Nairobi, Sunday, June 25, 2023:
France’s Sebastien Ogier racked up his second career Kenya’s WRC Safari Rally win Sunday before an enthusiastic crowd of local spectators at the Hell’s Gate Wolf Power Stage, but not without dramas.
The eight-times champion defied team-mate Kalle Rovanperä’s knack to head home Toyota Gazoo Racing’s third 1-2-3-4 Safari finish after the initial one in 1993 delivered by “Flying Finn” Juha Kankkunen.
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 (five) bonus points with the fastest time at the Wolf Power Stage.
Leading results of the 2023 WRC Safari Rally Kenya:
Outright winners:
1. Sebastien Ogier (France) / Vincent Landais (France) – Toyota GR Yaris;
2. Kalle Rovanperä (Finland) / Jonne Halttunen (Finland) – Toyota GR Yaris;
3. Elfyn Evans (Great Britain) / Scott Martin (Great Britain) – Toyota GR Yaris;
4. Katsuta Takamoto (Japan) / Aaron Johnson (Ireland) – Toyota GR Yaris.
WRC2:
1. Kajetan Kajetanowicz (Poland) / Maciej Szczepaniak (Poland) – Skoda Fabia Evo;
2. Martin Prokop (Czech Republic) / Zdenek Jurka (Czech Republic) – Ford Fiesta MKII;
3. Carl Tundo (Kenya) / Tim Jessop (Kenya) – Skoda Fabia.
WRC3:
1. Diego Dominguez (Paraguay) / Rogelio Penate (Spain) – Ford Fiesta Rally3;
2. Jason Bailey (Canada) / James Willets (Canada) – Ford Fiesta Rally3;
3. McRae Kimathi (Kenya) / Mwangi Kioni (Kenya) – Ford Fiesta Rally3.
Winning WRC2 Challenger:
1. Kajetan Kajetanowicz (Poland) / Maciej Szczepaniak (Poland) – Skoda Fabia;
Winning Master:
1. Armin Kremer (Germany) / Timo Gottschalk (Germany) Skoda Fabia.
Leading timings:
1. (#17) Sébastien Ogier – Landais V. FRA-FRA (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) 3:30:42.5;
2. (#69) Kalle Rovanperä – Halttunen J. FIN-FIN (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) 3:30:49.2/+6.7;
3. (#33) Evans Elfyn – Martin Scott GBR-GBR (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) 3:33:41.0/+2:58.5;
4. (#18) Takamoto Katsuta – Aaron Johnston JAP-IRL (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) 3:34:06.3/+3:23.8;
5. (#6) Sordo Dani – Carrera Cándido ESP-ESP (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) 3:35:47.9/+5:05.4;
6. (#8) Tänak Ott – Järveoja Martin EST-EST (Ford Puma Rally1) 3:39:56.9/+9:14.4
7. (#7) Pierre-Louis Loubet – Gilsoul N. FRA-BEL (Ford Puma Rally1) 3:46:58.2/+16:15.7
8. (#11) Thierry Neuville – Wydaeghe M. BEL-BEL (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) 3:55:29.5/+24:47.0
9. (#21) Kajetanowicz K. – Szczepaniak POL-POL (M.Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo ) 3:57:15.9/+26:33.4
10. (#20) Oliver Solberg – Edmondson E. SWE-GBR (Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo) 3:57:46.5/+27:04.0
11. (#23) Martin Prokop – Jůrka Zdeněk CZE-CZE (Ford Fiesta Rally2) 4:08:43.6/+38:01.1
12. (#26) Carl Tundo – Jessop Tim KEN-KEN (Škoda Fabia R5) 4:11:38.6/+40:56.1
13. (#4) Lappi Esapekka – Ferm Janne (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) 4:12:57.4/+42:14.9
14. (#24) Kremer Armin – Gottschalk Timo DEU-DEU (Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo) 4:14:40.8/+43:58.3.