The second day of Rally Italia Sardegna has come to an end. Sebastien Ogier extended his event lead during the day’s six stages.
Morning Loop (Stages 7-9)
Sebastien Ogier extended his lead during the first three stages of the day. Ogier won two stages to extend the lead to 15 seconds over Ott Tänak. Both Adrien Fourmaux and Ott Tänak suffered a puncture during the loop. Fourmaux lost at least three minutes on SS8 due to the puncture. Whilst Tänak had a slow puncture near the end of SS9.
Afternoon Loop (10-12)
Ott Tänak cut into Ogier’s lead during the afternoon loop of stages. Ogier now only leads by 11.1 seconds heading into the final day of the event. Tänak won two stages during the loop while Ogier won a single stage. Takamoto Katsuta suffered a puncture on SS10. Adrien Fourmaux rolled and subsequently retired for the day on SS11. Finally, Sami Pajari lost time due to a puncture on SS11.
Quotes
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
Jari-Matti Latvala (Team Principal)
“We can be happy with the position we’re in at the end of the day. There has again been plenty of drama with the tough conditions, and a few of our drivers had to stop in the stages, but luckily that didn’t really affect our positions too much. It’s been amazing to see the performance of Seb; he has been able to manage the lead really well. Nothing is decided yet though because Sunday is going to be a tough day with some new stages, and the first pass of those could already be quite important for the results. Kalle has made good steps to get up into third, with Elfyn now only one place behind and I’m sure they will both be trying to take as many extra points as they can tomorrow.”
Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“Conditions were tough today like always here in Sardinia. We were just trying to drive at a good pace and with a good feeling in the car and trying to stay out of trouble. The puncture this afternoon was not ideal – it was an exposed rocky place that I tried to avoid, but in doing so I perhaps made it worse for myself – but with Sami losing more time than us we were able to gain a place. Fourth is not a bad position but attention turns to trying to score some extra points tomorrow. It won’t be easy with the strong pace of the guys ahead, but we’ll give it a go.”
Kalle Rovanperä (Driver car 69)
“Today we continued with the better feeling that we had in the car yesterday afternoon, and that together with the better starting position was making a big difference on the first pass. The morning was surprisingly rough already, so we were expecting the afternoon to be tough and it definitely was. There were quite a few surprises, so I’m happy to finish the day without any issues. Tomorrow won’t be easy at all with the new stages and it could be quite rough again, but let’s see what we can do.”
Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 17)
“I’m happy with how we managed today. It was a long and demanding day with rougher sections than yesterday, especially this afternoon. The lead is not a huge one but we will certainly take it. It’s always nice to fight with Ott and we know that he always pushes hard, so we will have to be at our maximum tomorrow if we want to win. It’s a long final day with new and difficult stages and we need to prepare as well as we can because it’s going to be intense. Everyone will be pushing hard for points so I’m sure it will be interesting to watch.”
Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“Today I was focused on getting a good feeling in the car and trying some different things with the setup. Unfortunately we had to stop and change a tyre in the first stage of the afternoon, but after that the pace was pretty good and I felt quite confident with the car. I didn’t expect that I could set those kind of times from my starting position. Tomorrow’s stages are a bit different to today’s, so I will need to find the right compromise in the setup and my driving.”
Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)
“This morning I was expecting a big push from Kalle and from the top three. The feeling for me wasn’t too bad, but I was probably a bit on the safe side and could have been quicker. Still this afternoon we were having quite a nice flow until we got the puncture. At first I tried to continue carefully, but then it started making a lot of noise and we stopped to change it and not damage the car. In the end, it wasn’t so bad, we just swapped places with Elfyn. Then I was careful on the last stage, but I hope to find a good flow again tomorrow.”
Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT
Ott Tänak
“Today has been all about managing the tyre wear but also the risk of punctures. The roads have been very punishing with a lot of loose stones and bedrock, as well as many surprises, so it has been quite the challenge today. We were trying to keep a good rhythm, as well as a good gap to Kalle behind us. Now our aim is to continue that tomorrow, although the nature of rallying means it is very difficult to forecast what will happen next. Tomorrow is a very different day, and we don’t expect it to be easy, but we will give it our best.”
