The second day of the Safari Rally Kenya has come to an end. Sébastien Ogier would retain his lead over Kalle Rovanperä.
SS5, LOLDIA 2
Stage five of Safari Rally Kenya would once again see Sébastien Ogier on top. Ogier would set a time 8.4 seconds faster than Esapekka Lappi to take the stage win. Ott Tänak would finish third on the stage, 1.8 seconds slower than Lappi. Elfyn Evans would set the fourth fastest time on the stage, finishing 0.3 seconds slower than Tänak. Dani Sordo would round out the top five, finishing 0.9 seconds slower than Evans.
SS6, GEOTHERMAL 2
Sebastien Ogier (FRA) Vincent Landais (FRA) Of team TOYOTA GAZOO RACING WRT is seen during the World Rally Championship Kenya in Naivasha, Kenya on 23 June, 2023 // Jaanus Ree / Red Bull Content Pool
The sixth stage of Safari Rally Kenya would see Sébastien Ogier take his second consecutive stage win. Ogier would set a time 1.2 seconds faster than Esapekka Lappi to take the stage win. Kalle Rovanperä would finish third on the stage, 1.4 seconds slower than Lappi. Elfyn Evans would set the fourth fastest time on the stage, finishing 0.5 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Takamoto Katsuta would round out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.6 seconds slower than Evans.
SS7, KEDONG 2
The seventh and final stage of the second day of Safari Rally Kenya would see Sébastien Ogier take his third consecutive stage win. Ogier would finish 2.4 seconds faster than Kalle Rovanperä to take home the stage win. Esapekka Lappi would finish third on the stage, 0.9 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Elfyn Evans would set the fourth fastest time on the stage, finishing 7.1 seconds slower than Lappi. Ott Tänak would round out the top five on the stage, finishing 10.9 seconds slower than Evans.
Trouble For Neuville
Thierry Neuville (BEL) Martijn Wydaeghe (BEL) Of team HYUNDAI SHELL MOBIS WORLD RALLY TEAM is seen during the World Rally Championship Kenya in Naivasha, Kenya on 23 June, 2023 // Jaanus Ree / Red Bull Content Pool
Thierry Neuville would be the first major player caught out by Safari Rally Kenya. As Neuville would break his suspension on SS6. This was a rather unfortunate break for Neuville who sat fourth, 5.3 seconds back from Elfyn Evans heading into the stage. Neuville will likely be back out on the stages tomorrow.
What To Expect From Day Three
There’s still plenty of racing to be had at the Safari Rally Kenya. Sebastien Ogier holds a nice 22.8-second lead over Kalle Rovanperä. Expect Rovanperä to try and close that gap down to the low teens tomorrow. Elfyn Evans sits rather comfortably in third, as Esapekka Lappi sits 10.5 seconds behind him and Rovanperä sits 20.7 seconds ahead of him. Lappi will likely look the close the gap between him and Evans to try and get on the podium in his first-ever Safari Rally Kenya. Takamoto Katsuta will also likely be looking to close the gap between himself and Lappi down from 25.4 seconds. Both M-Sport Ford drivers are way behind the pack, but that doesn’t mean they’re out of the race. As in Kenya you can lose 10 seconds on a stage and gain 30 on the next. It’s a battle of endurance more than it is a battle of time. Nonetheless, Tänak and Loubet will have a hard time coming back if they wanted to.
Safari Rally Kenya Day Two Loop One Recap