The Hyundai star encountered issues on the second special stage, losing 20 seconds to the leaders and dropping to eighth place in the overall standings.
Neuville could only shake his head when he arrived at the service park in Naivasha.
“A very frustrating start. We got hit by some trouble already,” Neuville said, visibly disappointed.
Safari Rally Kenya has been a challenging event for Hyundai in past years, and this time was no different.
“Nevertheless, it’s better today than tomorrow morning. Otherwise, the day would have been over for us. It is what it is,” Neuville commented.
At the time, Neuville was still unsure about the exact issue that struck his Hyundai mid-stage.
“We’re going to investigate now, try to find out where is the issue and hopefully fix it for tomorrow.”
Neuville was slightly concerned about Friday morning’s short 15-minute service window, after which the car must complete a loop of four stages before the longer midday service.
“First of all, we will focus on the service tomorrow morning and try to get the car fixed and fast again. Then we will give it a go,” Neuville planned.
His teammate Ott Tänak leads Safari Rally Kenya after the first two stages, while Hyundai’s third driver Adrien Fourmaux was forced to retire on the road section before Thursday’s second stage.
Read more: SS2: Two Hyundai drivers in big trouble
The rally continues on Friday with eight special stages.
