Evans’ teammate Kalle Rovanperä raced ahead of the others in Friday’s special stages, but the Welshman is in second place after seven special stages.
From the perspective of the championship battle, the situation is favorable for Evans. Of the championship candidates, he fared the best on the opening day, with championship leader Thierry Neuville behind him, and Ott Tänak retiring in the afternoon after damaging his car’s suspension.
“There’s been some drama. For us, it was quite a clean afternoon, I would say. And obviously a good improvement from the morning. Still, it’s not perfect, but at least it’s not bad,” Evans said.
Hyundai’s Esapekka Lappi also had to retire on Friday after a gearbox failure. The Safari once again showed why it’s the season’s toughest competition.
“Here, it can happen very easily; there’s no margin. But honestly, the speed is quite high, especially when you look at someone like Kalle. So, in the end, let’s see, it’s still a long way to go tomorrow,” Evans noted, who is almost a minute behind the rally-leading Rovanperä.
On Saturday, the drivers have six special stages to tackle, totaling a massive 160 kilometers. The challenge is significant.
“It’s going to be a tough day tomorrow. Obviously, it’s even longer than the Saturdays we’ve seen here in the past, so it’s a big day. And with it, of course, come very tough and demanding stages. So, it’s not going to be easy to get through the day without drama. But, of course, we’ll try our best,” Evans said.
Toyota holds a triple lead in the competition after Friday, with Takamoto Katsuta in the last podium spot. Neuville is lurking very close behind Evans and Katsuta.
