The second day of Rally Islas Canaries has come to an end. Kalle Rovanperä kept up his dominance on the day.
Day Two Recap (Stages 7-13)
Kalle Rovanperä picked up where he left off after the first day. As the Finnish driver won six of the seven stages on day two. The only stage he lost was SS13 which was a SuperSpecial street stage. Rovanperä takes a 45.7-second lead over Sebastien Ogier into the final day of the event. Hyundai’s struggles continued on Saturday. Despite this Adrien Fourmaux ends the second day in the top five, how? Sami Pajari crashed out on SS12. Interestingly, Hyundai only has one top-five stage time so far this weekend, which came on SS13 when Neuville and Rovanperä tied for the third fastest time. Also, if you’re wondering about the lack of a M-Sport mention, well there’s a reason for that. Both M-Sport drivers are currently fighting WRC2 drivers, as McErlean sits 10th overall, and Munster is 13th overall. If McErlean were registered for WRC2 points this weekend he’d currently be third.
Quotes
Toyota Gazoo Racing
Juha Kankkunen (Deputy Team Principal)
“It has been almost another perfect day for us. Kalle has done another really good job, driving fast but also at a speed where he feels comfortable. Everybody is saying that he is back, but he never went away: the speed and the talent has always been there and it was only a matter of time. What happened to Sami is a pity because he had been driving very well until that point. But these things can happen and the damage is not so bad, so we will fix it and he will be ready for tomorrow. We still have four of our drivers in the top four positions, and our car has been working really well here and our drivers have been showing good speed. So we will try to secure this result and fight for all the points tomorrow because we know that we can still face a big fight this season.”
Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“This morning the car felt a bit better than yesterday, but we didn’t really seem to gain any time from it. It’s been a bit frustrating not to be fighting closer to the front, but Kalle and Seb have just been a bit faster than us. We were trying to be clean and the pace was OK. We will try to improve and be ready for tomorrow. You have to try to grab every opportunity for points, so we just have to focus on driving well, doing a good job and trying to bring home some points.”
Kalle Rovanperä (Driver car 69)
“Everything has been going really well again today. The stages had a bit of a different style to yesterday and in the first two I was maybe not so comfortable, but I really enjoyed the third one that was more flowing. The afternoon was especially good: we made some really small changes to the car and it felt even better, which was nice. I hope we can have the same feeling tomorrow and that everything continues to come comfortably, because we would need to try and take as many points as we can.”
Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 17)
“It’s been good fun to drive the car on these beautiful roads again today. Again, Kalle has had something more than the rest of us but I could achieve my main target to be secure in P2. We have been making some good adjustments on the car and the balance has been suiting me better and better. Now we need to continue like this tomorrow, which will be an important day because we need to make use of this pace and collect some more points for the team.”
Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“Today was much better than yesterday. We definitely made a step forward. I was quite happy with the car. I feel sorry for Sami that he had to stop because he was doing a very good job. Now I just need to keep focused tomorrow from the first stage and keep pushing. I hope to find a bit more comfort and a bit more pace, but I don’t think we need to change too much.”
Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)
“We were having another nice and clean day. The pace was coming naturally and it was enjoyable in the car. Unfortunately in SS12 we were a bit too fast in one long corner. I’m not sure what happened because I think I did the same that I did in the morning, but we simply had too much speed and hit the fence. It’s always a pity if things go this way but if we are starting to match the times of the top drivers, then things like this can happen easily. We just need to get back out there tomorrow and try to continue where we left off.”
Hyundai Shell Mobis
Adrien Fourmaux
“We are still missing some performance, but I was really enjoying this afternoon when the balance was ok on the stages. We don’t really know what to expect tomorrow; it will be a big challenge for us. Everything has to go perfect, and while there are a few things we could change, it is also a gamble. We are certainly going to try everything we can to score as many points as possible. ”
Thierry Neuville
“This afternoon went much better than this morning; we had a good balance with the car and I was starting to enjoy my driving. I think we’ve done a good job, and I’m satisfied with it. While we never stop hoping that we can make up more positions, realistically it will be very difficult to do that tomorrow, but we are going to go for points – there is still a lot to play for.”
Ott Tänak
“The first stage of the loops was the most tricky today, but it was possible to slightly enjoy the second and third stages. The roads are really nice to drive on the inside of the car, although the story from the outside is quite different. We were blind testing some changes but the engineers had some good ideas, and step by step we were making some improvements. ”
Pablo Marcos – Hyundai Team Manager
“Today we struggled once again to get our car to work on these technical and unique roads. Much like yesterday, we tried different solutions but clearly, we were still far from the front. The positive to take away is how the team and the drivers were all working together, pulling in the same direction to find a solution. The drivers showed they had a good pace, even if their speed was not of those in front of us, but they were matching each other with quite similar times. We will continue to work on the car for tomorrow, targeting a clean finish to the event, while also waiting to see if something happens that we can benefit from.”
The first day of Rally Islas Canarias has come to an end. Kalle Rovanperä and Toyota had a stellar day to open the event.
Morning Loop (Stages 1-3)
Kalle Rovanperä swept the morning loop of stages. As the Finnish driver went three for three on-stage wins to take a 17.8-second lead over Sebastien Ogier to open the event. No drivers had any major issues per sey on the opening loop, however, every driver that wasn’t behind the wheel of a Toyota struggled. As no driver for Hyundai or M-Sport had a top-three stage time to start the weekend. That being said at the end of the morning loop Adrien Fourmaux sits fourth, 14 seconds behind Evans who sits in third.
Afternoon Loop (Stages 4-6)
Kalle Rovanperä continued what he started in the morning loop. As the 2-time champion once again swept the loop of stages to win all six stages on the day. Rovanperä ends the day with a 26.8-second lead over Ogier. The struggles for Hyundai and M-Sport continued, as now Toyota holds the top five positions in the overall standings. Thierry Neuville who sits sixth is only 7.3 seconds behind Takamoto Katsuta however. It is also worth noting that unless something absurd happens a Toyota driver will score maximum points for the Friday-Saturday portion of the event. As Neuville sits over a minute behind Rovanperä.
