Thierry Neuville leads Safari Rally Kenya at the end of Friday despite a rear-left puncture and engine problems.
The Belgian lost a big 39.8 seconds in the final stage of the day due to a delaminated rear-left tyre but still leads the rally at the end of the day. His Hyundai team-mate Ott Tänak also punctured in the final stage and lost almost a minute as a result.
Neuville’s trying to fix problems on the road section before SS7:
Tänak’s punctured tyre at the end of the stage:
There was even more drama in the final stage. Kalle Rovanperä, who was in a close fight with Neuville for the rally lead, got stuck in the fesh-fesh just 900 metres from the start. The young Finn had to be pulled out of the sand by marshalls and later retired for the day.
Only six WRC-cars survived the first full day of rallying in Kenya. Rovanperä is the fifth WRC-driver to retire after Evans, Sordo, Solberg retired in the first loop.
Ogier and Katsuta set a joint fastest time in SS7, which promotes Katsuta into P2 after Friday’s stages.
The first stage of tomorrow gets underway at 08:08 local time (07:08 CET).
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WRC Safari Rally Kenya 2021 standings after SS7 (End of Friday)
| # | Drivers | Car | Time / Diff. to 1st |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Neuville / Wydaeghe | Hyundai i20 Coupé WRC | 1:23:19.1 |
| 2. | Katsuta / Barritt | Toyota Yaris WRC | +18.8 |
| 3. | Tänak / Järveoja | Hyundai i20 Coupé WRC | +55.8 |
| 4. | Ogier / Ingrassia | Toyota Yaris WRC | +1:49.4 |
| 5. | Greensmith / Patterson | Ford Fiesta WRC | +1:56.1 |
| 6. | Fourmaux / Jamoul | Ford Fiesta WRC | +2:19.1 |
Photo: Red Bull Content Pool