Vicious Opening Leg Takes its Toll At Safari Rally Kenya
Автокөліктер мен көлік құралдары
📺 Watch Safari Rally Kenya on Red Bull TV: win.gs/safarirally
Kalle Rovanperä capitalised on team-mate Sébastien Ogier’s late misfortune to lead after Safari Rally Kenya’s vicious opening leg on Friday.
Championship leader Rovanperä languished in 11th overall on Thursday evening after puncturing a tyre on the curtain-raising super special stage, but was immediately into the podium fight on Friday's sandy speed tests on the shores of the Great Rift Valley’s Lake Naivasha.
Car-breaking roads and thick fesh-fesh sand punished crews as more than half of the FIA World Rally Championship field suffered some form of drama during the day, but Toyota Gazoo Racing’s GR Yaris cars performed well under the pressure.
Defending Kenya winner Ogier picked up where he had left off on Thursday and led for the majority of the six stages. He was briefly overtaken by team-mate Elfyn Evans in the morning, but moved back in front in the afternoon’s opener when the Welshman suffered a soft rear tyre.
Rovanperä lingered inside the leading trio and managed to bag three stage wins before seizing the top spot late in the day when his colleague stopped to change a wheel during the Kedong finale.
The Finn was pleased to be carrying a 22.4sec buffer into Saturday’s monster leg despite having to sweep dust from the surface as the first car on the road.
“I think we did a good job,” reflected Rovanperä. “The plan was to be fast and safe and we are in a good position now, but tomorrow will be very challenging.
“I’ve never really experienced anything like this before. Last year we didn’t have this many soft sections of road, so that was something a bit new.
“Of course, it’s always challenging here. There was still some [road] cleaning on the second pass, but other than that we have enjoyed the stages - except the last one - I think we all felt relieved to finish that,” he added.
Evans remained Rovanperä’s nearest challenger, but he found it difficult to judge exactly how hard to push and what risks to take. He ended just 2.9sec clear of third-placed Ott Tänak, who denied Toyota an overnight podium lockout.
Tänak started on the back foot when the gear lever of his Hyundai i20 N snapped during the first stage. Thanks to some quick-thinking, the Estonian carried out a makeshift repair, using the car’s spare wheel brace as a temporary shifter before going on to claim a brace of top-three times.
Takamoto Katsuta was demoted from second to fourth overall in the final stage. The Toyota youngster slowed to pass a stricken Craig Breen - who retired his M-Sport Ford Puma with front right suspension damage - and eventually ended 1.3sec down on Tänak.
Second in the championship Thierry Neuville also had a troublesome day with his Hyundai. The car briefly lost power after scooping up a cloud of dust on SS4, with Neuville also complaining of traction and drivability issues. He trailed the frontrunners by almost one-minute, ahead of Ogier, who was 1min 10.7sec further back.
Last year, Ogier clawed back a similar deficit to take victory after breaking a suspension damper on Friday. Anything is still possible, although the Frenchman appeared to be visibly dejected back at the Naivasha service park.
“Being so far behind, I can’t really say we are in the fight,” he said. “Of course, a lot of things can still happen, but it’s not the same fight when you are this far behind. I am pretty sure things will happen tomorrow, but it’s still frustrating.”
Gus Greensmith was the only M-Sport Ford championship contender to finish the day, but he was almost 15 minutes off the pace after stopping to make stage-side repairs on Kedong 1.
Sébastien Loeb’s Puma stopped with engine troubles on the way back to midday service and Adrien Fourmaux’s similar car also bowed out with a transmission-related failure.
