Kenya Safari Rally (WRC) - 23-25 Jun 23

Hyundai Motorsport Preview: Round 7 – Safari Rally Kenya

Posted: June 20, 2023 3:27 PM

Hyundai Motorsport is on a mission to continue its winning momentum at Safari Rally Kenya, the seventh round of the 2023 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), set to take place next weekend (June 22-25).

While the team travels to Africa in high spirits, the challenge of Kenya means that nothing is certain. The event is a true rally of attrition - something that Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team knows well from its experience in 2021. Having led the rally, Neuville was forced to retire on the final morning with a broken rear-right damper. However, the team remains hopeful that the 2023 running of Safari Rally Kenya could provide redemption as it seeks to continue a run of solid form from recent events.

With 60 years of rallying history, including an appearance in the WRC’s inaugural season, Safari Rally Kenya holds a lot of heritage. The gravel surface is unlike any other on the calendar, with the notorious fesh-fesh sand and treacherous rocky stages creating a uniquely challenging environment. Some sections need to be taken at a crawl to survive; there is no room for a constant flat-out approach.

Drivers are tested physically and mentally by the routes, the changing weather conditions, and hidden obstacles, which creates a completely different driving experience. Should rain come in to play for a second consecutive event, crews will find the dusty routes turn quickly into muddy rivers.

As Wydaeghe sees it
Safari Rally Kenya has moments that require a co-driver to be even more alert than any other rally in the year, as explained by Martijn Wydaeghe.

Wydaeghe said: “The greatest challenge in Kenya is that you can prepare as much as you want, but you will still have surprises. The road book looks exactly the same as last year, but we already know that the stages will be different because of the ever-changing weather conditions. The profile is unlike anything else; the mix of the fesh-fesh and the rocky terrain creates a completely different rally. This is why it’s important to adapt to the changing speeds – the surface has such varied characteristics. The most challenging stage is probably Sleeping Warrior as it’s the longest, making it harder to get into a consistent rhythm.”

Views on the crews
The Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid trio of Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe, Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm and Dani Sordo/Cándido Carrera will embark on Safari Rally Kenya aiming to close the gap in both the drivers’ and manufacturers’ standings.

Hyundai Motorsport Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul said:
“We are excited for this one; we want to have a Safari Rally Kenya to remember. The profile of this event differs so greatly from the previous two, however our Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid has been excelling in rough conditions recently so we’re hoping build on that next weekend and replicate the success we saw in Sardinia. The podium is the minimum target for us; we are starting to pull back the gap to our competitors, but we cannot afford to lose our momentum or our focus. We made good gains recently in the drivers’ standings and we need to now make that same progress with manufacturers’ points. We are certainly hungry to win again, and with the pace we saw in Sardinia, we are all focusing on how we can quickly repeat the result at this event.”

Crew Notes: Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (#11 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)
Neuville/Wydaeghe aiming to match superb Sardinian win
Belgian crew yet to finish on the podium at Safari Rally Kenya

Neuville said: “Kenya is an adventure. It is a tough event and very challenging because we are driving through the middle of the parks and the countryside, where there are some very rough sections with sand and fesh-fesh. Each stage has its own unique characteristics, but the changing conditions and different surfaces is what we enjoy so much about this rally. The goal is definitely to win, so we will keep fighting all the way through; as we know very well, the rally isn’t over until it’s over. We saw that two years ago when we were leading, and then unfortunately had an issue just before the end. Hopefully, we get the victory this year.”

Crew Notes: Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm (#4 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)
Finns heading into the unknown in debut Safari Rally Kenya
Crew has claimed a hat-trick of podiums in 2023 so far

Lappi said: “It’s harder work than normal to prepare for Safari Rally Kenya. I’ve watched as many onboards as possible to understand how you should drive on each of the specific areas. It’s another gravel rally, and we know the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid performs well on this surface, but we may just need to go higher on the ride height. I’ve also heard there are a lot of zebras here and they might venture onto the road, so it will be a unique experience for me with the conditions and the animals as well! Every rally we need to set the target of the podium now: we know the speed is there, so that has to be our goal.”

Crew Notes: Dani Sordo/Cándido Carrera (#6 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)
Sordo looking to bounce back from Sardinia disappointment
2023 Safari Rally Kenya will be second outing for Sordo and first for Carrera
Sordo said: “Safari Rally Kenya is a nice experience; I have only done it once before, but the stages are quite different - especially with the animals around and the fesh-fesh sand, which we know can be tricky. The weather can also play a big part, as the stages can become slippery if it rains. The goal for the weekend is to fight for the podium and hopefully for another team victory. Kenya will not just be about the speed, but also getting through the challenges that lie ahead.”

