Kalle Rovanperä Takes Dominant Rally Estonia Win

Rally Estonia has come to an end, marking the end of the eighth round of the 2023 WRC season. Kalle Rovanperä would take home a dominant win at the event. 

Driver’s Championship Standings

After taking home the max possible 30 points at Rally Estonia, Rovanperä now leads the Drivers’ Championship by 55 points over Elfyn Evans. Rovanperä is well on track to taking home his second consecutive WRC championship. As the 22-year-old has no real challengers for the championship. As previously mentioned Evans sits 55 points back, which will be difficult for Evans to gain back. For Evans to take the Championship lead he’d either have to score an average of 11 points more than Rovanperä at the 5 remaining events or hope Rovanperä crashes out of Finland and takes less than 5 points in Greece. Thierry Neuville would move back into a top-three spot after taking second in Estonia. Neuville now sits just 3 points behind Evans. Ott Tänak dropped from third to fourth, now sitting 8 points behind Neuville. Sebastien Ogier would also drop from third overall to fifth, 6 points behind Tänak. 

Day One

The first day of Rally Estonia saw drivers race a single 3.35km SuperSpecial stage. Ott Tänak took the stage win, beating Elfyn Evans and Esapekka Lappi by 0.6 seconds. Unfortunately due to a penalty, Tänak would not lead after the day. Thus moving Evans and Lappi into a tie for first heading into the second day of the event.

Rally Estonia Day One Recap

Day Two

The second day of Rally Estonia saw drivers race 92.48km across 7 special stages. Ott Tänak would dominate most of the day, taking 5 out of the 7 stage wins. Kalle Rovanperä would be the only other driver to take a stage win on the second day. With the fin taking the other 2 stage wins. Unfortunately for Tänak once again his stage wins wouldn’t mean much. As he would remain last in the WRC1 class due to a penalty. Kalle Rovanperä led the rally by 3 seconds over Thierry Neuville. 
Rally Estonia Day Two Recap

Day Three

The third day of Rally Estonia saw drivers race 102.61km over 9 special stages. Kalle Rovanperä would dominate the day, taking all 9 stage wins. Rovanperä would now lead the rally by 34.9 seconds over Thierry Neuville. Esapekka Lappi and Elfyn Evans battled for third. Lappi ended the day 7.3 seconds ahead of Evans. 
Rally Estonia Day Three Recap

Day Four

The fourth and final day of Rally Estonia saw drivers race 61.08km across the final 4 stages. Kalle Rovanperä continued to dominate during the day. Once again taking all the stage wins. Rovanperä ended the event 52.7 seconds ahead of Thierry Neuville. Esapekka Lappi finished third, 7.3 seconds ahead of Elfyn Evans at the event’s end. 
Rally Estonia Day Four Recap

Rovanperä Dominates

It’s not often in the WRC a driver can win 13 consecutive stages. Kalle Rovanperä would do it this weekend. As from the third day on, the reigning champion was unstoppable. The 22-year-old fin has now won Rally Estonia 3 out of the 4 times it’s been a WRC event. With Ott Tänak being the only other winner. 

Penalty For Tänak

Fan favorite Ott Tänak received a 5-minute penalty before the events start. Tänak would be given the penalty as a result of having his engine fully replaced. The replacement came after an engine issue forced Tänak to only run the shakedown stage once. M-Sport Ford chose to replace Tänak’s engine completely. Thus resulting in the 5-minute penalty. The penalty is in place so teams don’t choose to replace engines at every fault during events. 

The fourth and final day of Rally Estonia has come to an end. Kalle Rovanperä would hold on to take the rally win.

SS18, KARASKI 1

Kalle Rovanperä continued his dominance taking yet another stage win. As Rovanperä finished the stage win a time 2.7 seconds faster than Esapekka Lappi to take the stage win. Eflyn Evans set the third fastest time on the stage, 2.3 seconds slower than Lappi. Thierry Neuville would post the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.3 seconds slower than Evans. Ott Tänak would round out the top five on the stage, finishing 4 seconds slower than Neuville. 

SS19, KAMBJA 1

Kalle Rovanperä also took the stage win on the 19th stage of Rally Estonia. As Rovanperä posted a time 4.6 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans to take the stage win. Thierry Neuville finished with the third fastest time on the stage, 0.4 seconds slower than Evans. Esapekka Lappi set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.3 seconds slower than Neuville. Ott Tänak completed the top five on the stage, finishing 2.8 seconds slower than Lappi.

