, the over 31-kilometer-long Kedong, Rovanperä beat Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville by 4.4 seconds.
Rovanperä heads into Saturday’s Safari Rally special stages in a clear lead. The Finn has almost a minute’s advantage over second-placed Elfyn Evans.
“A great day. Got the fastest time on each stage, and the gap is quite good, so I have to be satisfied. We drove smartly in the afternoon, dodged rocks, and saved the car. Still, we got good times,” Rovanperä reviewed.
Toyota drivers avoided extra troubles on Friday’s special stages, allowing the team to hold a triple lead in the competition. Takamoto Katsuta is in the last podium spot, behind Evans.
Hyundai’s day was more troublesome. Esapekka Lappi, who was in the fight for the lead, retired on the first stage of the afternoon loop when his car’s transmission failed.
On the following special stage, Ott Tänak had to retire the rally from second place. Tänak hit a rock on his driving line and crashed into a bank. The Estonian’s journey ended there.
Of the Hyundai drivers, only Thierry Neuville made it to the end of the day. The Belgian, leading the championship, struggled on Friday due to starting first, but he is in fourth place at the Safari.
Neuville is in the fight for the podium, as he is 10.4 seconds behind second-placed Evans.
“I tried to push as much as I could, but it was a challenging day,” summarized Neuville, who suffered a tire puncture in the morning.
M-Sport Ford’s Adrien Fourmaux and Gregoire Munster couldn’t keep up with the leaders on Friday. Fourmaux is fifth in the competition, and Munster is sixth.
The Safari Rally continues on Saturday with six special stages. The competition ends on Sunday.
Below is a summary of the Friday afternoon events at the Safari Rally. The competition’s standings and schedule are below the video.
Standings in the Kenya Safari Rally after SS7/19:
1. Kalle Rovanperä Toyota 1:16:22.6 2. Takamoto Katsuta Toyota +56.9 3. Elfyn Evans Toyota +1:00.8 4. Thierry Neuville Hyundai +1:07.3 5. Adrien Fourmaux Ford +1:46.6 6. Gregoire Munster Ford +3:34.2 7. Gus Greensmith Skoda +6:51.3 8. J. Serderidis Ford +9:11.7 9. K. Kajetanowicz Skoda +10:14.3 10. Oliver Solberg Skoda +10:28.8 11. Nicolas Ciamin Hyundai +10:40.7
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