Quotes
Toyota Gazoo Racing
Juha Kankkunen (Deputy Team Principal)
“Everything went very well today. All our drivers were smiling and enjoying the driving on these very nice roads. I always had trust in Kalle: we know what he can do when everything is right, and here the car seems to be perfect for him. We know Seb and Elfyn are very good drivers, they were just not quite on Kalle’s level today. Sami has done a good day too, and for Taka we’ll try tonight to find a bit more from the car for him. The whole team has done an excellent job with the testing and preparation, and already in shakedown, the drivers were happy. It’s been a perfect day really. The rally is never finished until the last stage, but at the moment it looks very good.”
Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“It’s definitely been a great day for the team today. They’ve done a really good job preparing for this rally. On a personal note, I’m maybe not entirely satisfied and could have done with finding a bit more confidence with the car and a few more seconds to fight with Kalle and Seb, who have been doing a great job. I’m not quite able to follow them at the moment but we’ll try a few changes tonight. Tomorrow’s stages are maybe a bit more abrasive, so it could be a bit more difficult for the tyres, and we have to see what the weather does too.”
Kalle Rovanperä (Driver car 69)
“I’m really happy with today. Everything came together well and it’s been a super day for the team overall. It seems we have done our preparation well and it meant we could just enjoy the driving and do a good job. The car is fast, I’m happy with the balance and I can drive it like I want, and our pacenotes have been good as well. Some sections of tomorrow’s stages will be a bit different in character to today, so we need to keep focused, see if we can make the car even better, and try to keep this up.”
Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 17)
“It’s been a very positive day for the whole team. To fill the top five places after day one is pretty impressive, so well done to our engineers and mechanics for the hard work, adapting to the new tyres as best as we can. Of course I’m never 100 per cent happy to be second but Kalle was really flying today and there was no way we could match his pace. I think we made some improvements this afternoon in terms of feeling and pace, and we still have some ideas for tomorrow.”
Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“It’s been a very nice day for the team. It’s an amazing effort by everybody in preparing the car for our first time here with the WRC. Personally, I’m not completely happy with myself and seem to be missing something, so I just need to improve the speed a little bit. I’m not able to be quite as smooth as you need to be on this kind of rally. Already in the afternoon we changed a few things and it went in a better direction and hopefully we can find something more for tomorrow.”
Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)
“Today has been really good and the position we’re in as a team at the end of it is very nice. Personally, I was not completely happy in the morning but then stage-by-stage the feeling has been getting better. In the afternoon we found quite a nice flow and the times were even more competitive. Of course, when there’s still a bit of a gap to the front, then I’m always thinking about what we can improve so let’s see what we can do for tomorrow.”
Hyundai Shell Mobis
Thierry Neuville
“It is a struggle to find positives from today; it has been tough, and a hard one to swallow. It was difficult to keep our motivation high but we kept fighting. Martijn and I tried to work on the car between every stage, and we were able to gain two places. We are constantly improving bit by bit, and this afternoon with a bit of adapting to my driving style I was making it work, but we will need to fight for every position tomorrow and Sunday.”
Ott Tänak
“It is very difficult to enjoy the stages when you’re fighting so much out there, especially when you are down on speed and struggling to get the car working on these very specific roads. I think it’s a simple problem, but one that is difficult to fix. There’s not much we can do with the suspension or transmission, but we will try to find a way to be in a better position for Sunday. ”
Adrien Fourmaux
“This morning was not perfect, but it was much better than this afternoon. I made a change to the set-up of the car to try and find more grip, but it really changes the balance. I was struggling with understeer that I didn’t have on the first loop, and I started to overheat the tyres. It’s frustrating to see the gap to the cars ahead, so as a team we will try to move in the right direction for the next two days. ”
François-Xavier Demaison – Hyundai Technical Director
“It has been a challenging day here at Rally Islas Canarias. We are certainly not where we expected to be, so there is a lot of work for us to do over the next two days to bring us back to where we should be. We need to adapt the car to a better setup for the tyres, as well as the specificities of this rally. However, anything can still happen in WRC. We will push to improve the car and to find a solution that allows us to attack, particularly on Sunday where there is a lot of points on offer.”
The fourth and final day of Safari Rally Kenya 2025 has come to an end. Elfyn Evans held on to claim the event win.
Morning Loop (Stages 17-19)
Elfyn Evans lost some time to Ott Tänak during the morning loop. However, the Welshman had a just under two-minute lead over Tänak heading into the day, and now sits a minute and a half ahead of Tänak after the morning loop. This isn’t much of a surprise, as Evans has elected to take a safe approach and just make it to the finish rather than risk losing it all. Tänak, Katsuta and Fourmaux each had a stage win during the loop. Hyundai has been on a warpath so far for Super Sunday. As all three Hyundai drivers are in the top five of the Super Sunday standings, with Nueville leading. Only one driver had a major issue during the morning, that driver being Kalle Rovanperä. Rovanperä was forced to retire on the road section between SS17 and SS18 due to an alternator issue.
Afternoon Loop (Stages 20-21)
Elfyn Evans lost even more time to Tänak on the final two stages of Safari Rally Kenya 2025. However, Evans managed to end the event with a lead of over a minute ahead of the Estonian. Katsuta and Fourmaux each took a stage win to end the event. Adrien Fourmaux took home the Powerstage win for extra points. Fourmaux also took top honours in the Super Sunday standings. Narrowly beating out Thierry Neuville. Katsuta rolled during the Powerstage but was able to restart after getting some help to roll his car back over. The Japanese driver lost almost three minutes due to the roll.
Quotes
Toyota Gazoo Racing
Akio Toyoda (TGR-WRT Chairman)
“Elfyn and Scott, congratulations on your victory! Their victory has brought the team three consecutive wins this season and a fifth straight win at the Safari Rally Kenya. Also, they brought Juha, who was on-site as Deputy Team Principal this time, to the podium. As a long-time rally fan, I wanted Juha to stand on the podium again at the Safari Rally, so I am grateful to them for making that happen.
We were able to win the rally thanks to Elfyn and Scott, but the roads in Kenya were as challenging as ever. It wasn’t an easy victory. We approached Kenya with thorough preparations based on four years of experience there. However, this year we faced new challenges once again. So many things happened up until the last day and the last stage. I wish we could have made it easier for Elfyn and Scott to win. I wanted to let Kalle and Jonne drive until the end. I wanted Takamoto and Aaron to finish the rally with a strong result and I wanted to give Sami and Marko more opportunities to showcase their skills.