SS20, KARASKI 2

Kalle Rovanperä would once again take the stage win on SS20. Rovanperä set a time 1.2 seconds faster than Esapekka Lappi to take the stage win. Thierry Neuville finished with the third fastest time on the stage, 0.1 seconds slower than Lappi. Elfyn Evans posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.1 seconds slower than Neuville. Takamoto Katsuta solidified a top five finish on the stage, 2.6 seconds slower than Evans.

SS21, SS21 WOLF POWERSTAGE KAMBJA 2

The 21st and final stage of Rally Estonia would also be won by Kalle Rovanperä. Rovanperä set a time 2 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans to take the stage win. Esapekka Lappi finished with the third fastest time on the stage, 1.9 seconds slower than Evans. Ott Tänak posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.6 seconds slower than Lappi. Thierry Neuville would round out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.5 seconds slower than Tänak. 

Kalle Rovanperä secured the overall win with a dominant performance winning 15 of the 21 stages on the weekend. After Day 2 no one really had an answer for Rovanperä. The result provided Rovanperä with a strong result in his fight to return to the top spot in the 2023 Championship run.

Next up is

WRC Secto Automotive Rally Finland which features smooth and blisteringly quick gravel roads, buried among forests and lakes, are characterized by massive stomach-churning jumps. It is touted as the fastest rally in the championship.

Rally Estonia Day Three Recap

The third day of Rally Estonia has come to an end. Kalle Rovanperä would retain the rally lead heading into the final day.

SS9, MÄEKÜLA 1

Stage nine would see Kalle Rovanperä take the win. As Rovanperä would set a time 1.6 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville to take the win. Eflyn Evans finished with the third fastest time on the stage, 2.4 seconds slower than Neuville. Esapekka Lappi posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.6 seconds slower than Evans. Teemu Suninen would round out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.5 seconds slower than Lappi. 

SS10, OTEPÄÄ 1

Kalle Rovanperä would also take the stage win on the 10th stage of Rally Estonia. Rovanperä would post a time 2 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville to take the stage win. Elfyn Evans once again finished third on the stage, this time Evans would finish 1.4 seconds slower than Neuville. Esapekka Lappi finished the stage with the fourth fastest time, finishing 0.6 seconds slower than Evans. Ott Tänak would round out the top five on the stage, finishing 2.9 seconds slower than Lappi. 

SS11, MÄEKÜLA 2

Stage 11 would see Kalle Rovanperä take his third consecutive stage win. As Rovanperä posted a time 1.9 seconds faster than Esapekka Lappi to take the stage win. Elfyn Evans set the third fastest time on the stage, 0.5 seconds slower than Lappi. Thierry Neuville finished with the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.4 seconds slower than Evans. Ott Tänak would round out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.7 seconds behind Neuville. 

SS12, OTEPÄÄ 2

The 12th stage of Rally Estonia was also won by Kalle Rovanperä. As Rovanperä would set a time 4.3 seconds faster than Esapekka Lappi to take the stage win. Elfyn Evans would once again finish with the third fastest time on the stage, this time Evans would finish with a time 0.7 seconds slower than Lappi. Ott Tänak set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 2 seconds slower than Evans. Teemu Suninen would round out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.6 seconds slower than Tänak.

SS13, ELVA 1

Kalle Rovanperä would also take the stage win on Stage 13. As Rovanperä finished the stage with a time 3.6 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville to take the stage win. Esapekka Lappi set the third fastest time on the stage, 0.2 seconds slower than Neuville. Elfyn Evans posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.6 seconds slower than Lappi. Teemu Suninen would round out the top five on the stage, 2.6 seconds slower than Evans. 

SS14, KANEPI 1

If you guessed Kalle Rovanperä took the stage win on stage 14 of Rally Estonia, you’d be correct. As Rovanperä would set a time 3.8 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville to take the stage win. Esapekka Lappi finished with the third fastest time on the stage, 2.9 seconds slower than Neuville. Elfyn Evans set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.2 seconds slower than Lappi. Teemu Suninen would round out the top five on the stage, 5.5 seconds slower than Evans. 

SS15, ELVA 2

Kalle Rovanperä would also take the stage win on stage 15. As Rovanperä would post a time 2.4 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans to take the stage win. Thierry Neuville finished with the third fastest time on the stage, 0.8 seconds slower than Evans. Esapekka Lappi set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.2 seconds slower than Neuville. Ott Tänak would round out the top five in the stage, finishing 0.6 seconds slower than Lappi.

