NAKURU (Kenya) — France’s Sebastien Ogier won Safari Rally in Kenya as his Toyota team swept the top four places for the second year in a row.
The eight-times world champion, now racing part-time, beat championship leader Kalle Rovanpera of Finland by 6.7 seconds with Welshman Elfyn Evans a distant third and Japan’s Takamoto Katsuta fourth.
The victory was Ogier’s third from five starts so far this season.
The Kenya’s Safari Rally is the seventh round of the 2023 World Rally Championship.
Rovanpera extended his championship lead over Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville to 37 points, with the Belgian finishing eighth but bagging some precious bonus points with the fastest time in the final Power Stage.
Ogier arrived from the repeat run of Hell’s Gate speed test with a cracked windscreen recounting all the dramas and gremlins that earned him the coveted Safari trophy, one of the most treasured globally.
The Frenchman, fighting hard to recover time lost to Rovanperä in the rocky opener, clipped a tree and ripped off his car’s entire rear tailgate.
Amazingly winning the stage and making all the time back, he then patched the gap using a bin liner to keep dust at bay in Hell’s Gate 1.
Ogier, one of the hardest hit, saw his lead whittled down to just 9.2sec before the Wolf Power Stage finale, where the eight-time world champion’s run was again without incident.
The part-time WRC driver, eclipsed championship leader Rovanpera of Finland by 6.7 seconds with Welshman Elfyn Evans a distant third and Japan’s Takamoto Katsuta fourth.
Ogier expounded: “I think it was one hell of a weekend, for sure. The showpiece was great and that’s what the people want to see.
“I wish to congratulate the team for repeating an amazing 1-2-3-4 on the toughest rally of the season.
“My teammate Kalle kept us under pressure the whole weekend, but I am going to enjoy this one and probably take some time to let it sink in.”
Asked about his highs and lows on Safari, Ogier continued: “Our pace was great. We had really the capacity to push and make some difference when we wanted, but also- everyday- we were hit by a couple of issues which made it very exhausting for me.”
Team Principal Jari-Matti Latvala congratulated his team for a great weekend: “When we won this event last year, we thought that it will take us another decade to repeat the 1-2-3-4 feat. Amazingly, it has taken only one year, and I wish to congratulate a dedicated team for what happens behind the scenes.
“It’s a combination of driving fast when conditions allow and understanding the history of this event.”
Rovanpera-who won the 2022 Safari-extended his championship lead over Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville who finished eighth.
But Neuville bagged some maximum (5) bonus points with the fastest time at the Wolf Power Stage.
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