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Oliver Solberg will take a 1.0sec lead into the weekend at Safari Rally Kenya after a demanding Friday leg that tested crews with everything from mud and heavily rutted roads to mechanical issues and even wildlife on the stages.
Solberg started the day with a comfortable advantage in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1, but saw it significantly reduced as nine-time world champion Sébastien Ogier mounted an afternoon challenge to close to within a single second by the overnight halt.
Friday’s action was paused when extreme conditions forced the cancellation of SS3 Camp Moran after severe rutting left sections of the stage inaccessible to both medical and technical intervention vehicles. Crews instead started their day on the 18.95km Loldia stage.
Solberg’s morning was not without incident. The 24-year-old ran wide into the bushes on the opening test of the day, losing around 10sec, before re-establishing his rhythm across the remainder of the morning loop.
Conditions evolved once more during the afternoon as drying surfaces exposed sharp rocks and deep ruts on the second pass of the stages.
Ogier made the most of the changing conditions, setting the fastest time on SS7 and SS9 to steadily reduce Solberg’s lead. The rally leader’s margin was dealt a major blow on SS8 when he suffered a rear-right puncture, losing approximately 30sec as he guided his Toyota through the stage.
By the time crews completed the final Mzabibu test of the day, the gap between the leading pair had been reduced to just 1.0sec.
Toyota Gazoo Racing held the top three positions at the end of the leg. Championship leader Elfyn Evans completed a 1-2-3 for the team in third overall, 20.5sec behind Ogier, after spending much of the day managing balance issues with his GR Yaris Rally1.
Sami Pajari delivered one of the standout performances of the leg to hold fourth overall. The Finn recovered from a near-roll on the morning’s Loldia stage to win both SS5 Geothermal and SS6 Kedong, before adding another fastest time on the closing SS10 despite carrying a 20sec penalty for checking out of midday service late.
Toyota appeared set to occupy five of the top positions until disaster struck Takamoto Katsuta on SS7. A double-front puncture forced the Japanese driver to carefully manage the remainder of the day without a spare wheel, dropping him to seventh overall behind Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team drivers Thierry Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux.
Neuville stalled under braking on SS4 and was also required to repair a damaged radiator during the afternoon. The Belgian recovered to complete the leg in fifth overall, 5.0sec ahead of team-mate Fourmaux.
Esapekka Lappi ended the day eighth overall in his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 after an eventful run that included an unusual wildlife encounter. On SS9, the Finn slowed to first gear while following a family of giraffes crossing the road for around 300 metres before continuing. He later slid into a tree near the finish of the stage.
The demanding Kenyan terrain also proved punishing for M-Sport Ford World Rally Team. Josh McErlean retired on SS7 after a heavy impact in a braking zone, which caused a puncture, damage to the sump guard and a terminal gearbox oil leak.
Team-mate Jon Armstrong also encountered trouble when a rear suspension arm broke on SS9. The Irishman and co-driver Shane Byrne completed a roadside repair before nursing their Puma Rally1 through the final stage to reach the overnight halt.
In WRC2, Robert Virves moved into the category lead after overhauling Gus Greensmith during the afternoon. Greensmith was managing a gearbox issue and adopted a cautious approach, allowing Virves to build a 14.5sec advantage heading into Saturday.