We get excited every time we encounter a road that reminds us, ‘there is no end to ever-better car making’. Starting tomorrow, everyone in the team will work on improving the GR YARIS Rally1 to make it easier to drive and stronger. And these improvements will extend beyond rally cars to all Toyota vehicles running around the world. The roads of Kenya made us reaffirm the significance of participating in rallies as a car manufacturer. To all the team members, let’s work hard to create ever-better cars from tomorrow, and let’s enjoy the competition with our rivals!”
Juha Kankkunen (Deputy Team Principal)
“I’m really happy that we managed to win the 100th WRC rally for the team, and that I could celebrate another Toyota win on the Safari Rally, 40 years after my first victory here. It really brought tears to my eyes. Among the modern day, shorter Safari rallies, this was absolutely the toughest one I have seen. There were a lot of things happening all the time, so I was a lot more nervous following it than I ever was when I was driving myself. We were maybe a little bit unlucky compared to previous years, especially on this final day, but the most important thing is that we managed to win this rally for Toyota once again. It was a really good job from Elfyn and Scott, who have made a fantastic start to the season.”
Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“It’s amazing to have won this rally. It’s not quite sunk in fully yet but the Safari Rally is a special event to win. A huge well done to the team, who work very hard to give us an amazing car, and I’m proud to be a very small part of Toyota’s great history on this rally. It’s been a massively demanding weekend, probably the most extreme Safari we’ve seen since we’ve been coming here, and the weather added an extra twist on Saturday. It was not easy to manage the final day, having quite a big lead and needing to bring it home. There was the temptation of extra points to play for on Sunday, but in the circumstances it was important to get the car to the finish, and I’m very happy at the end of it.”
Kalle Rovanperä (Driver car 69)
“It has been a difficult weekend but we hoped to still try and take some good points from the final day. Everything was fine in the first stage this morning but on the road section to the next stage, we started to see some electrical issues on the car. We tried to fix them but we couldn’t make it happen in the end and we had to retire from the rally. It’s really disappointing to leave without any points, but we will go again in the next rally.”
Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“I’m devastated to end the rally in this way. Near the start of the Power Stage we had a half spin, we caught the inside bank and then we started to roll. It was a very unexpected thing and I don’t know exactly what happened. It has been a very difficult rally and of course I had to try to push, and this kind of thing can always happen. But I’m just very, very sorry for the team.”
Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)
“It is really a big relief to cross the finish line, which was our only plan for the whole rally. It has been quite a long week, from the recce and through four days of rallying. It can be quite exhausting but we managed it quite well. There were no big mistakes or issues, which is exactly what we wanted from this event, so I can be super pleased with that. I’m happy for the team to have won this rally once again and with the experience we gained here, we can be even stronger next time.”
Hyundai Shell Mobis
Ott Tänak
“Really happy with the result today. A difficult and demanding weekend, but we are happy to bring both cars safely home on the podium. Our chances of victory went on Friday, but after that we kept it clean and now we’ve scored strong points on Sunday. There’s a lot of positives to take from this weekend. Really thankful to the team and the mechanics for keeping us in the game, there was never an easy service so a massive thank you to them. The cars were really put on the limit but the team has improved the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 and its reliability – we’ve been moving in a really good direction since Friday”
Thierry Neuville
“We can breathe now; it was a very stressful day today, always thinking something could break. I think we have been rewarded for our hard work on Friday and Saturday. It was an enormous job between stages for me and Martijn fixing the car, and the team always had a massive job to fix it at every service. But we never gave up, even when things were looking bad, and that paid off. We finally got the result we deserved. ”
Adrien Fourmaux
“A really tough weekend for us with the technical issues that started on Thursday, which was difficult to accept. I’m very proud of our performance on the stages today; we have scored some good points, and it is really positive to come home with those after a difficult event. I’d like to thank the team for giving me such a strong car today that allowed me to fight for maximum Power Stage and Super Sunday points. ”
Cyril Abiteaboul – Team Principal
“Certain podiums feel like wins, and this is certainly the case today. While we have seen that we still have some reliability issues we need to overcome, we can be very satisfied with the overall result here at Safari Rally Kenya. This is the reward for our very strong pace on Friday and Saturday, and for the amazing work and team spirit demonstrated by everyone at Hyundai Motorsport in very challenging circumstances. While the result reduces our gap to Toyota in the manufacturers’ standings, we must now give Thierry and Ott everything they need to challenge Elfyn, who is enjoying a very strong start to the season. Adrien did exactly what he needed to do on Sunday, putting himself in a strong position amongst a group of very competitive drivers. ”
The third day of Safari Rally Kenya 2025 has come to an end. Elfyn Evans retains the lead after yet another chaotic day.
Morning Loop (Stages 11-13)
Elfyn Evans extended his lead during the morning loop. The Welshman holds a lead of over a minute and a half over Kalle Rovanperä after the first three stages of the day. Evans took three stage wins during the loop, while Takamoto Katsuta had one. Rovanperä suffered two punctures during the loop which is why he lost so much time to Evans. Neuville had engine issues yet again. Tänak also had some technical issues during the loop.
Afternoon Loop (Stages 14-16)
Elfyn Evans continued to extend his lead in the afternoon loop. Evans heads into the final day of Safari Rally Kenya 2025 with a lead just under 2 minutes over Ott Tänak. Katstua, Munster and Tänak each won a stage. Kalle Rovanperä lost a ton of time after having an issue with his left rear suspension all afternoon. Katsuta had two punctures, one on SS15 and another on SS16 which saw him drop down the time card. Evans lost 53 seconds to Tänak in SS16 due to mud on his windshield.
Quotes
Toyota Gazoo Racing
Juha Kankkunen (Deputy Team Principal)
“It has been an incredible day with so much changing all the time. I think it’s the first time in recent years on the Safari that the weather has been quite so difficult. Also, in the area of today’s stages, the stones are really sharp and even though the car is strong, they can easily damage the tyres and things on the car. Elfyn has been driving very well to get through without any major issues, but we are all aware that this rally is not over until you reach the finish. Takamoto has been unlucky with some punctures and Kalle broke something in the suspension, but he did very well to bring the car back. Sami has also been doing a good job in such difficult conditions on his first time here.”
Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“It’s been remarkably difficult out there today. This has definitely been a proper Safari. Even this morning the conditions were really quite tricky after a lot of rain overnight. Then the rain came again immediately as we started the afternoon loop. The conditions were horribly inconsistent, and I was trying to treat everything with care but it’s easy to drop a lot of time. I couldn’t see much at all at the end with so much mud, but I’m happy we managed to get through it. Even with this gap, nothing is guaranteed on this rally. Tomorrow will be demanding and rough and anything can still happen, so we need to stay focused.”
Kalle Rovanperä (Driver car 69)
“Today was not an easy day for us. It started well this morning but then we had some bad luck with some punctures, and the afternoon was even worse; in Sleeping Warrior we hit a big loose stone in a muddy section and it broke something in the suspension. We tried to make a small fix before each stage, and although it didn’t last we could at least get through the stages and get back to service. It’s still a long day ahead tomorrow with some tricky stages and a lot of points available, and we’ll do the best we can.”
Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“It has been a really frustrating day. The last two days have been tough for me with sickness, but the team has been supporting me well and I’ve been able to keep driving. The pace was there and I was enjoying the driving and doing some good times. It was really disappointing to lose time with the punctures, but there are still five more stages to go. Just over 30 seconds to the podium is not so much on a rally like this, so we will keep pushing and see what happens.”
Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)
“Today was extremely tricky with a lot of learning. Already this morning we faced some very different challenges to yesterday, with a lot of wet and muddy places and it was tricky for me to predict the grip, or to know exactly what speed you can carry and what line to take. This afternoon the conditions were even tougher, but the pace was better which was nice to see. I could see some improvement in my driving even in the extreme conditions, and with every kilometre the feeling is getting better.”
Hyundai Shell Mobis
Ott Tänak
“There has been a lot of action today, especially this afternoon – it was proper wet and tricky conditions. Unfortunately, we had some trouble with the windscreen again and water in the car, which made it a very demanding loop. The conditions changes from stage to stage so you never really know what you are going to find. There is always a new challenge you need to fight and overcome. Tomorrow should be smoother but the roads are still very rough in places.”
Thierry Neuville
“Today has been challenging – it’s hard to describe just how tough it has been out there today, for several reasons. I wasn’t feeling well at all after a bad night and struggled to keep my concentration and do my job, but we kept fighting and we were rewarded with third place overnight. Those were some extreme conditions this afternoon – I haven’t seen anything like it in my career. We’ve had some rough Safari Rally Kenyas in the past, but this is the roughest so far. ”
Pablo Marcos – Hyundai Team Manager
“It was another challenging day here at Safari Rally. We changed our approach from yesterday, where in the rough conditions we were dominant in terms of our performance; without our issues, all three cars would have been at the front of the field. Today we took a safer approach, trying to finish the day without any trouble. Our strategy has paid off with both Ott and Thierry in second and third overall. Our focus tomorrow is to avoid any problems and bring home a double podium, with Adrien also back in the fight for Super Sunday points.”
The second day of Safari Rally Kenya 2025 has come to an end. Elfyn Evans took the event lead after a typically chaotic day.
Morning Loop (Stages 3-6)
Ott Tänak retained the event lead after a strong opening loop. As the Estonian 3 out of the 4 stages during the loop. Kalle Rovanperä was the only other stage winner during the loop. Tänak heads into the afternoon loop with a 24.4-second lead over Elfyn Evans. Neuville kicked off the day by getting a minute penalty for being late to the stage start. Neuville got another 10-second penalty for a jump start on SS5. Gregoire Munster had suspension damage on SS4 but was able to repair the issue. Katsuta had to take the morning easy as he ran out of spare tires and getting another puncture would’ve forced him to retire.
Afternoon Loop (Stages 7-10)
Elfyn Evans took the event lead after a chaotic second loop. Evans takes a 7.7-second lead over Kalle Rovanperä into the third day. Rovanperä won two stages during the loop, while Tänak and Neuville each won a single round. Both Tänak and McErlean had issues on SS8. Tänak ended the stage with drops of oil coming out of the car. While McErlean did part of the stage in road mode due to damage which caused dust to enter the car. Tänak had an issue with the driveshaft during SS9, but slightly fixed the issue for SS10, but still lost the event lead.
Quotes
Toyota Gazoo Racing
Juha Kankkunen (Deputy Team Principal)
“In the end it has been a positive day for our team overall. It has been a long and challenging day but our drivers managed to keep a good, consistent speed. This first stage of the loop in particular was very difficult: you could push hard and take a lot of time but you could also lose the whole rally there. Our boys did a fantastic job and it has paid off at the end of the day. I’m quite satisfied so far but we have to remember that this is a long rally, tomorrow is another day and so many things can happen so quickly on this event. It’s not over until Sunday.”
Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“It’s been a clean and strong day for us. Maybe we were not always the fastest, but I’m happy to be at the end of the day with no trouble. It was a tough day and this first stage of the loop was especially rough; the chance of damage was high with so many loose rocks. We definitely erred on the side of caution in places and that seems to have paid off, but there’s still a very long way to go. It can be a bit frustrating when you feel that you can go a bit faster and take more risk, but I just keep reminding myself where we are. Tomorrow might be slightly shorter but it’s still not going to be an easy day.”
Kalle Rovanperä (Driver car 69)
“It has been a good day. The morning could have been better as I was losing some time in the more narrow and technical roads in the first two stages, but when we went to the faster stages it was much better and I had a really good feeling. The afternoon was much better overall. The conditions were really tough but we were able to take care of the car like we planned: it’s always important on this rally to manage your pace and stick to your plan. You can go quicker but you can run into trouble easily. Tomorrow the stages have a different style and the weather could play a big part too.”
Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“The day started badly in the first long stage this morning with a lot of rocks, and we got a double puncture. It was very frustrating and we had no spares left for the rest of the morning, so we had to be very careful but we managed to get through it and back to service. This afternoon was even rougher and we were trying to avoid mistakes. Unfortunately we got another puncture but the pace when I pushed was quite OK and the feeling is nice in the car. There’s still two days to go, which is a long way in this rally, and everything is still possible.”
Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)
“We knew that today would be challenging and it was the case already in the first stage this morning, where we stopped to change a tyre and again got a stone to the windscreen somehow. But we were able to regather ourselves with a couple of clean stages to end the morning, and then the afternoon was really good. The car is working really nicely with no issues and the times are also pretty solid, so I can be happy with that. I’m getting more used to the conditions and reading the changes in the road, and I’m starting to understand where I can push and where I need to be cautious, so it’s a good feeling to end the day.”
Hyundai Shell Mobis
Ott Tänak
“At the end of the second stage of the afternoon, I noticed we had a driveline issue but we managed to finish the stage. We then realised it was an issue with the driveshaft but we were unable to remove it before the penultimate stage, so we had to drive through it carefully to stop it from damaging the engine. Luckily, we managed to remove it for the final stage so we didn’t have to nurse it. We will try to come back tomorrow but we know its rough, its demanding and its hard on the car. ”
Thierry Neuville
“It has been a really challenging day, but we were giving our best. We had some cooling issues this afternoon that we tried to fix by dismantling the whole front end of the car and putting it back together, but it didn’t work as well as we wanted it to, so we had to take care on the stages. It was extreme conditions but we are happy to be here at the end of a difficult day. If we take away our penalties and the time we lost from the puncture, we would have been leading the rally today, but it is what it is and there is still a long way to go.”
Adrien Fourmaux
“I was happy with the car and the balance today, and I was being careful in the rocky places but then pushing where I knew I could. I was feeling really comfortable but then everything went wrong this afternoon. We had a slow puncture so we managed to continue for a few kilometres before the tyre started deflating, then in the fesh-fesh I didn’t see a rock and we had a big impact which broke the suspension. It is frustrating and we should have stopped to change the puncture, but it is easy to say this in hindsight. We will come back fighting tomorrow and target Super Sunday points. ”
The first day of Safari Rally Kenya 2025 has come to an end. Ott Tänak leads after the days two stages.
SS1
The event kicked off with a 4.76 km superspecial. Elfyn Evans took the stage win for an early lead. As the Welshman was 1.5 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville on the stage. Kalle Rovanperä was the third fastest on the opening stage. No major issues to report from SS1.
SS2
The first day of Safari Rally Kenya 2025 ends with an 8.27 km stage. Ott Tänak took home the stage win and subsequently took the event lead. Tänak was 1.1 seconds faster than Takamoto Katsuta on the stage. The gap between Tänak and Katsuta would’ve been less, however, Katsuta went wide on a corner into a field which cost the Japanese driver a bit of time. Gregoire Munster finished third fastest on the stage. Tänak takes a 2.4-second lead over Katsuta into the first full day of action tomorrow. Adrien Fourmaux retried on the road section between SS1 and SS2 due to an electrical failure. Neuville also lost 20 seconds on the stage due to an unknown issue.
Quotes
Juha Kankkunen (Deputy Team Principal)
“It is great to be back in Kenya for the Safari Rally. It’s something special for me to be here 40 years since my first win. Back then it was a big surprise for me to come here for the first time and win, but anything is always possible on this rally because there are so many things that can change depending on the conditions. All is good so far, with just two short stages complete and all our cars back in good condition. Tomorrow will be a much longer and tougher day and that will tell us a lot more. The first stage in particular looks quite tough, but everything is well prepared and we’re ready to do our best.”
Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“The opening super special stage in Nairobi is a nice stage and we had a good, clean run through there. The second stage was tricky with the grip levels as the grass was damp and quite slippery in places. It was difficult to judge and not the best one for us, but overall it’s been an OK start. This is probably going to be the most challenging Safari we’ve seen to date. The weather could be a lottery like always, and the technicality and roughness of the stages also seems pretty severe this time, but we just have to try to make the best of it.”
Kalle Rovanperä (Driver car 69)
“This is always a special rally for us and we hope to keep that up on the 100th event for the team. Today we had no big trouble and pretty good pace, and we’re in a good position to start the real challenge tomorrow, when it will be a lot more about surviving the conditions. Already in the second stage we saw some very changeable conditions and I think we’re going to see a lot of that during the weekend. The best plan is to try to be fast and also consistent and hopefully avoid trouble.”
Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“I’m very happy to be back in Kenya. It’s going to be a big challenge, more than in previous years, but I try to do my best. The second stage was already quite challenging after the rain; it was hard to judge which corners were slippery and I went quite wide at one point, but I’m still here. We could have this situation in many stages during the weekend, so it was a good reminder of what can happen. Tomorrow with some proper stages I’m sure we will see a lot of drama, but I feel comfortable with the car and just need to stay calm and be patient.”
Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)
“It’s good to start my first Safari Rally and it has already been quite interesting. Even in the first corner of the first stage, I had a stone come up from the other car and hit the windscreen, which was disturbing a little bit, and in the second one we saw some wildlife. There will be conditions that I haven’t faced ever before on any rally, but it’s all about the learning. Tomorrow will be a long day and I’ll just try to have a clean drive without mistakes.”
Rally Sweden 2025 has come to an end. Elfyn Evans held onto the event lead to take his first win of the season.
Super Sunday (Stages 16-18)
Elfyn Evans held onto the event lead during the final three stages of the event. The Welshman did temporarily lose it after SS16, as Takamoto Katsuta took the lead. However, Evans was quick to regain the lead as he once again took the lead on SS17. Evans ended the event with a win on the Powerstage. Evans ended the event with a 3.8-second advantage over Takamoto Katsuta. Thierry Neuville finished third, 11.9 seconds behind Evans.
Quotes
Toyota
Akio Toyoda (TGR-WRT Chairman)
“The top five within a 25-second gap, and there are three GR Yaris Rally1s among them. The top two are Elfyn and Takamoto, with only a 3-second difference between them, and following them were three previous WRC champions including Kalle. This year’s Rally Sweden was really exhilarating as we started the morning of the final day with this situation.