Thierry Neuville
“It was hot and exhausting out there, but it was a clean run through the stages for us. We tried some new settings to see if we could find something interesting for tomorrow, as we have everything to play for. Obviously, our new road position will help after we managed to catch Jourdan Serderidis, but we didn’t expect our team-mates to crash out and to gain a place as a result. It’s going to be tough with two brand-new stages and a lot of cleaning expected, but anything is still possible. I’m looking forward to the challenge. ”
Adrien Fourmaux
“On approach to a corner that was tightening, I confused two trees and missed the braking point, which was enough to go wide and cause the car to roll. I think the car can be repaired, but we won’t know until we have a proper inspection. It was a shame to end the day like this, as I already knew Elfyn had a puncture on the stage, so decided to go with higher tyre pressures to avoid one myself, but I should have also avoided missing the braking point. ”
Pablo Marcos – Team Manager
“As is always the case in Sardinia, it has been a long and tough day. We managed to keep Ott in the fight for victory; it has not been easy for him, but he has fought very well all day with little to choose between him and Ogier. We have a lot of options for Sunday, where we will focus on scoring maximum points and winning the rally. Thierry was back on the road after a great effort from our mechanics to repair the car last night, and he safely navigated the stages to be in the best position for Sunday. Sadly, a difficult day for Adrien ended in retirement. It was certainly not the plan, but now we will do everything we can to recover the car for tomorrow.”
The first day of Rally Italia Sardegna has come to an end. Sebastien Ogier leads after the days six stages.
Morning Loop (Stages 1-3)
Adrien Fourmaux led the event after the first three stages of the weekend. Fourmaux went into the second loop with a 2.9-second lead over teammate Thierry Neuville. Ogier, Tänak and Fourmaux each took a stage win during the loop. Stage two saw the first true drama of the weekend. As all but one M-Sport car crashed out or had an incident. Martins Sesks rolled, Grégoire Munster broke his suspension and Josh McErlean had an accident.
Afternoon Loop (Stages 4-6)
Sebastien Ogier took the event lead during the final three stages of the day. Ogier ends the day with a 2.1-second lead over fellow countryman Adrien Fourmaux. Tänak, Rovanperä and Ogier each won a stage during the loop. Thierry Neuville retired for the day after breaking his suspension on SS5. While Takamoto Katsuta rolled on SS5, but was able to rejoin.
Quotes
Toyota Gazoo Racing
Jari-Matti Latvala (Team Principal)
“We can be very satisfied to be leading at the end of Friday in Sardinia. We knew that we faced a big challenge here, but this morning I could see the determination in Seb’s eyes to win this one and he did a really good job across the day. It’s also been nice to see Sami produce a very strong day, and Kalle also started to find the confidence in the afternoon, and neither of them are so far from the lead fight. Elfyn wasn’t in an easy place opening the road today but the key here for him is to be patient. We’ve already seen a lot of drama today and for Elfyn – and for Taka – there can still be the chance to climb the order and take good points.”
Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“As we expected it was a challenge to open the road today with quite a big cleaning effect. The feeling in the car this morning was actually not too bad with some improvement from Portugal, but the road was evolving a lot behind us and other drivers could take big chunks of time, especially in the last stage of the loop. In the afternoon there was still some cleaning effect for us, but when the road was hard and rocky I was also struggling more with the feeling, so that’s still something to work on overnight. A better road position will definitely help and we’ll go again tomorrow.”
Kalle Rovanperä (Driver car 69)
“Overall it has not been too bad a day for us. We expected this morning to be difficult running second on the road and I struggled to get comfortable with the car. But based on this we could make quite a few small changes around the car in service and we found a better feeling, and the afternoon was definitely better. Still I think there was some cleaning for us on the second pass, so I’m really happy to have set such good times. With this better feeling in the car and a better starting place, I hope we can keep up a good pace tomorrow.”
Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 17)
“To be in the lead after Friday was not what we were expecting, so we must be very pleased with our day. We made some changes to the setup based on our experience in Portugal and I’m feeling happier with the balance of the car here so far. We had a strong, consistent day and I believe it was our good tyre management that allowed us to take the lead in the last stage of the day. Still, the gaps are very close to Adrien and Ott, so we will need to keep pushing just as hard tomorrow as we did today.”
Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“At first this morning I struggled with the feeling, but we made some changes to the setup between stages and it was getting better and better. Unfortunately in the second stage this afternoon, in a very tight corner, we turned in quicker than I had expected and hit the rock on the inside and rolled. I’m very disappointed but at least we could reach service. We will try to reset tomorrow; it won’t be an easy day but I will just keep focused and do my best. We have seen how a small mistake can catch people out on this rally, so let’s see what happens.”
Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)
“It has been a really good day for us. I think we have been quite consistently on a solid pace. We maybe had some advantage from the road position compared to some, but I don’t think this was the only reason we could be quick. I don’t feel like I’m pushing more than on previous rallies, rather that the pace is just coming more and more naturally as we get used to the car. I’m sure the top three will be pushing very hard tomorrow and I’ll just be happy if we can keep up the pace we’ve had today.”
Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT
Adrien Fourmaux
“I’m quite happy with how my day went, fighting for the lead and finishing just two seconds behind Ogier. Of course, I would prefer to have been ahead of him, but I enjoyed the fight out there. Unfortunately I changed a few things on the car for the final stage and went too stiff, so I was losing time everywhere. I’ve learned a lot today, it’s been a different experience being in the lead and now I know what to do tomorrow. It’s very small margins, and anything can happen – to get a good result here, first you need to finish. ”
Ott Tänak
“It was a tricky morning, but on the first stage of the afternoon I felt the car was working well thanks to more grip and the hard tyre. However, I started to struggle again on the middle stage, and we later discovered we had a damper issue. We just had to get through the final stage, which wasn’t easier with it being both fast and rough at the same time – very punishing for the car. We made some improvements for the second loop, so let’s see how we do on fresh roads tomorrow. ”
Thierry Neuville
“It’s disappointing to end our day in retirement – our first since Sardinia last year, so a shame to end our positive run of results. I lost the front of the car on the entry to a corner at high speed, and we went maybe 15cm wide and hit something with the rear, ripping our tyre off too. Unfortunately that was the end of our running. It was a bit of a surprise as I was close to flat out this morning and similar this afternoon, but unfortunately it didn’t end well for us today. ”
François-Xavier Demaison – Hyundai Technical Director
“It is a shame we are not ending the day with all three cars in the fight, but it has been a good day for us here in Sardinia. All of our crews were competitive and had the pace to fight for the podium positions, as well as the lead. Sardinia is always difficult, and while you can’t win on the first day, you can most certainly lose. There is no denying it will be close until the end – as we know very well from last year – but our performance today is definitely encouraging as we head into the rest of the weekend.”
The third day of Vodafone Rally De Portugal 2025 has come to an end. Sebastien Ogier took the event lead after a power steering issue arose for Tänak.
Morning Loop (Stages 12-14)
Ott Tänak retained the lead after the first three stages of the day. The Estonian extended his lead to 11.8 seconds ahead of Sebastien Ogier despite only taking one stage win. No major issues happened during the loop. Tânak did get a slow puncture on SS13 but lost very little time.
Afternoon Loop (Stages 15-18)
Sebastien Ogier moved into the event lead after Tänak stuffed a power steering issue on SS17 which forced the Estonian down to third. Ogier ends the day with a 27.6-second lead over Kalle Rovanperä. Ott Tänak won both stages before his issue and led by 13.9 seconds heading into SS17. No other major issues to report during the loop.
Quotes
Toyota Gazoo Racing
Juha Kankkunen (Deputy Team Principal)
“We have to be happy to have two cars in the lead tonight. Of course, it was unfortunate for Ott what happened to him because it was a great battle, but the conditions seemed to be very rough this afternoon and this kind of thing can happen; it’s part of rallying. Thankfully all of our cars could reach the end of the day and our drivers did a good job once again today. Seb is in a good position now but there are still 72 kilometres to drive without any service, so nothing is decided yet and we have to stay focused.”
Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“It’s not been the day we were hoping for today. The feeling hasn’t been too bad behind the wheel but we weren’t able to find the speed to go with it. We won’t give up though and we have to stay positive and try to find something to improve for tomorrow. The pace was there at the start of the weekend so we have to understand why it’s gone the way it has. Tomorrow is a new day and we’ll give it everything to push for some more points.”
