The Belgian, being the first car on the route, faced troubles in the dense snowfall on Friday and fell far behind. However, he eventually climbed to fourth in the overall standings and also collected a substantial number of points from Super Sunday and the rally-ending Power Stage.
“I’m happy. We were expecting a very complicated weekend, and it was, but we leave with 18 points in our pocket and still leading the championship. It’s a good result despite the conditions. (Ott) Tänak had a bad weekend while (Elfyn) Evans had a very good one. He made up some points on us, but we are only at the second round,” Neuville says on the Belgian channel RTBF’s website.
“Next we’re going to Kenya, there will be no advantage or disadvantage on the road compared to him. We can still hope for a good result there,”
Neuville believes that the battle will continue to be intensely competitive until the end of the season.
“This season is going to be exciting until the end. We saw that it’s very much the same in terms of performance even if Toyota seemed a bit faster. I’m already looking forward to seeing how it will be in Kenya,” the Belgian star summarizes.
The Safari Rally in Kenya has never been Hyundai’s strong suit. The classic race returned to the World Rally Championship lineup in 2021, and since then, Toyota has celebrated in the competition. In the 2021 Safari, Toyota took a one-two finish, and the following year, they even secured a one-two-three-four finish.
Last year, Toyota also celebrated an incredible one-two-three-four victory in Naivasha with Sebastien Ogier, Kalle Rovanperä, Elfyn Evans, and Takamoto Katsuta.
Hyundai’s results have been significantly weaker. Over the past three years, Hyundai has only managed to secure one podium finish – Ott Tänak’s third place in 2021.
Toyota’s equipment has performed almost flawlessly in Kenya, whereas Hyundai has struggled with reliability issues. For instance, last year, Esapekka Lappi‘s Hyundai had issues with prop shafts.
Neuville has also never managed to finish the Safari without retiring.
“It’s difficult to properly prepare for this event because it’s about endurance, a real adventure. Reliability must be the priority. It was our weak point in the past, but I think the team has worked a lot on it,” Neuville assures.
“It has never been a strong rally for us. We need to get through again because every point counts,” the Hyundai star aiming for his first championship adds.
Safari Rally Kenya will take place on the last weekend of March.