Congratulations to Elfyn and Scott for winning the rally! They have faced disappointing results in Sweden over the past few years, so it’s truly great that they finally won there again. Congratulations also to Takamoto and Aaron for finishing in second place! I assume Taka still has some frustration, but I hope this rally helped change something within him. Next up is the Safari Rally, and I’m counting on him to showcase his spirit of ‘returning to the finish line no matter what’.
Both Elfyn and Takamoto delivered fantastic performances during the Power Stage. I was really excited. It was an amazing drive from both. Thank you for the perfect one-two finish! I also thank everyone in the team for building cars that allowed the drivers to compete comfortably until the end!
For the next rounds, Jari-Matti will step away to temporarily return to driving in the FIA European Historic Rally Championship that starts next month, and I look forward to seeing his stories with the Celica. Juha Kankkunen will take over in his role as Deputy Team Principal, and his first event is one he has a strong connection with, having won it three times. I’m confident that Juha will take good care of the team and I’m also sure that the team will also support him.”
Jari-Matti Latvala (Team Principal)
“This has been an incredibly close Rally Sweden and it’s been a nerve-wracking final day for us, watching two of our drivers fighting for the win. I’m really proud of both Elfyn and Takamoto for the way that they fought, and for how strong they have been mentally. We saw that from Elfyn and the way that he responded on the penultimate stage of the rally after losing the lead, and Taka has shown that he is ready to win and able to maintain a great performance under pressure without making mistakes. There were only a few seconds between the top drivers for the whole rally, and to fight like this for three days is remarkable. For our team to have scored the maximum 120 points from the first two rallies, we literally cannot have asked for a better start to the season and we are looking forward to Safari Rally Kenya.”
Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“It’s been an amazing weekend. We led for a lot of the rally but the margins were always tight and it was never really comfortable. This morning I got caught napping a bit in the first stage by Taka, who really made me fight for it, and thankfully we managed to turn it around and unlock good pace on the next stage. I’m very happy with the end result and to have won the Power Stage as well. It’s been a very good start to the season for us and we couldn’t really have dreamed of much better. Usually after a good Rallye Monte-Carlo it’s hard to score well in Sweden but the good conditions gave us a chance and I feel we made the most of it.”
Kalle Rovanperä (Driver car 69)
“Overall it’s been a difficult weekend for me. We were trying to push hard but we could not have the pace or the performance that we wanted, even on this final day. It’s a big disappointment but this is the only snow rally in the season and now we need to focus on the next rally on gravel with a completely different tyre and work to be stronger there. I’ve been closely following the battle at the front and I’m really glad that both drivers could bring home the one-two and the maximum points for the team: well done to Elfyn who’s done a really good job, and I’m proud of my friend Taka also.”
Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“It’s been a really nice fight with Elfyn and with the Hyundai drivers not far behind us as well. It’s been a really intense battle for the whole rally and there was some pressure throughout but I enjoyed it a lot. At the end, I’m happy to have done a good job for the team, to bring the car to the finish and score some good points. Well done to the team for this result and hats off to Elfyn, who did an amazing drive on the penultimate stage. Next time I will be ready to push more to try and take that victory. I was able to manage the speed through the whole weekend and this is giving me more confidence for the future and a good feeling for Kenya.”
Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)
“Overall it has been a really enjoyable rally and it’s good to reach the finish without any big mistakes. It’s still quite disappointing what happened on Friday morning when the tyre came off the rim and we lost quite a lot of time, which then maybe gave us not such a good starting position for the next days. Still, I think we had some nice pace and some good moments, including some top-three stage times, and the feeling has been good. It’s been valuable learning and I’m grateful to the team for the support.”
Hyundai
Thierry Neuville
“We are happy to be on the podium, but nevertheless we are disappointed that we weren’t able to score the big points. We were still struggling today with the balance and tyre degradation. The feeling wasn’t there 100% even though we were improving, and it seems it has been better for our competitors than for us. Our first event in the upgraded car felt good, overall the performance was there. It’s hard to really analyse everything as we saw the variation based on road position was crazy this weekend. You could be in the middle of the group and have the best conditions at some points or have the worst. We were in the game this weekend and that’s what counts. ”
Ott Tänak
“Friday was not the greatest day but we were still very much fighting for the victory. On Saturday, we lost some time driving in a safer mode through the stages. This morning we tried to catch the leaders, but on the second loop the road conditions were still cleaning so much. I’m not sure we got the best out of the new car this weekend, but I would say when the car is working it’s nice to drive and we just have to put the package together now. Toyota has been very strong, they are doing a good job and it’s something we need to catch up with.”
Adrien Fourmaux
“We have been competitive all weekend so I would say the positive thing is we have the pace, but we need to avoid the mistakes and go from there. I am happy we could score at least one point in the Power Stage; it’s the bare minimum but it’s something so we didn’t come back with nothing. We are focused on the future – there are still12 events and a lot to be done, so I will keep my head on my shoulders. Yesterday’s mistake will not happen again. Kenya is next and anything can happen, so I will be working a lot with the team to make it successful.”
Cyril Abiteboul – Team Principal
“Like in Monte Carlo, it’s been tight all weekend here in Sweden, but unfortunately not on the right end. Thierry has been impressive after starting pretty slowly, but he built on his confidence and his pace to fight his way to the podium, which is definitely a sign of the strong things to come from him and his team-mates. Overall, this result means that the championship is not starting in the right way for us, however, it is clear that we do not need big improvements to turn things around. We need to focus on having clean rally, starting in Safari Rally Kenya, which will be a great opportunity to do better than the previous years there.”
The third day of Rally Sweden 2025 has come to an end. Elfyn Evans retains the event lead after the days seven stages.
Morning Loop (Stages 9-11)
Elfyn Evans expanded his lead by 2.2 seconds on the morning loop. With the Welshman now having a 2.8-second lead over Takamoto Katsuta. Thierry Neuville jumped up to third overall after Ott Tänak suffered an issue on SS11 that caused oil to go on his windscreen. Adrien Fourmaux also had an issue on SS11. However, it wasn’t to do with the car. As it seemed like Fourmaux forgot to fasten his helmet correctly and forgot to put a glove on. Therefore he has to stop to fix these issues. Kalle Rovanperä, Elfyn Evans and Thierry Neuville each took a stage win during the loop.
