Kalle Rovanperä: Absolute Dominance in the Challenging Safari Rally of Kenya

Kalle Rovanperä clinched victory at the Kenya Safari Rally, overcoming one of the most arduous competitions of this year's World Rally Championship. From the rally's start on Friday, Rovanperä and his co-driver Jonne Halttunen took the lead, maintaining it until they achieved a considerable margin of 1 minute and 37.8 seconds at the event's end.

The rally began with Rovanperä winning all of Friday's stages, establishing a solid early lead. Despite terrain challenges and competition, he maintained his leading position throughout Saturday, extending his advantage while others faced technical issues and vehicle damage.

The final stage on Sunday, held in the majestic setting of Hell's Gate and attended by Kenyan President William Ruto, saw Rovanperä crossing the finish line with a focused and effective strategy, underlining Toyota's strength in this type of rally.

Takamoto Katsuta, also in a Toyota GR Yaris, took second place, reinforcing Toyota's position at the top of the manufacturers' table. Adrien Fourmaux, in his Ford Puma, completed the podium with a notable performance.

Rovanperä, reflecting on his victory, highlighted Toyota's relevance in the Safari Rally history and the team's effort to achieve this result.
Toyota driver Elfyn Evans, who had started strong on Friday, finished in fourth position, followed by Thierry Neuville, who finished fifth despite facing multiple technical difficulties during the rally.

Other competitors like Esapekka Lappi and Ott Tänak faced issues, with Lappi dealing with transmission problems and Tänak recovering from suspension damage.
In the final standings, Jourdan Serderidis and Kajetan Kajetanowicz, in a Ford Puma and a Škoda Fabia Rally2 respectively, were among the top ten.

The WRC circuit is now gearing up for the Rally of Croatia, a shift to asphalt, which will take place in Zagreb from April 18 to 21.