Leading positions after Friday:
1. K Rovanperä / J Halttunen FIN Toyota GR Yaris 1hr 20min 58.1sec
2. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +22.4sec
3. O Tänak / M Järveoja ESP Hyundai i20 N +25.3sec
4. T Katsuta / A Johnston JPN Toyota GR Yaris +26.6sec
5. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N +57.5sec
6. S Ogier / B Veillas FRA Toyota GR Yaris +2min 8.2sec
#wrc #safarirallykenya #safarirally
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Пікірлер: 129
📺 Watch Safari Rally Kenya on Red Bull TV: win.gs/safarirally
am amazed at how well those toyota cars took the beating. they are far much reliable than any other team right now
@dennycebii
2 жыл бұрын
Maybe they called on the Land Cruiser spirit. 😀😀😀😀
@ShubhoBose
2 жыл бұрын
Well, Toyota's are used a lot in that area and known to be reliable in general in harsh conditions
@bett431
2 жыл бұрын
@@ShubhoBose It actually took them almost the whole wrc+ cycle to get the previous Yaris reliable, but in the last season it was rock solid, now they continue it with this car.
@Kimsay929
2 жыл бұрын
A big shoutout to the Constructors btw.Its Japan to the world #Hana Kuma
@pietrojenkins6901
2 жыл бұрын
@@ShubhoBose yup , even the terrorist groups in Iraq,Syria,Somalia Afghanistan prefer Toyota trucks.
I love my country 🇰🇪 🇰🇪 🇰🇪
@RedBullRally
2 жыл бұрын
thanks for having us 😀
@rzero21
2 жыл бұрын
great action over there, hope WRC extends the event to what it was decades ago
The unpredictability of this rally makes it very unique and thrilling. Beautiful scenery, crazy action... Love rally love Kenya 🇰🇪
@kemboi3646
2 жыл бұрын
@@pietrojenkins6901 they are racing in the jungle. Roads to remote areas or rather wild reserve lodges. They are not racing in towns or the highway.
@AGthechampion
2 жыл бұрын
Not jungles but racing through lodges and people's private land.
"Where is the gear stick?" "I don't know, Martin took it. I guess he has it somewhere." Haha! I love Rally!
@faith6007
2 жыл бұрын
🤣🤣🤣 hilarious
@iyadkamhiyeh527
2 жыл бұрын
🤣🤣😂😂😂😂
‘Vicious opening legs’ sounds like a Saturday night out when you got more than you could handle.
@RedBullRally
2 жыл бұрын
😆
@faith6007
2 жыл бұрын
🤣🤣🤣
@seifabdi9248
2 жыл бұрын
dirty mind 😂😂😂
Kudos Kenya we love you ,super drivers all the best #All Safaris Kenya is the place to be.
Good coverage, thank you. A suggestion if possible? Particularly on events where the order has changed so frequently, can you put up the leaderboard at the end of the day with gaps to each driver? That would help the viewer understand how the order was shuffled so radically by punctures and retirements. Hearing Ogier dropped from the lead to sixth was dramatic, with Rovanpera in the lead, bit it'd be nice to know where Neuville now sits, Katsuta and others.
@RedBullRally
2 жыл бұрын
we put that in the video description 👍
Top gear showed that nothing can kill a Toyota😂😂 add Kenyan wilderness ti the list
@styleemusic
2 жыл бұрын
Karibu Kenya 🇰🇪😂
@Vemppu_Lutku
2 жыл бұрын
the pickups no, others? definedly
Am glad to hear Kenya has the toughest safari rally,tuko mbele🤣🤣
Fantastic recap!! Kenya the toughest test for man and machine 👏🏻👏🏻😍
A PROPER BRUISING Rally great coverage again Thanks Red Bull
@RedBullRally
2 жыл бұрын
Glad you enjoyed it
O verdadeiro rally, é aí! África !!!🏁🏁🏁
This is amazing! Welcome to Kenya! 🇰🇪
toyota reliability is not a joke, they car is more survive than the other competitor 😧
This was amazing, Safari Rally Kenya is now one of my favourite rallies, although this talk of it not being what the original was has me really interested in seeing it brought back in all of its glory. Let us see what rally cars, drivers, and co-pilots are really made of 💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾😤😤😤😤🔥🔥🔥
@RedBullRally
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for sharing!