Afternoon Loop (Stages 12-15)
Elfyn Evans held onto the event lead after the final stages of the Rally Sweden 2025 day three. Evans heads into the final day with a three-second advantage over Takamoto Katsuta. Thierry Neuville took two stage wins during the loop. While Adrien Fourmaux and Elfyn Evans each took one. Fourmaux got stuck in a snowbank on SS13, which forced the Frenchman to retire for the day. Evans stalled temporarily on SS15 which cost him a handful of seconds.
Quotes
Toyota Gazoo Racing
Jari-Matti Latvala (Team Principal)
“It has been another very close and exciting day. It was not so easy to watch this last stage of the day with a very icy road and worn tyres, because it’s easy for the drivers to make a mistake there, and unfortunately Elfyn lost some valuable seconds. Still, both Elfyn and Taka have been driving well overall and remain one-two tonight, which is great. But the gaps are very small, also to Neuville behind, so I think the final day is going to be really exciting for everybody to watch. It will be important to push hard but also to manage the level of risk carefully, because the points are valuable for the championship.”
Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“Overall today has been pretty good. It’s a close fight and I think there have been ups and downs for almost everybody at some point. There were just a couple of small mistakes in the last two stages which were quite costly: when the times are so tight there’s not much margin for error. On the penultimate stage I just lost the line ever so slightly, and in the last one the rear stepped out under braking, I locked the wheels and stalled. We need to try and avoid such mistakes tomorrow. Everything is to play for and it should be an exciting day.”
Kalle Rovanperä (Driver car 69)
“Today was definitely much better than yesterday. We did a lot of work with the setup last night, and it felt pretty good on the first stage this morning which was narrow and technical. There we could feel comfortable and have some pace. When the stages are wider with long and fast corners, I’m still looking for some more precision. For tomorrow we’ll try to put everything we have learned this weekend together and aim to score some good points.”
Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“It has been a challenging day but quite a strong day I think. This morning I was not completely happy with the feeling in the car and this afternoon I was struggling a bit with the conditions. I had an overshoot and had to reverse, but I think we managed to gain some time back afterwards. The gap is not big in front or behind but it feels good for me to be in this position. Tomorrow will be interesting but I will just try to continue what I’ve been doing the whole weekend and see what happens.”
Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)
“It has been quite a solid day today. The morning especially was really nice and enjoyable for us. There were some stages where I felt I left some margin and some room to improve but still the times were OK. This afternoon there were some trickier conditions on the second pass and I felt I was struggling a bit more there. But overall it has been a good clean day full of learning in different conditions, so there are a lot of good things to take into tomorrow.”
Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT
Thierry Neuville
“The target of the day was to get closer to the lead and finally we achieved that. I’ve been satisfied with our performance; step by step we’ve been able to increase the speed. We’re still fighting a bit with mid-stage sections, but overall I think we went in the right direction and we know now what to do. There are extra points to take tomorrow, so in such a close battle everyone will be flat out. Let’s cross our fingers that everything will go our way tomorrow, and we will see. ”
Ott Tänak
“This morning I had a better feeling chassis-wise, and it only improved from there. The first stage was positive, but then after this we lost some speed. The rest of the day we had to maximise everything we could. Some stages were bad, some were good, but that’s just the way it’s been. I think with the pace we’ve had this afternoon, a fight for the win tomorrow doesn’t look too promising. When it’s icy, the new tyres are consistent and tyre wear is not too bad, but we will see what the conditions are like tomorrow. ”
Adrien Fourmaux
“Today was not my day definitely, on SS11 I had to stop to tighten my helmet and lost more than 20 seconds, and then this afternoon I get trapped in a really soft snowbank. The car was in the snowbank on the outside and it pushed the front into it after that, so for 60 metres we were forced along it. At some point it caught the front and then we got stuck in the really fresh snow; it was really deep and there were no spectators. A difficult day, but I just want to refocus on tomorrow and try to get some points for the championship where we can. ”
Hyundai Motorsport WRC Chief Engineer Gerard-Jan de Jongh
“Today was challenging but we are still in a close battle for a strong result going into the final day of Rally Sweden. Thierry’s performance was encouraging, and paired with the performance of the car on the second pass we have a lot of confidence for tomorrow. We obviously had some worries with Ott’s coolant reservoir issue which was influencing his performance, which was a shame as he lost touch with the lead of the rally, but he still remains in contention for the podium positions. With Adrien’s helmet mistake and his frustrations around that, he was probably trying too hard to compensate for the mistake and unfortunately lost a bit of his control and vision of the rally. Our main target is making the most of the Super Sunday points, and with Thierry’s pace we can do incredibly well with both him and Ott. ”
The second day of Rally Sweden 2025 has come to an end. Elfyn Evans narrowly leads after the days seven stages.
Morning Loop (SS2-SS4)
Elfyn Evans held onto the event lead after the first three stages of the day. The Welshman expanded his lead to 1.9 seconds over Adrien Fourmaux on the stages of the loop. Fourmaux won two of the three stages during the loop, whilst Evans only won a single stage. Ott Tänak sat third overall, 6.2 seconds down on Evans heading into the afternoon loop of stages. The loop went by with relatively little drama. As only Sami Pajari seemed to have any major issues on the loop. Pajari would push his tire off the rim on SS2. Other than that no major issues to report.
Afternoon Loop (SS5-SS8)
The afternoon loop of Rally Sweden 2025’s second day was rather interesting. As the lead changed multiple times. However, Elfyn Evans managed to retake the event lead by the day’s end. Unfortunately for Evans, he now only sits 0.6 seconds ahead of his teammate Takamoto Katsuta. Ott Tänak remains third, now 2.5 seconds off the event lead. Katsuta, Tänak, Neuville and Evans each took home a stage win during the afternoon loop. While no major issues worth reporting took place.
Driver Quotes
Toyota Gazoo Racing
Jari-Matti Latvala – Team Principal
“It’s been a very exciting day. I was a bit worried this afternoon on the second pass that Elfyn might suffer opening the road and lose the chance to fight for the victory, but he’s been driving really superbly to be the first car and to finish the day on top. Taka has also been doing a really good performance, which we know that he can do on this surface. The new tyre is very different and they are both adapting well to it. For Kalle it’s maybe taking a bit more time, but I’m sure that it will come. To have a one-two after the first day means it’s been a really good day, but the fight is tight. When there are so many drivers covered by so few seconds, we need to push and I’m sure tomorrow will be another exciting day.”