SS16, KANEPI 2

Kalle Rovanperä would also take the stage win on the 16th stage of Rally Estonia. As Rovanperä would post a time 2.7 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville to take the stage win. Esapekka Lappi finished with the third fastest time on the stage, 0.9 seconds slower than Neuville. Elfyn Evans set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 2.9 seconds slower than Lappi. Ott Tänak would round out the top five on the stage, finishing 2.1 seconds slower than Evans.

SS17, TARTU VALD 2

Kalle Rovanperä would take his ninth consecutive stage win to sweep day three’s stages. Rovanperä would set a time 0.9 seconds faster than Esapekka Lappi to take the stage win. Thierry Neuville finished third fastest on the stage, 0.4 seconds slower than Lappi. Elfyn Evans set the fourth fastest time, 1.3 seconds slower than Neuville. Teemu Suninen would round out the top five on the stage, 1.3 seconds slower than Evans. 

The second day of Rally Estonia has come to an end. Andreas Mikkelsen leads the WRC2 pack after the day.

SSS1, TARTU VALD 1

Miko Marczyk took the first-stage win of Rally Estonia. Marczyk would post a time 0.1 seconds faster than Georg Linnamäe to take the stage win. Andreas Mikkelsen would round out the top three on the stage, finishing 0.6 seconds slower than Linnamäe.

SS2, PEIPSIÄÄRE 1

Oliver Solberg won the stage. Solberg finished the stage with a time 4.8 seconds faster than Andreas Mikkelsen to take the stage win. Egon Kaur finished with the third fastest time on the stage, finishing 2.9 seconds slower than Mikkelsen. 

SS3, MUSTVEE 1

Oliver Solberg would also take the stage win on SS3. As Solberg would post a time 4.5 seconds faster than Andreas Mikkelsen to take the stage win. Georg Linnamäe would round out the top three on the stage, finishing 1.6 seconds slower than Mikkelsen. 

SS4, RAANITSA 1

Georg Linnamäe would take the stage win on stage 4 of Rally Estonia. Linnamäe would finish the stage 2.6 seconds faster than Oliver Solberg to take the stage win. Sam Pajari would set the third fastest time on the stage, finishing 1.1 seconds slower than Solberg. 

SS5, PEIPSIÄÄRE 2

Sam Pajari would take the stage win on the fifth stage of Rally Estonia. Pajari posted a time 2.6 seconds faster than Andreas Mikkelsen to take the stage win. Egon Kaur compelted the top three on the stage, 2.5 seconds slower than Mikkelsen. 

SS6, MUSTVEE 2

Andreas Mikkelsen shook up the pack with his stage win on SS6 of Rally Estonia. Mikkelsen would finish the stage with a time 0.4 seconds faster than Marco Bulacia to take the stage win. Gus Greensmtih would finish with the third fastest time on the stage, finishing 1.2 seconds slower than Bulacia.

SS7, RAANITSA 2

Gus Greensmith won stage 7. Greensmith set a blistering time 10.1 seconds faster than Emil Lindholm to take the stage win. Andreas Mikkelsen would follow his previous stage win with a top three on the stage, 0.5 seconds slower than Lindholm.

SS8, NEERUTI

Gus Greensmith would also take the stage win on stage 8 of Rally Estonia. Greensmith would finish with a time 1.2 seconds faster than Sam Pajari. Andreas Mikkelsen set the third fastest time on the stage, 0.7 seconds slower than Pajari. 

For more coverage be sure to check out WRC+.

The second day of Rally Estonia has come to an end. Kalle Rovanperä leads the pack after the day. 

SS2, PEIPSIÄÄRE 1

Ott Tänak won the second stage of the 2023 running of Rally Estonia. Tänak posted a time 5 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville who finished with the second fastest time. Kalle Rovanperä finished with the third fastest time on the stage, 4.1 seconds slower than Neuville. Teemu Suninen set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.4 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Esapekka Lappi rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1 second slower than Suninen. 

SS3, MUSTVEE 1

Ott Tänak would also take the stage win on the third stage of Rally Estonia. As Tänak finished with a time 1.8 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville to take the stage win. Kalle Rovanperä set the third fastest time on the stage, 0.7 seconds slower than Neuville. Elfyn Evans finished with the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.8 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Esapekka Lappi rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 3.4 seconds slower than Evans. 