Weekend at a Glance
Safari Rally Kenya begins on Thursday 22 June with a super special stage in Nairobi Friday features six stages, with two runs of Loldia (19.17km), Geothermal (13.12km), and Kedong (30.62km) for crews to contend with
The honour of the longest day goes to Saturday, in both time and competitive distance. Teams have an early start to take on Soysambu (29.32km), Elmenteita (15.08km) and Sleeping Warrior (31.04km)
Three further stages are run on Sunday; Malewa (8.33km), Oserian (18.33km) and Hell’s Gate (10.53km) to bring the total competitive distance to 355.92km

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing defends its Safari pride on African epic

Posted: June 20, 2023 3:26 PM

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team returns to the legendary Safari Rally Kenya on June 22-25, aiming to continue its proud record of success on the epic African event.

Marking its 70th anniversary this year, the Safari is known as one of rallying’s toughest challenges and made a welcome comeback to the FIA World Rally Championship calendar in 2021. TGR-WRT has won both editions held since – doing so in style last year with an incredible 1-2-3-4 finish that also secured a record-extending 10th victory for Toyota on the event.

All four drivers who played a part in that historic result return this year. Reigning world champion Kalle Rovanperä (who leads the current standings by 25 points) took victory last year ahead of Elfyn Evans, and they are joined by 2021 winner Sébastien Ogier to form the team’s manufacturer line-up. Takamoto Katsuta, who claimed his first WRC podium finishes in Kenya in ’21 and ’22, drives an additional GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID with the support of the TGR WRC Challenge Program.

While the Safari used to be held over incredibly long stages on roads that were still open to the public, it now features a format similar to other modern WRC rounds, but still poses many unique challenges of its own. Some sections of the gravel stages are extremely rough and rocky, while others consisting of soft sand can be just as hard to navigate. Rain can also dramatically change the conditions, and turn a dry and dusty surface into deep mud in an instant.

The rally route is similar to last year, with shakedown taking place on Wednesday before the event begins from the Kenyan capital of Nairobi on Thursday lunchtime. The nearby Kasarani super special stage then kick-starts the competitive action. Friday is based around Lake Naivasha, around 100 kilometres north-west of Nairobi and where the service park is also located; an anti-clockwise loop of three stages around the lake will be run twice either side of mid-day service. Saturday is the longest day of the rally, taking crews north to Lake Elmenteita for another trio of repeated tests. On Sunday there are two more loops of three stages around Lake Naivasha, starting with a reworked version of the Malewa test last run in 2021 and ending with Hell’s Gate, which hosts the rally-ending Power Stage. A total of 355.92 competitive kilometres will be driven across the weekend.

A concept car, the Hilux MHEV, will be also driven as a test car in Kenya. The goal is to demonstrate and offer options for achieving carbon neutrality in markets like the African continent with underdeveloped infrastructure. Juha Kankkunen, the Toyota rally legend and three-time Safari Rally winner, will be behind the wheel.

Quotes:

Jari-Matti Latvala (Team Principal)
“The Safari Rally has been a really exciting event for us in the last two years and of course we hope we can achieve another good result this time around, but we know it will not be easy. We have seen that the modern Safari has the same spirit as before: it’s the longest and toughest rally in the championship and very different to the others, as it’s more about endurance and surviving stages that can be really difficult for the cars. For our engineers and mechanics, it’s a busy week, preparing and adapting the cars for the changing conditions. And for the drivers, patience is crucial to be able to push hard in the right moments, and not when it’s too rough. All four of our drivers have shown they have what it takes to succeed in Kenya and are ready for the challenge.”

Kalle Rovanperä / Jonne Halttunen
Kalle Rovanperä (Driver car 69)
“I’m looking forward to going back to Kenya. I have really enjoyed the event both times we have been there. Already in 2021, we were going quite well until we got stuck in the sand. Then, last year, it was of course very special to win with a perfect result for the team. It’s a rally that can depend a lot on the weather, because the conditions can change completely from one year to another. That makes it a really big challenge, but it’s one that suits us quite well, I think. Let’s see what the conditions will be like this year and hopefully we can have another strong weekend and score more good points for the championship.”

Elfyn Evans / Scott Martin
Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“It’s always difficult to know what we can expect on the Safari Rally, which is what makes it such a challenge for the teams and the crews. Most of the route will be the same as last year, but we know that the conditions can vary massively: not only from one year to the next, but also from one section of stage to another. We’ve already experienced a lot of different conditions there over the past couple of years, so we have been looking back through those events to prepare as best as we can, but we also need to be ready to adapt to whatever we face during the week. As a team we had a fantastic rally last year and hopefully we can be strong again.”