Elfyn Evans
“It’s been very close out there today. Sometimes it’s suited us to be running at the front and sometimes it hasn’t. This morning it was pretty good for us but the grip was still quite changeable and difficult to read. The afternoon was not so kind for us and even the last stage felt quite messy but still the time was good. Compared to how it’s been when we’ve opened the road here in the past, we should probably be quite happy to be in the lead after Friday, but the gaps are very tight so let’s see how tomorrow plays out.”
Kalle Rovanperä
“It hasn’t been the best day for us. I was struggling more than I was expecting with my feeling in the car and how my driving style is working together with the tyre. We tried many small things during the day and made some steps, so we had a slightly better feeling this afternoon, but we’re still not in the place we want to be. If we can find something more for tomorrow then hopefully it will be a better day and we can be more among the top times.”
Takamoto Katsuta
“Today has been very good. It has felt very comfortable: we have not been pushing crazy hard but still the times have been coming. I’m enjoying it a lot so it’s going well so far but there’s still some way to go. At the moment it’s very tight in the top five; one mistake could cost a lot, so I will try to continue in the same way and have another clean day tomorrow. The starting positions should be more equal and the conditions should be good so I’m looking forward to it.”
Sami Pajari
“The feeling was really good in the first stage this morning: it felt quite clean with a nice flow and I didn’t feel I was pushing that much. In one place we hit the snowbank, which is quite normal on a snow rally, but for some reason the tyre came off the rim. It was disappointing to lose so much time, and without that it could have been a really good day. But it’s all about the learning, and there’s still two more days to drive and enjoy.”
Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT
Ott Tänak
“We tried to put a consistent run together but it was not so much fun in the car today, so we are for sure looking forward to tomorrow. We need to use the used tyres in the right moment and make sure you finish them, but the last two stages were more icy and the fresh tyre was probably more needed there. Normally when it’s icy it’s very good for the first car on the road and then normally the ice breaks down more and more, the layer seems to be a bit thicker so maybe it will last a bit more tomorrow, but we will see.
Adrien Fourmaux
“It was a really positive day; I think everybody enjoyed the conditions, it was really nice this morning with a lot of ice. This afternoon, as expected, we saw the gravel in the ruts and we had to manage our tyres a bit more to try our best to not be lose too much to the others with better road positions. I don’t have too much experience on snow but I am enjoying it, trying to do my best and use my experience from last year. It seems to be working really well and we want it to continue like this tomorrow. It will be more icy and the loop is shorter than today so it’s going to be easier for the tyres. Tomorrow will be full attack for everybody. ”
Thierry Neuville
“We knew this morning that we had to keep calm and accept that we were losing time, but we also knew that the afternoon would be to our advantage. I think we made the best out of it and I’m pretty satisfied with how the second loop went – the feeling was better. We are missing experience on the tyres and with the setup as well; the amount of understeer left me a bit surprised. It’s going to be a big push out there tomorrow, but if the feeling is like it was this afternoon then we will definitely be in the game.”
Pablo Marcos – Hyundai Team Manager
“Today was a positive day for the team with three cars in the top five and a minimal difference in the fight for the win. All three drivers were on the pace today and it’s nice to see Thierry back fighting for stage wins in the afternoon. Adrien made the most of his undesirable position to bring home some very good times, and Ott was fighting for the win from the very beginning. On the final stage, he was taking care with the car to keep the position for tomorrow to continue in the fight. Tomorrow should be easier because the road conditions look icier, demanding less from the tyres than today. We are in a good position for the remainder of the weekend. ”
The first day of Rally Sweden 2025 has come to an end. Elfyn Evans narrowly leads after the day’s lone stage.
Day One
The first day of Rally Sweden 2025 only featured a short 5.16km stage. Elfyn Evans took the stage win for an early event lead. Kalle Rovanperä and Ott Tänak tied for second on the stage with both drivers finishing 00.5 seconds slower than Evans.
Quotes
Toyota
Jari-Matti Latvala (Team Principal)
“It’s always great for us to be here in Sweden starting this rally and especially with the nice conditions for rallying that we have this week. When you have minus temperatures, big snowbanks, the sun is shining and you’re pushing to the limits, it’s a great feeling as a driver. We had a good start tonight but it’s going to be interesting to see tomorrow how the roads are evolving, and how the pace is evolving with the new Hankook tyres when the road is cleaning up. With Elfyn opening the road, hopefully we have a cold night and the conditions stay consistent for everyone, but the good thing is that our drivers are spread nicely through the order and we hope to make a good start whatever the situation is.”
Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“The conditions look brilliant out on the stages, with a good ice base and big snowbanks – you couldn’t really hope for much better. This first stage was a pretty solid start: the braking points can be difficult to find in the dark and the grip was difficult to judge, but it was all OK. It might be that some stages work in our favour opening the road tomorrow, and others like the first stage where there’s a bit more loose snow on the ground could cost us a bit more, but let’s see how it goes.”
Kalle Rovanperä (Driver car 69)
“We’re expecting to have a nice winter rally this weekend and I’m really excited for that. The conditions looked really nice on the stages during the recce, better than usual with a good layer of ice. If it’s like it was in this first stage tonight, it could be good to be near the front of the road order. Again we have a new tyre for this surface so there will be many things to learn. It’s a rally where you need to push a lot, so hopefully we have a good feeling and can have a great event.”
Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“It’s nice to be back on snow and the conditions are looking very good, with thick ice and not too much gravel coming through. Still, we know that the second pass of stages could be tricky, especially as we are learning about the new tyres. I was surprised how low the grip was on this first stage, but tomorrow’s stages might be quite different. The car is good and my feeling is good so I’m quite confident.”
Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)
“Normally I like winter rallies with proper winter conditions like we have here this week: it seems to be nice and icy. We need to see how it develops but I’m really looking forward to the weekend. For me the grip was changing quite a lot in the first stage so it wasn’t easy to find the flow, but it was good to get through it cleanly before the rally starts properly tomorrow. In general I’m quite happy and confident with the car and just aiming to have a good time.”