SS4, RAANITSA 1

Ott Tänak once again took the stage win on the fourth stage of Rally Estonia. With Tänak posting a time 1.6 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville to take the stage win. Kalle Rovanperä finished with the third fastest time on the stage, 2.9 seconds slower than Neuville. Esapekka Lappi set the fourth fastest time on the stage, finishing 1 second slower than Rovanperä. Teemu Suninen secured another top five on the stage, finishing 0.1 seconds slower than Lappi. 

SS5, PEIPSIÄÄRE 2

It wasn’t until stage five that we saw somebody other than Ott Tänak take the stage win. As Kalle Rovanperä posted a time 2.1 seconds faster than Esapekka Lappi to take his first stage win of Rally Estonia. Elfyn Evans finished with the third fastest time on the stage, finishing 0.3 seconds slower than Lappi. Thierry Neuville and Teemu Suninen would tie for the fourth fastest time. With both drivers setting a time 2.3 seconds slower than Evans. 

SS6, MUSTVEE 2

Kalle Rovanperä didn’t stop and would once again take the stage win on SS6. As Rovanperä finished with a time 3.5 seconds faster than Ott Tänak to take his second stage win of Rally Estonia. Esapekka Lappi and Elfyn Evans would tie for the third fastest time on the stage. With both drivers finishing 0.5 seconds slower than Tänak. Thierry Neuville completed the top five on the stage, finishing 0.4 seconds slower than Evans and Lappi. 

SS7, RAANITSA 2

Stage 7 saw Ott Tänak back on top. As the Estonian would post a time 2 seconds faster than Kalle Rovanperä to take the stage win. Pierre-Louis Loubet finished with the third fastest time on the stage, 1.1 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Thierry Neuville set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.3 seconds slower than Loubet. Kalle Rovanperä would round out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.1 seconds slower than Neuville. 

SS8, NEERUTI

Ott Tänak would once again take the stage win on the final stage of the second day of Rally Estonia. Tänak would post a time 1.1 seconds slower than Elfyn Evans to take the stage win. Kalle Rovanperä would finish with the third fastest time on the stage, 0.7 seconds slower than Evans. Esapekka Lappi would set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.1 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Thierry Neuville would round out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.7 seconds slower than Lappi. 

All in all it was a great day for Tänak who ahs won 6 of 8 stages in Estonia. Day 3 results will be available tomorrow.

The first day of Rally Estonia has come to an end. Esapekka Lappi and Elfyn Evans would sit tied for first at the end of the day.

Shakedown

Kalle Rovanperä would finish with the fastest time on the shakedown stage. Finishing 1.2 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville who set the second fastest time. Esapekka Lappi finished with the third fastest time on shakedown, 0.5 seconds slower than his Hyundai teammate Thierry Neuville. Takamoto Katsuta set the fourth fastest time on shakedown, 0.3 seconds slower than Lappi. Elfyn Evans would round out the five on shakedown, finishing 0.1 seconds slower than Katsuta.

SSS1, TARTU VALD 1

Ott Tänak would take home the first stage win of the 2023 Rally Estonia. Tänak would set a time 0.6 seconds faster than Esapekka Lappi and Elfyn Evans.2021 and 2022 winner Kalle Rovanperä would set the third fastest time on the opening stage, 0.1 seconds slower than Lappi and Evans. Thierry Neuville finished with the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.9 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Takamoto Katsuta would round out the top five on the stage, 1.6 seconds slower than Neuville. 

Are You Confused?

You may be wondering why Esapekka Lappi and Elfyn Evans are tied for the rally lead when Ott Tänak would take the stage win. The answer is simple. Ott Tänak would receive a 5-minute penalty for having his engine replaced during the event. Tänak would experience an engine issue during the first running of the shakedown stage. Tänak would subsequently head back to the service park after the first running. The M-Sport team would opt to replace Tänak’s engine. Thus handing the Estonian a 5-minute penalty and costing him his chance at winning his home event. The penalty has caused a bit of dissatisfaction from some drivers and fans. With Kalle Rovanperä stating his displeasure with the penalty. Although the penalty allows Rovanperä to have a bit of an easier weekend, he was looking forward to the expected battle between himself and Tänak. 

We are about two weeks away from the 2023 running of Rally Estonia, so why not take a look back to when it joined the WRC in 2020. 

