The issues started on SS8, the third-to-last stage of the day. The problems continued on the next stage, and at that point, it looked like the rally-leading Estonian’s day might be ruined.
But the story took a different turn. Tänak somehow managed to patch up his car enough to make it through the remaining Friday stages and reach the service park at day’s end – a miraculous feat. Of course, his lead of over 40 seconds turned into a chasing position.
“A few kilometres before the end, I noticed that we had a driveline issue, and we managed to finish that one. And then for the next one, we realised it was a driveshaft, but it was stuck there,” Tänak recalled.
“We really struggled to remove it, and we were running out of time. So we had to just go for it. Obviously, because it’s behind the engine, it’s very easy for it to damage the engine. Luckily, for the final stage, we managed to remove the driveshaft,” Tänak explained.
Because of the mechanical issues, Tänak dropped to third place, but the outcome could have been much worse. Considering the unpredictable nature of the Safari Rally, everything is still possible for the Estonian.
“Yeah, we can drive for sure, but it also means the car needs to stay together,” Tänak laughed.
“So let’s see. It seems like it’s rough, it’s demanding, and it’s hard on the car,” he added.
Tänak now trails rally leader Elfyn Evans by 55 seconds. Ahead of him is also Kalle Rovanperä, who is 7.7 seconds behind his Toyota teammate.
Safari Rally Kenya has once again been unkind to Hyundai. Of the team’s drivers, Adrien Fourmaux has already retired twice. Reigning world champion Thierry Neuville sits in fourth place, burdened by two minutes of time penalties.