Kalle seems unstoppable at the moment, but I always root for Ogier. Him and the VW Polo is what got me into the WRC and Rally as a whole.
@bnm8112
2 жыл бұрын
That Polo was fast and planted .Sad for VW not rallying these days
The slogan: this is Toyota Country. Seems to prove true even to this decade🚗💨😳
Great reporting.....Great Rally!
Toyota reliability shining through
Nice video really going challenging 👌👍🙏🙂
Hapa Subaru ya Mambaru haiwezi make, gearz on another level, talk of tuning and skillz ,Nice work, Go Kenya🌋
Thank you for the coverage!
@RedBullRally
2 жыл бұрын
Our pleasure!
Respect, what a nice comprehensive coverage .keep up guys
@RedBullRally
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks a ton
If a driver can survive in Kenya trust me you he can survive anywhere 😁 love my country 🇰🇪
Brutal indeed. Not for the weak. Only the strongest will survive this one.
Wow 🥺
Impressive stuff
welcome to Magical Kenya again
Tough as it is,it's not a patch on the Safari of old, this rally chooses the winner, those Toyota's are looking good.
Katsuta to win 🥇 🤝
This rally is so unpredictable, who knows maybe Taka will win.
@thewarmwind6171
2 жыл бұрын
That's who I'm cheering for this weekend.
@RedBullRally
2 жыл бұрын
TAKA FTW!!!
@bett431
2 жыл бұрын
@@thewarmwind6171 Yeah that would be nice.
@styleemusic
2 жыл бұрын
Yes sirrr
@ikr9358
2 жыл бұрын
Even just being on the podium would be nice, since I believe last year's Rally Kenya was his first podium finish.
Toyota's reliability is incredible!
this is one rally that is totally unpredictable…. maybe the locals will take a podium
Toyotas are perfect in Safari
That Fesh Fesh is amazing and Terrifying at the same time!
@jamesngumba9666
2 жыл бұрын
Funny ...it's vumbi
The amount of shock absorption to the backbone must be insaaane!
Karibu #Kenya
With all of the problems with the dust why don't they switch to Close Face Helmets and dust skirts like we do in Baja desert racing?? So awesome that they're back in Kenya!
🤩Yahoo Toyota 🤩😎
The champ can't be predicted
Team KATSUTA!!!!
@RedBullRally
2 жыл бұрын
We're here for y'all
@Vemppu_Lutku
2 жыл бұрын
here for champion kalle! long live the king of modern rallying (soon to be)
Wow its quite an adventure, viva team Toyota..
Toyota's are just a mile away from other cars...
Safari rally has no respect for reputations though toyota seems to have the secret..... this is brutal and I always love it
@styleemusic
2 жыл бұрын
Years of development since the 80’s 🔥💪🏾
TUFF!!
Now this will push rally to the next level. All biggest names are having problems. 😂😂😂 Just wait and see the cars they bring next time. Proudly Kenyan 🇰🇪
Now this is true safari rally.
Safari Rally is not the issue of driving fast but driving smart and you will make it
Love this rally. Brutal. Unbelievable day 1 trail of destruction. Driver : " I want to check the windscreen wipers are working properly." Pit Crew : " Wait a minute until we get a bucket of dust to throw on the windscreen." 🤣
👍👍👍
It's safe to say, the car in front is always a Toyota. The Toyota play it safe and are always reliable.🇰🇪🇰🇪🇰🇪
The Winner will be anyone with a TOYOTA by the look of it. Team toyota
How brutal One day on and half of the field off
Toyota has a lot of experience making cars for "better" versions of these conditions in countries all over Africa. Makes sense that their rally cars benefit from that experience and have been so reliable, but we will see how things go from here, it might not be smooth sailing for them throughout the weekend. That is just how rally is.
When the going gets tough the Toyotas are always the last ones standing 💪
Rally at its best...
how do you get it this compition it filled with guys that don't know how 0ur roads are
Another suggestion is that the road should be made muddy than dusty.I want to see those cars rolling to make it more fun 😊😊😊
the cars from the 90´s was more solid 🤣
Toyota. Wow !