Day One 

The first day of the rally would see drivers compete on a single 1.28km SuperSpecial stage. Esapekka Lappi and Sebastien Ogier would tie for the stage win, beating Ott Tänak by 0.1 seconds. Craig Breen would finish the stage fourth fastest, 0.3 seconds slower than Tänak. Elfyn Evans would round out the top five, finishing 0.2 seconds slower than Breen. 

Day Two

Day two of the 2020 running of Rally Estonia would see drivers race 147.18km across 10 stages. Ott Tänak would win three of those 10 stages to take the rally lead heading into the third and final day. Craig Breen, Kalle Rovanperä and Sebastien Ogier would each take two stage wins. With Thierry Neuville only taking one stage win. Tänak would lead the rally by 11.7 seconds over Craig Breen after the second day. Sebastien Ogier would sit third, 17 seconds behind Breen. 

Day Three

The third and final day of the 2020 running of Rally Estonia would see drivers race 84.96km across 6 stages. Kalle Rovanperä would win three of those six stages on the day. Sebastien Ogier would win two stages and Elfyn Evans would win one. One of Rovanperä’s stage wins would come on the Powerstage, which would award him 5 extra points from the event. Although Ott Tänak wouldn’t take a stage win on the third and final day he would still take the rally win at his home event. Tänak would finish the rally with a 22.2 second lead over Craig Breen. Sebastien Ogier would finish third overall, 4.7 seconds slower than Breen. 

Penalty For Rovanperä 

Kalle Rovanperä would have a strong 2020 Rally Estonia. Unfortunately he would receive a 1 minute penalty for illegally removing the radiator backing plate. If Rovanperä didn’t receive the penalty he would’ve finished second at the event, 18.7 seconds slower than Tänak and 3.5 seconds faster than Craig Breen. 

Rally Estonia 2020 Retirements

Thierry Neuville would retire from the event on SS17 due to an electrical issue. Pierre-Louis Loubet retired on SS13 due to a steering issue, this event would be his top-level debut. Takamoto Katsuta would also retire on SS13, due to a roll. 

Earlier this week the Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team announced team principal Jari-Matti Latvala will return to WRC competition at Rally Finland. 

Latvala Returns To WRC Competition 

Toyota Gazoo Racing Team principal and 18-time WRC event winner Jari-Matti Latvala is returning to WRC competition at this year’s Secto Rally Finland. Latvala will drive the Toyota Yaris Rally1 Hybrid that is usually driven by his former teammate Sebastien Ogier at the event. He will join the usual Toyota crew consisting of Kalle Rovanperä, Elfyn Evans, and Takamoto Katsuta. Latvala has won Rally Finland three times throughout his career, including back-to-back wins in the 2014 and 2015 seasons. 

Latvala’s WRC Career

Jari-Matti Latvala would make his WRC debut in the 2002 Season at Rally GB. Placing 17th overall, in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI. 2003 would see Latvala compete in four rallies, in Greece, Germany, Finland, and Great Britain. Latvala would drive a Ford Focus RS WRC 03 during the season. His highest finish would be 10th in Greece, Great Britain. The 2004 and 2005 seasons would see Latvala jump around between Junior WRC and other WRC level competition. 

With M-Sport Ford

During the 2006 season, Latvala would race select events with the Ford M-Sport World Rally team and finish 13th in the championship. 2007 would be Latvala’s first full year of WRC competition, and mark the true beginning of six seasons behind a M-Sport car. Latvala would finish eighth in the drivers’ championship, with his highest event finish being third in Rally Ireland. 2008 would see Latvala take a jump in the WRC standings. As he would finish fourth overall, 7 points behind Dani Sordo in the drivers’ championship. Latvala would also take 6 podiums during the season, including his first WRC win at Rally Sweden. The 2009 season would once again see Latvala place 4th in the championship. This time he would finish 23 points behind Dani Sordo. Latvala would podium 4 times during the season, including 1 win. The 2010 season would see Latvala take his first top-three finish in the drivers’ championship. As Latvala would finish 105 points behind Sebastien Loeb. Latvala would finish on the podium 6 times during the season, taking home wins in New Zealand and Finland. Latvala would fall back to fourth in the 2011 drivers championship. As Latvala would finish 24 points behind Sebastien Ogier. Latvala would take home 8 podiums during the season, including a win at Rally GB. Latvala’s final season in a M-Sport Ford car would see him finish 3rd in the championship, finishing 59 points behind Mikko Hirvonen. He would finish on the podium 7 times during the season, including wins at Rally Sweden and Rally GB. 

