On Saturday, Elfyn Evans developed a lead of 1 minute 57.4 seconds over the pursuing group, overcoming the full range of weather conditions that the Safari Rally Kenya can present.
The Welshman led by just 7.7 seconds going into the penultimate day of competition in East Africa, ahead of Finland’s Kalle Rovanpera, who finished in second place.
Evans, however, set a marker in his Toyota from the very beginning and gradually increased his lead to almost two minutes before the last day of competition on Sunday, while his primary rivals all experienced a string of setbacks.
“It’s been a proper Safari so far,” Evans added.
Credit: France 24
“Normally, two minutes would be considered a guarantee of victory, but not in this situation.
“You have to assess the risk factor at a rally like Kenya. Needless to say, tomorrow we still need to drive well and see what points we can gain.”
The first bone-dry dust bowls of the opening stages were followed by a torrential downpour of rain on the afternoon loop.
After suffering a front-left puncture at Soysambu, a front-right tyre deflation near Elmenteita, and a subsequently damaged rear suspension arm, Rovanpera dropped from second overall to fifth.
Ott Tanak of Estonia, who also had a lot of problems, is currently in second place, 2 minutes 36.0 seconds ahead of Thierry Neuville, his Hyundai teammate in third place.
Neuville himself experienced a misfiring engine, a misted windscreen, and two punctures.
Evans is in a strong position to win his first Safari Rally, but with five stages remaining on Sunday, nothing can be taken for granted.
