Safari Rally – a unique event

Round 6 of the WRC, Safari Rally Kenya, is an exceptional event. Each WRC rally is unique, but Safari Rally is the only event held in Africa, with massive rocks scattered here and there, uneven terrain, as well as road surfaces suddenly turning into a glutinous mud bath, so it is full of adventurous elements from mother nature.
Although Safari Rally once served as one of the highlights of the WRC, it had long been out of the championship for its peculiarities, and it is quite different from other events. But, after approximately 20 years, the iconic event returned to the WRC calendar last year.
Safari Rally used to be an event that took almost one week to compete in the CSs (competitive sections) on roads with public access, which extended from between 4,000 – 5,000km. However, upon making its return, it evolved to fit the standard WRC format; a three-day rally with total distance of 1,200km of which 360km are competitive special stages.
However, the African terrain which drivers tackle, such as incomparably rough roads as well as abruptly changing weather conditions remain unchanged.
It is also important to note that Japanese cars do well in this event. In 30 years, since the establishment of the WRC from 1973 to 2002, Japanese teams have won this event 20 times. Out of this achievement, Toyota has secured eight wins and grabbed its 9th victory last year. This is why the Japanese manufacturer is called the King of Africa.
On African soil which remains unchanged, the king displayed its overwhelming strength again this year. As always in Safari Rally, after starting from the traditional Kenyatta International Convention Centre, SS1 was run before the teams moved to Naivasha where the rally route was based.

Mature driving from young Rovanperä

Starting 1st on Day 1 was Kalle Rovanperä of Toyota who was leading the championship. Unlike standard sprint type gravel rallies, starting 1st on the road is not necessarily disadvantageous in Safari Rally Kenya. That is, the most important thing is to protect one’s car and prevent punctures, as the road surfaces are unimaginably rough. However, at the same time, drivers are required to run as fast as they can. When it comes to safety and speed, balancing out these two contradicting elements requires experience. This is why seasoned drivers tend to achieve good results in Safari Rally.
However, the youngest driver, Rovanperä, managed to keep 3rd position, following his Toyota team mates, Elfyn Evans and Sébastien Ogier, in the chaotic battle over the lead on the early stages of Day 1. Further, Takamoto Katsuta was running 4th to complete Toyota’s dominance with the top four places.
Ford’s Sébastien Loeb, who was meant to be fighting against them, retired early on Day 1 due to a problem with his car. Hyundai’s ace drivers, Ott Tänak and Thierry Neuville, also retired after problems occurring one after another.
Rough surfaces and fine dust of the rally present tough conditions for cars, so it is vital to have the cars fully prepared. However, unlike in the past, testing in Kenya in advance is not allowed, so unexpected problems can occur during the rally. Despite such a situation, the degree of perfection of Toyota cars was extremely high.
The last half of Day 1 saw a fight for positions among the Toyota drivers, and although Ogier fell behind due to a puncture, Rovanperä, Katsuta, and Evans concluded the day, occupying the top three positions.
Even on Day 2, the longest day of the rally, Toyota drivers remained dominant. Early on in the day, Evans emerged 2nd, overtaking Katsuta. While Evans was closing in on Rovanperä to take the lead away, the young Finn kept the right pace to preserve his car without pushing too hard. This is how a veteran driver would fight, but Rovanperä doing this at the tender age of 21 presents a surprising level of self-control.
Katsuta, Japan’s star, fought for 3rd place with Hyundai’s Tänak who kept narrowing the gap but suffered a puncture on SS10, the last of the first loop of stages and lost his position. It seemed as if a part of Toyota’s stronghold was broken, but Tänak retired after the stage finish, and Katsuta kept 3rd place. However, on the second loop, Hyundai’s Neuville closed in on Katsuta. Due to a downpour during the mid-stage of the loop, dusty roads turned into mud baths.
Despite the road surface being as slippery as a frozen road, Rovanperä displayed some perfect driving and opened up the lead over Evans by almost 30 seconds. The 2nd fastest on the stage after Rovanperä was Neuville who had a puncture towards the end of the stage. He moved up to 3rd after overtaking Katsuta, who also had a puncture. A part of the Toyota squad seemed to have fallen out. However, Neuville hit a tree on SS13, the last stage of Day 2. This again let Toyota dominate the top four positions. Rovanperä, Evans, Katsuta, and Ogier closed in, and established a firm 1-2-3-4 formation.

Toyota achieves its third 1-2-3-4 finish

Onto the last day of the event, Day 3, stages were short in distance, and there was no room for any drama with the large gaps between the drivers. Although one or two-minute time differences could easily be turned around with one problem on Safari Rally, the four Toyota cars held their positions and finished the event. It was Toyota’s third 1-2-3-4 finish since its first in 1986 at the Rallye Côte d’Ivoire, and its second in 1993 at Safari Rally; each achieved in Africa.
In this event, Rovanperä’s talent shone through and it was proved once again. One cannot take a victory just by driving fast. It is worth noting that a young driver won without much ado in an event where well-built strategy and mental maturity such as advanced self-control are required. Last but not least, Toyota’s car development effort which brought their cars back with almost no major problems also deserves great praise. The team lives up to their name, the King of Africa.