Kalle Rovanperä (Driver car 69)
“It’s been quite a good day for us in the sense that we were able to gain a couple of positions, both in the overall standings and in the road order for tomorrow. We had much softer conditions than we have seen here before and the second pass was really rough, so it was tough for the tyres and the cars. We haven’t quite had the optimal speed so it might not be easy to keep Ott behind us, but of course we will try our best tomorrow to take as many points as we can.”
Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 17)
“It’s been another tough day today. This morning it was quite enjoyable but in the afternoon the conditions were so rough with huge ruts. It took a lot of effort to keep it on the road without issues and I was glad to get to the end of the day. It was not the way we would have liked to take the lead, and I really feel sorry for Ott, but it’s also part of the game in this sport and things like this can happen, especially when conditions are rough like today. We just have to focus on our job and try to finish it tomorrow on what is still a long and demanding Sunday.”
Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“This morning I had a good comfortable feeling in the car and good pace and I was able to have a nice fun fight with Kalle. In the afternoon, when the conditions totally changed and became rougher, it was much harder and unfortunately we lost a position. But now I just need to focus on what I can do tomorrow. The gaps are still quite close and I will try to keep pushing and see what happens.”
Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)
“I’m quite happy with the performance that we had today. It’s not so easy to read the pace because we could see there was some road cleaning effect. The morning especially was quite enjoyable with a nice flow. This afternoon there were some extremely rough sections, which was something new for me in this car, but we managed to get through it and let’s see what tomorrow brings.”
Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT
Ott Tänak
“The power steering loss was sudden, and obviously the stage still had a lot of bedrock and roughness to it, so there wasn’t anything else I could do. The first stage this morning was not so great, but after that we managed to find something that clicked. I really enjoyed driving the car out there today, and was controlling the pace and feeling good grip. Obviously, our issue was very unfortunate, but we are still in the fight tomorrow.”
Thierry Neuville
“We had a solid day today. The car was feeling good, and it allowed us to push on every stage – today was strong and we are satisfied with the position we are in considering our road position. We’re never 100% happy with the pace but it was definitely there, and we were similar to Kalle despite having different tyre choices. There’s still a lot to learn about the tyres. With six stages left and now being so close to the podium, we will be going full attack tomorrow.”
Adrien Fourmaux
“It has been a mixed day for us today. It was challenging to open the road but we found some improvements within the setup and we are happy with the changes we made. Nevertheless, it’s frustrating when you don’t have a fight going on around you and you are just driving in a league of your own. We’re keeping our heads up and we are going into Sunday fully focused on maximising our points tomorrow.”
Pablo Marcos – Hyundai Team Manager
“It was a very clean morning for Ott and Thierry fighting at the front. Thierry was on the pace from the very start, and while Ott struggled initially he went on to find the pace he needed in the car. This continued into the afternoon until Ott’s power steering fault dropped him down. Now we are third and fourth overall, so the fight is on tomorrow for the podium positions. For Adrien, today was a day to test and try to improve the car for him, as well as getting him prepared for a Super Sunday push tomorrow. We’re expecting a battle for all three crews tomorrow.”
The second day of Vodafone Rally De Portugal 2025 has come to an end. Ott Tänak leads after the days 10 stages.
First Loop (Stages 2-5)
Ott Tänak claimed the lead after the first four stages of the day. Evans led heading into the day but fell to sixth overall during the loop. Tänak won two stages to take a 0.2-second lead over teammate Adrien Fourmaux who won the other two stages. Martins Sesks got a puncture on the opening stage of the day. Thierry Neuville also had troubles to start the day as the Belgian spun out. Neuville complained of a lack of grip during the loop as well.
Second Loop (Stages 6-8)
Ott Tänak held onto the lead throughout the second loop of the day. However, the Estonian didn’t win a stage during the loop. Takamoto Katsuta moved into second after Adrien Fourmaux retired after his left front suspension broke. Other than that it was a quiet loop of stages.
Third Loop (Stages 9-11)
Ott Tänak closed out the second day of Vodafone Rally De Portugal 2025 with a seven-second lead over Sebastien Ogier. Tänak took two stage wins on the loop whilst Ogier took the other. No major issues to report during this loop.
Quotes
Toyota Gazoo Racing
Juha Kankkunen (Deputy Team Principal)
“Today has been a long day but a good day overall. I’m very happy with the way that our guys have driven today through so many demanding stages. Of course, Elfyn was suffering a little bit cleaning the road with many first-pass stages, and the second passes were not any easier for him following the different lines of the smaller cars. Seb has done well to be so close to the lead, as have Taka and Kalle to be up there in the top four as well and I’m excited to see what they can do tomorrow. The same is true of Sami who also did a very good job and ended the day strongly.”
Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“It’s been a tough day. It started off not too badly: the first two stages of the morning were not completely dry so the conditions were a bit more similar for everyone and we weren’t losing too much time. After that we struggled a lot more. The middle loop is where I think we could have done better, because the last loop was extremely difficult in terms of cleaning with very low grip. At least we will be in a better position tomorrow and the sandier stages should be a bit more enjoyable to drive, so we hope to find a better feeling and push more.”
Kalle Rovanperä (Driver car 69)
“It’s been a crazy long day but I think we have to be quite happy. It was not optimal but I think we did what we could with our starting position. The day started with lower grip conditions than we usually see here in Portugal and I think it was a bit tricky for everybody. Then it started to dry up and it felt a bit more like usual. I think the middle loop especially was good for us and now we’ll try to catch up some time if we can tomorrow on stages that usually suit us quite well.”
Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 17)
“I’m happy with my day today. It was a difficult start this morning as I felt something was not right with the car setup – probably a consequence of the difficult wet conditions we had in our test. But I started to work on it between stages and the rhythm got better. I’m happy with the way we fought and managed to stay in touch with the lead, while also trying to save some soft tyres for the rest of the weekend. To be in a battle with Ott is always intense and enjoyable and I know I need to give my best to keep the pressure on tomorrow.”
Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“Things were going well through most of today. I was feeling very comfortable in the car and I was enjoying the driving. In the last loop with some new stages the feeling maybe wasn’t quite so good and I was maybe driving a bit more on the safe side. But we are still in third position with two days to go, and still in a good place on the road for tomorrow, so I will keep trying to push.”
Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)
“It has not been a bad day for us. At first the conditions were changing and it was not easy to get in a rhythm, but then it started to become drier and also quite rough. With the rain in testing the preparation was not ideal but we were able to make quite a lot of changes with the setup and it was going in a better direction. I didn’t really feel that I was really pushing hard today so the pace was probably where it should be and we will try to build on this tomorrow.”
Hyundai Shell Mobis
Ott Tänak
“This morning was definitely positive. I had a good flow and feeling on the first two stages, but after that lost some of it. Despite this, we tried to make the most of the day to ensure a good road position for tomorrow. We knew the Toyotas didn’t have the best position today, so we had the upper hand on them and we capitalised on that advantage. It’s very tight and it’s nice to have this kind of competition – we now have only a few hours to determine our strategy and hopefully find more pace tomorrow.”
Thierry Neuville
“Overall, a positive day. This morning we were pushing but just didn’t get everything together, and immediately lost eight seconds with our spin and then a bit more as we struggled with confidence. However, I’m satisfied with how the day went and that we are very close to a podium position; we’re in a good place to have a better day tomorrow, and having Ott at the front is also nice. A good day for the team. It was tough, and while I think we perform well in those conditions, this was maybe too long for my liking.”
Adrien Fourmaux
“Today was going really well until a part in the front-left suspension broke on SS8 and we were forced to retire. It wasn’t something we could fix quickly, which was a real shame after our strong morning. Our pace was great, we felt comfortable in the car and we were fighting for the lead, so we can still take plenty of positives from today. We need to understand what happened so we can hopefully rejoin tomorrow and continue our push. ”
François-Xavier Demaison – Hyundai Technical Director
“Our main goal for Portugal was to come back and close the gap to Toyota, and we have certainly made a good step towards achieving that. Ott is leading the charge at the top of the classification, and had been battling with Adrien for the lead this morning. While it is disappointing Adrien retired, his pace was very encouraging. Of course, we have fewer cars than our competitors, and to lose one on Friday is a great shame, but Ott and Thierry continue to demonstrate that we are very much in the fight here in Portugal. ”
The first day of Vodafone Rally De Portugal 2025 has come to an end. Elfyn Evans narrowly leads after the days lone stage.
Shakedown
Martins Sesks took top honours on the shakedown stage, with a time 0.6 seconds faster than Kalle Rovanperä. Thierry Neuville was third fastest on the shakedown stage, 0.3 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Championship leader Elfyn Evans was sixth fastest, two seconds slower than the rookie Sesks. The slowest Rally1 driver was newcomer Diogo Salvi who was 17th fastest on the shakedown stage.