Moving To Volkswagen 

The 2013 season would see Jari-Matti Latvala jump from M-Sport Ford to the new Volkswagen Motorsport team. He would be joined by Sebastien Ogier at all events and Andreas Mikkelsen at select events. In Latvala’s first season with Volkswagen, he would finish third in the drivers championship, 14 points behind Thierry Neuville. He would finish on the podium seven times during the season, including 1 event win. 2014 would see Latvala move up from 3rd to 2nd in the drivers championship, finishing 49 points behind his teammate Sebastien Ogier. Latvala would finish on the podium 8 times during the season, including wins at Rally Sweden, Argentina, Finland and France. Latvala would also finish second in 2015, this time he would finish 80 points behind Sebastien Ogier. He would finish on the podium 7 times during the season, including wins at Rally Portugal, Finland and France. In 2016 Latvala would fall out of a top three spot in the championship. As he would finish 6th overall, 18 points behind Dani Sordo. In his final season with  Volkswagen, he would finish on the podium just three times, taking home a single event win which came at Rally Mexico. 

Moving To Toyota

Latvala would join the Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team in the 2017 season. In his first of three seasons with the team, he would finish fourth in the drivers championship, finishing 55 points behind Ott Tänak. Latvala would once again finish on the podium three times, taking home a single event win which came at Rally Sweden. The 2018 season would once again see Latvala place fourth in the championship, 53 points behind Ott Tänak. He would finish on the podium 5 times during the season, including his final WRC win which would come at Rally Australia. The 2019 season would be Latvala’s final full season of WRC competition. He would finish 7th in the championship, 4 points behind Kris Meeke. Latvala would only finish on the podium twice during the season and would go without a win. 

2020

The 2020 season would see Jari-Matti Latvala without a seat on a manufacturer team. Latvala would still compete during the season in a Toyota Yaris WRC run under Latvala Motorsport. Latvala’s final rally would be the 2020 running of Rally Sweden which he would retire from. He did have plans to attend a couple more events during the season. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic would prevent him from competing in other events as the season had been pretty much cancelled. 

After Competing

The end of the 2020 season would mark the end of Latvala’s time competing in the WRC. Latvala would subsequently join the Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team as team principal. In the two seasons since joking Toyota as team principal the team has won 2 Manufacturers championships and 2 Drivers championships. 

The 2023 running of Safari Rally Kenya has come to an end. Sebastien Ogier would take the top step of the Toyota-filled podium.

Day One

The 2023 running of Safari Rally Kenya would start with a single 4.84km SuperSpecial in Nairobi. Ott Tänak would take the win on stage, to take a 0.1-second lead over Sebastien Ogier into the first full day of stages.

Day Two

The second day of Safari Rally Kenya would see drivers race 125.54km across 6 stages. Sebastien Ogier would win 4 of the 6 stages during the day, moving Ogier into first, 22.8 seconds ahead of Kalle Rovanperä. Ott Tänak would fall over three minutes behind Ogier due to a puncture. Kalle Rovanperä and Esapekka Lappi would also each win a stage during the day. Thierry Neuville would temporarily retire from the rally on SS6 due to a suspension issue.

Day Three

The third day of Safari Rally Kenya would see drivers race 150.88km across six stages. Kalle Rovanperä would close the gap between him and Ogier down from 22.8 to 16.7 seconds. Rovanperä would do this by winning 3 of the 6 stages on the day. Sebastien Ogier took two stage wins during the day, Takamoto Katsuta would also take home a stage win. Esapekka Lappi would temporarily retire on SS11 due to a mechanical issue. Lappi’s retirement would pretty much seal the deal on a Toyota 1-2-3-4 finish once again.

Day Four

The fourth and final day of Safari Rally Kenya would see drivers race 75.72km across six stages. Sebastien Ogier and Kalle Rovanperä would continue to battle for the rally lead. Ogier would ultimately come out on top. Although the eight-time champion would only take a single stage win during the day. Ott Tänak and Kalle Rovanperä would both win two stages during the day. Takamoto Katsuta would also take a stage win. One of Tänak’s stage wins would come during the Powerstage. Meaning Tänak would take home an additional 5 points from the event.