Let me write is swahili.. hao majamaa wanaruka ruka hapo video ikianza na leso za kimasai, hawakai masai😂🤣🤣 naangalia nacheka tu.. kikuyu na kutafta pesa
While I understand this is 2022, this set up is totally WRONG for the Kenyan Rally.. Companies/organizers/sanctions should look back at the 90s/early '00s, Like that of Carlos Sainz's car. Lifted with snorkels, etc... But as is, They're trying their best.. BEST OF LUCK to them all..
@AGthechampion
2 жыл бұрын
Yes, they brought the European cars/setup to a tough gravel rally.
Ogier or Tanak, this is the Safari Rally
I think tomorrow they're gonna rely on Raleigh to rally
Toyota is built for Africa 👌
Pls God throw some rain in the mix to make this more interesting...pls pls pls
M-Sport shows again they have not the drivers anymore, nor the engineers to really compete in WRC1. Loeb, a rally legend yes, but also an occasional driver is everywhere faster than the drivers who have a lot more training, experience and knowledge of the car. And reliability has been a joke for a couple of years now.
@yussufhaji460
2 жыл бұрын
M-Sport performed well last year. This rally has no respect to anyone. In the 1985 safari rally, Peugeot came with the best cars and drivers but retired one by one. You might be shock to see the Toyotas struggling later in the rally. I think the Hyundais are learning from their mistakes. No one has an upper hand in this rally. Every driver is an underdog against the Safari Rally itself. Ari Vatenen wasn't even in the top ten during the final day of the rally in 1983 but took the lead just few kilometers to the finish line. Vic Preston Jnr was the favorite. The lead changed hands 4 times in just few kilometers to the finish.
@oldskoolraver1079
2 жыл бұрын
@@yussufhaji460 I'm not talking about only this rally, I'm talking about the last 3 seasons. Greensmith, fourmiaux , Breen ( although I really like Breen) aren't the drivers to form the backbone of a rallyteam. And last season was a joke, they were 10 seconds off the pace every stage. And even then, they had lots of technical issues.
"The car in front of you is always a Toyota..."go against this, in such conditions, and suffer the peril.
Toyota 👌
TOYOTA・GAZOO・Racing🇯🇵
Toyota is already tested and proven in Africa. Viva Japan
Kenya is not for the feint harted!
Challenging routes this time
Now they will understand why 9/10 vehicles on Kenyan Roads is a Toyota (I know cause my daily driver on Kenyan Roads) Has NEVER failed to start EVER lol and im always safe with the knowledge that when push comes to shove I can trust it to keep pottering on these rally cars are essencially your unassuming Toyota Vits (Yaris) on steroids to the gills.....Welcome to Kenya boys!!!
Hakuna matata
Bring back Group B....but put in more safety
Fourmax with transmission? I thought rear diff blew up
I know understand why my parent can't sale our 24years Toyota L touring in clean condition with no mechanical problems only services done on time
Wonder why Toyota is the most beloved vehicle in East Africa. It lasts no matter what!!
Thierry, is so slow
There are much nicer places in Kenya to race.
@williammuchiri9398
2 жыл бұрын
Agreed. I'd love to know why they chose the same location despite last year's bruising as well.
Toyota ni chuma,,,inazijua rodi za Afrika ni kisanga,,,,chuma imetulia sana (corolla
Wonder why Toyotas are made for Africa? Now you know!
Afanya yang terang jesus christ (🤣) kalau pakai lampu teranglah
Thierrys luck once again showing. Great job, Hyundai.
Now bring us formula 1 to Kenya
@wawa5379
2 жыл бұрын
On the same roads !
@oness1334
2 жыл бұрын
Will you pay for the track building the cost of hosting?
@timothykaris3217
2 жыл бұрын
😂😂😂
@_suregraphy
2 жыл бұрын
@@oness1334 we're Rich bruv!
Only freaks who know what they're doing!
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