SS1
Elfyn Evans kicked off the weekend with a stage win on the opening stage of the weekend. Evans takes a 0.2-second lead over Sebastien Ogier and Ott Tänak into the first full day of action tomorrow. It is worth noting that this was a SuperSpecial stage, hence why the gaps were so low between drivers.
Quotes
Juha Kankkunen (Deputy Team Principal)
“It’s very nice to be back in Portugal. I have some great memories from this rally myself and it’s been a good one for the team, and the people here have so much passion for rallying. Coming back onto gravel, our preparation was a bit mixed with a lot of rain during our pre-event tests. Now it seems like it will be dry for the rally, but our drivers appeared to be really satisfied in shakedown this morning without needing to make too many changes to the car. It’s good to get cleanly through tonight’s first stage because tomorrow is going to be a long and important day.”
Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“It’s nice to start the rally with a fastest time but we’ve got a long and tough weekend ahead of us. Tomorrow in particular is a long day with limited opportunities to change the car, so it was important to work through a few things in shakedown this morning and get in the best window we can. First on the road will not be the ideal place to start if the stages are dry, but it’s a position that comes with the good results we’ve had recently and we just have to focus on doing the best job we can.”
Kalle Rovanperä (Driver car 69)
“The feeling is always good starting this event with the great atmosphere and some really good stages, and it’s nice to start with a stage for the fans like this one. The feeling was quite OK in shakedown and we were working to try and find something to make it even better. Friday here is always tough and this year it’s an even longer day than usual, so it can be a challenging one, especially running second on the road, but we will try our best to push.”
Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 17)
“It’s always a pleasure for me to be here in Portugal and starting this rally; the support is amazing every year. We had a clean start in this first stage which was the most important thing ahead of tomorrow. Shakedown was busy as it was my first kilometres in dry conditions with the new gravel tyres for this year, so we were working hard to find the best setup for the rally. Tomorrow will be a long and demanding day for everybody and hopefully we’re ready.”
Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“I’m very excited to be starting this rally. Every year here in Portugal there are so many fans and the atmosphere is amazing, and this first stage was fun. Shakedown was tricky because we were saving tyres and not on the best ones for the slippery conditions, but hopefully the feeling is good tomorrow, because it’s going to be a long day and a big challenge. I will try to do my best to get a good result.”
Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)
“I was glad to get through this first stage cleanly because I had some trouble in there last year. It’s going to be a long and tough rally but I’m looking forward to it. The feeling was quite OK in shakedown, even if it was not exactly like the real stages and probably a bit more slippery. Tomorrow is going to be important to have a good position for the following days so I hope to avoid any issues while still being fast.”
Rally Islas Canaries has come to an end. Kalle Rovanperä held on to take his first win of the season, topping a strong effort by Toyota.
Morning Loop (Stages 14-16)
Kalle Rovanperä held onto the event lead after taking two stage wins during the opening loop of Super Sunday. Sebastien Ogier was the only other stage winner on the opening loop. However, Ogier’s stage win came on a 1.5 km stage. Rovanperä takes a 50.5-second lead over Ogier heading into the final two stages of the event.
Afternoon Loop (Stages 17-18)
Kalle Rovanperä took one more stage win to seal the event win. Sebastien Ogier won the other stage during the loop. Rovanperä won the Powerstage for extra points this weekend and takes home the maximum 35 points. Rovanperä ended the event with a 53.5-second lead over Ogier. Elfyn Evans finished third overall, over a minute behind Rovanperä.
Quotes
Toyota Gazoo Racing
Akio Toyoda (TGR-WRT Chairman)
“I believe that this wonderful result we achieved was made possible by the efforts of every single member of TGR-WRT. I’m so thankful to everyone. It was amazing that we could finish 1-2-3-4 with Kalle, Seb, Elfyn, and Takamoto on the roads of Gran Canaria, which we drove for the first time.
Juha, as the one with lots of experience in the Canary Islands, told everyone about the roads there and provided reassurance to the team even before the rally started. Even on unfamiliar roads, our engineers and mechanics managed to prepare the cars with setups that the drivers already felt confident with in shakedown. I heard that after Friday, the drivers expressed their appreciation to them for the great work done. We are a team where members can say thank you to each other while fighting together, and TGR-WRT always aspires to be such a team.