Neuville Disqualified

Thierry Neuville would be disqualified from the rally for illegal recce. Neuville had requested somebody to go on the stages after recce to see where rocks were moved. Per Article 35.4.2 of the 2023 FIA WRC Sporting Regulations, states that: “After the publication of the Supplementary Regulations, only with the express authorisation of the Clerk of the Course and the FIA Rally Department may any person connected with an entered crew travel on or over the route of a special stage of the rally (except on foot). This rule shall apply until that special stage is terminated, open for public traffic and will no longer be used within the rally.” This would come as a blow for Neuville, who would’ve sat 2nd in the Drivers’ Championship, 37 points behind Kalle Rovanperä. Neuville’s disqualification would also mean Ott Tänak would take the Powerstage win. As Neuville had won the powerstage, but the disqualification would result in Tänak having the quickest time on the stage.

Trouble For Hyundai

Neuville’s disqualification wouldn’t be the only trouble for Hyundai during Safari Rally Kenya. As Esapekka Lappi would also experience trouble during the event. Lappi went into day three, fourth overall 10.5 seconds behind Elfyn Evans. On SS8 Evans would stall after a water crossing. This would cause Evans to lose 40.7 seconds to Lappi as a result. Evans and Lappi would battle for third for the rest of day three’s morning loop. With Lappi leading Evans by 49.7 seconds heading into the afternoon loop. Unfortunately, Lappi would be forced to retire on SS11 due to a mechanical issue. This would promote Evans back to third overall, and pretty much confirm a Toyota podium sweep. 

Drivers’ Championship Standings

Coming into Safari Rally Kenya the championship could’ve gone a couple different directions. As 33 separated first and third place. After Safari Rally Kenya the championship is now Kalle Rovanperä’s to lose. As now 42 points separate 1st and 3rd. Elfyn Evans would move into second overall, now sitting 41 points behind Rovanperä. Ott Tänak would remain in third, although he is now tied with Sebastien Ogier, 42 points behind Rovanperä. Thierry Neuville would drop from second to fifth in the championship as a result of taking home no points due to his previously mentioned disqualification. Neuville sits 47 points back from Rovanperä. Realistically the championship still can go any way, but 41 points is a pretty good lead for Rovanperä. Add that to the fact that the next event Rally Estonia is one Rovanperä has won the last two years in a row, and it’s gonna be hard for Rovanperä to drop out of first. 

Drivers’ Championship Standings

1. K Rovanperä 140
2. E. Evans 99
3. S. Ogier 98
4. O. Tänak 98
5. T. Neuville 93

Safari Rally Kenya WRC1 Recaps

Day One

Safari Rally Kenya Day One Recap

Day Two

Safari Rally Kenya Day Two Morning Loop Recap

Safari Rally Kenya Day Two Afternoon Loop Recap

Day Three

Safari Rally Kenya Day Three Morning Loop Recap

Safari Rally Kenya Day Three Afternoon Loop Recap

Day Four

Safari Rally Kenya Day Four Morning Loop Recap

Safari Rally Kenya Day Four Afternoon Loop Recap

The fourth and final day of Safari Rally Kenya has come to an end. Sebastien Ogier would hold on to the lead to take the win. 

SS17, MALEWA 2

Kalle Rovanperä would take the stage win on the first stage of the afternoon loop. As Rovanperä would set a time 0.6 seconds faster than Sebastian Ogier to take the stage win. Takamoto Katsuta would finish third fastest on the stage, 7.4 seconds slower than Ogier. Elfyn Evans set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 2.7 seconds slower than Katsuta. Dani Sordo would round out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.7 seconds slower than Evans. 

SS18, OSERIAN 2

Stage 18 of Safari Rally Kenya would see Takamoto Katsuta take the stage win. Katsuta would set a time 11 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans to take the stage win. Kalle Rovanperä would finish third fastest on the stage, 0.1 seconds slower than Evans. Dani Sordo set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.8 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Thierry Neuville would round out the top five on the stage, 0.3 seconds slower than Sordo. 

SS19, HELL’S GATE 2 – WOLF POWER STAGE

The final stage of Safari Rally Kenya would see Ott Tänak take the stage win. Tänak would set a time 0.7 seconds faster than Kalle Rovanperä to take the stage win. Sebastien Ogier would finish with the third fastest time on the stage, 2.4 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Esapekka Lappi set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.5 seconds slower than Ogier. Elfyn Evans would round out the top five, finishing with a time 2.2 seconds slower than Lappi.

Safari Rally Kenya Day Four Morning Loop Recap