Sébastien Ogier / Vincent Landais
Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 17)
“I have really enjoyed the experience of going to Kenya these past two years and this is the main reason why I wanted to return again. It’s something very different from what we are used to, and the country and its people are amazing. The rally is very tough and we know that luck can be a big factor: in 2021 it was possible for me to come back from more than two minutes behind to win, as almost everybody had an issue at some point. Every rally I start, I try to win, and we will give it everything like always. I hope we got all our bad luck out of the way in Sardinia and that fortune will be on our side this time.”

M-SPORT TAKES TO THE SKIES FOR RALLY KENYA

Posted: June 20, 2023 3:23 PM

The M-Sport Ford World Rally Team is en-route for the seventh round of the 2023 World Rally Championship, Safari Rally Kenya.

The event also sees M-Sport partner for a second consecutive year with Kenya Airways, who will support all the team logistics for the event. Supporting not only flights for team members, Kenya Airways has also played a key part in the transportation of the Ford Puma Rally1s, which fly to Kenya over the weekend. To showcase this partnership, M-Sport has followed the cars every step of the way on their journey to Naivasha and will document this on its social media channels.

The two M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1s will also carry special Kenya Airways branding as they take on the Safari’s stages.

Marking the mid-point of the season, the Safari’s famously brutal roads await the crews as M-Sport’s Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja eye up the top spots in order to strengthen their championship charge, the pair currently sitting third in the driver’s and co-driver’s championships respectively.

Taking the usual expectations of a gravel rally to the extreme, Safari Rally Kenya’s dominant characteristics are it’s unforgiving, deeply rutted dirt tracks that will put the cars to the ultimate test over the 356 competitive kilometres.

Finishing the event third overall on his first time amongst the fech fech in 2021, this year marks Tänak’s third outing in Kenya since the iconic event returned to the WRC two years ago. Taking to the Kenyan stages for the first time in his Ford Puma Hybrid Rally1, the Estonian has his sights set on a strong result after making positive developments to his gravel set-up over the last few events.

Pierre-Louis Loubet will be making his Safari debut next week, taking on this new challenge buoyed by a strong showing on gravel so far this season. A learning opportunity on the one-hand, Loubet can also look to a top-five result by using his established gravel expertise to navigate the tough conditions and fight for survival.

Making his return to the Puma after his last event in Mexico, Jourdan Serderidis sets out for Safari with new co-driver Andy Malfoy. He makes his return to Kenya after finishing last year’s event a career best seventh overall in the Puma.

Grégoire Munster also returns to the ranks behind the wheel of a Fiesta Rally2 as he takes on the WRC2 category. Munster will enjoy his first outing in Kenya and will look to use his knowledge of the car from Portugal and Sardinia to support his campaign in Naivasha.

Richard Millener, Team Principal, said:
“I am really looking forward to getting back to Rally Kenya next week. Last year was the first time for me and it was everything I expected and more. The rally brings incredible scenery, wildlife and fans together to really showcase the DNA of rally. There is no hiding away from the fact that this is one of the toughest events of the year and the stages and weather could make a huge difference. We know the Puma can be strong here and the goal will be to come away with a strong result. The event also marks a continued logistics partnership with Kenya Airways for the event, the team there are great and really passionate about the rally and helping our logistics movements be as streamlined and efficient as possible and it will be a pleasure to run their branding on the cars for this event.”

Ott Tänak said:
“I wish we had more time to enjoy life around the rally in Kenya, but it’s of course the wildlife that is so special compared to our lives in Europe. We have more challenges to face in terms of keeping the car in one piece in Kenya! Sections in fech fech mean its easy to get stuck and difficult to understand where the track goes.

“I haven’t really succeeded there yet so that’s something to discover for myself. We need to make sure we won’t incur any mechanical setbacks with the tough conditions and then it’s up to us to give our best performance!”

Pierre-Louis Loubet said:
“I feel very lucky to be able to drive in Kenya, it’s a really magical event. I’m so happy to be able to drive there and I hope to enjoy this crazy adventure a lot! I hope we can do something good there, the car is fast in tricky conditions so I hope we’ll be able to bring a good performance.”

Grégoire Munster said:
“We’re really looking forward to Kenya, it’s a dream to be able to participate in this rally. We learned a lot in Portugal and Sardinia; there has definitely been a learning curve but this is encouraging and we set some good times on Sunday in Sardinia. We’re use to the car on gravel, but Kenya is always a really tricky rally. It’s hard to judge what speed you should be driving at to get to the finish and avoid any problems. With the weather forecast, which seems to be pretty rainy, it might become really interesting! The goal will be to complete the first stage and see where our pace is; be smart, be fast and be cautious as well.”

Entry List (Amended 29 May)

Posted: May 29, 2023 10:18 AM

Kenya Safari Rally (WRC) - 23-25 Jun 23 - ENTRY LIST - (Amended 29 May)

Rally Guide / Details / Event Website

Posted: March 7, 2023 11:25 AM

Safari Rally