Thank you, everyone! Great work! This rally, in particular, was filled with everyone’s hearts. We have a busy schedule ahead leading up to Rally Finland. Let’s continue to push as one team!”
Juha Kankkunen (Deputy Team Principal)
“This kind of result doesn’t happen very often so we are very happy. Thanks to the team, everything went really well, starting from our testing and the setup. Our car was working perfectly for our drivers on these roads. It was really nice to see Kalle’s speed: it was a 10 out of 10 drive. He was driving really relaxed and clean and dominated the weekend. His performance didn’t surprise me: when he finds fifth gear, he’s really quite a fast boy. But the whole team was driving well. Seb has done two rallies this year and come first and second, Elfyn continues to do a really good job, and Taka also drove really nicely here. There are still many rallies to come and we know they will be tighter with our competition, but I’m confident in our team’s work.”
Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“It’s been a great weekend from the team with an incredible performance from the GR YARIS Rally1. A big thank you to the team who’ve done a great job understanding the challenges of this rally, preparing the car and adapting to the new tyres. A big well done to Kalle because he had pace that nobody else could match this weekend, and well done to Seb also. I’m not wholly satisified of course to have been a bit behind them and not fight for the win with equal machinery, but it’s still good points and we have to be relatively pleased with that.”
Kalle Rovanperä (Driver car 69)
“It’s been a super weekend for us and also the whole team. To get a 1-2-3-4 result like this again is quite amazing. We have just been enjoying the driving. The car has been super fast, so a big thanks to the whole team for preparing it so well. Jonne has also been doing a great job and we drove well so it’s probably one of my best wins so far. It’s not so often on this level when you can be so consistently fast through the whole weekend. To get maximum points was our goal today and we really needed that. It’s still a big gap to Elfyn but at least we are now a step closer and we keep working.”
Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 17)
“It’s an amazing result for the team to lock out the top four. It doesn’t happen every time and we need to be very happy with that. On our side, second place is not my favourite position but it’s still a good one. I think we drove a pretty good rally. I enjoyed it so much, the car was fun to drive and a big thanks to the team for giving us the best tools this weekend. Kalle and Jonne were untouchable but it’s still a very positive weekend for us, securing maximum points for the team.”
Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“I’m very proud to be part of such an amazing result for the team. A big thanks to everyone in the team for preparing the car so well. It’s been such a nice car to drive all weekend and this is why we could finish 1-2-3-4 on such a new and different rally that we haven’t been to before. On my side it would have been nice if we could have finished even higher, but it’s been a good rally for us with no big moments, and I will focus now on the next one to keep improving.”
Hyundai Shell Mobis
Adrien Fourmaux
“While there are some positives from the weekend, such as that amazing final stage and winning our inter-team battle, for sure it is not what we wanted. Sometimes in difficult rallies like this you can learn a lot and take steps forward for the future – I’m confident in the team that we can do that. We managed to take some points, which is good, but we will keep pushing to come back stronger.”
Ott Tänak
“It’s difficult to find the words to describe such a demanding weekend. I think it’s the worst we’ve been across all three crews, with none of us able to compete at the front. It is tricky when it is hot, as I get more understeer, and when the car is not working I really struggled to push. We didn’t do our homework and we weren’t prepared for this event, and Toyota set the bar very high – it was a great job
from them. ”
Thierry Neuville
“It hasn’t been a good weekend for us. We struggled a lot, and even though we were working hard to fix the situation, everything we tried didn’t seem to work. We still need to put our finger on what has caused these issues for us and come back stronger. Nevertheless, the team kept fighting despite all our struggles; we weren’t lucky with the puncture today, otherwise we might have got a reasonable result. We expected much more from this weekend, and we didn’t get it. ”
François-Xavier Demaison – Hyundai Technical Director
“Rally Islas Canarias has been a difficult rally for us. It became an intensive test session for us where we tried a lot of different things on the car. We kept pushing today but it was very tough against the four Toyotas, who were very fast. On tough weekends like this, you learn a lot of very interesting things which we believe will not only unlock performance for us on tarmac, but on gravel as well. We will now take everything we have learned from these setbacks to come back stronger at the next events. ”
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.”