In a day fraught with drama and unpredictability, Elfyn Evans of Toyota seized the top spot at the Safari Rally Kenya. The current FIA World Rally Championship points leader capitalized on a pivotal mishap that befell early frontrunner, Ott Tanak, who was plagued by mechanical issues towards the end of Friday’s leg.
The first full day of the WRC’s most grueling event, the Safari Rally, is notorious for its punishing terrain. Over half of the Rally1 field, contenders for the coveted overall win, faced significant setbacks, a stark indicator of the rally’s notorious ruthlessness. The eight-stage course spanned the Great Rift Valley, offering a treacherous mix of rocks, mud, and deep ruts, along with fesh-fesh dust pits capable of swallowing cars whole.
Tanak, in his Hyundai i20 N Rally1, had appeared invincible early in the day, securing four stage victories and amassing a lead of almost a minute. However, his fortunes reversed drastically in the afternoon, when a driveshaft failure reduced his vehicle to rear-wheel drive. This malfunction cost him dearly in the final two tests, plunging him to third place overall and leaving him trailing the leader by 55.4 seconds by the end of the day.
Evans, in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1, stayed the course with a steady and consistent performance, even though he didn’t clock the fastest time in any stage. The Welshman entered the Kenyan event with a 28-point lead in the championship and finished the day marginally ahead of his Toyota Gazoo Racing teammate, Kalle Rovanpera. The latter suffered a right-rear tire deflation near the end of the day’s final stage, the 9.38-mile Kedong 2.
Rovanpera, merely 7.7 seconds behind in second place, could have been leading were it not for a spin on a particularly narrow part of the Kedong 1 stage. This mishap resulted in a loss of time as he struggled to get his car back on track.
Evans, reflecting on the day’s challenges, mentioned, “It’s been a difficult day, and we’ve erred on the side of caution. It’s part of the Safari, but it’s a bit frustrating sometimes because you feel like you can take a bit more risk and go a bit faster. It’s a shame for Ott to have a mechanical [failure] like that; he was going really well.”
Tanak wasn’t the only Hyundai driver to face adversity. Defending WRC champ Thierry Neuville’s day began on a sour note with a one-minute penalty following a service delay due to a transmission change. His day further unraveled with a series of issues, including a jump start penalty, a tire losing its bead, and a further 50-second penalty for lateness due to another technical glitch.
In the WRC2, the second tier of international rallying, Kajetan Kajetanowicz capitalized on a dramatic turn of events to lead the class in his first start of the 2025 season. The Polish driver, in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, ascended to the top when early leader Oliver Solberg encountered problems on the second run through the 20-mile Camp Moran stage.
The conclusion of Friday’s leg heralded no respite for the competitors. Saturday’s penultimate leg comprises six additional car-breaking stages covering 91 competitive miles, including two runs through the event’s signature test, the 16.7-mile Sleeping Warrior. With the stakes continuing to rise, the competitors can anticipate another day of rigorous competition and high drama.