Kalle Rovanpera Wins Safari Rally Kenya

Finish driver Kalle Rovanpera emerged as the winner of the 2020 World Rally Championship (WRC) Safari Rally Kenya.

The Finn became a two-time winner of Safari Rally Kenya after a challenging African fixture with a 1m 37.8s victory margin.

Takamoto Katstuta completed a Toyota GR Yaris 1-2 as the Japanese marque extended its manufacturers’ championship lead to four points over Hyundai Motorsport, while M-Sport Ford Puma hotshot Adrien Fourmaux bagged his second consecutive podium, 47.3s behind.

Elfyn Evans has faced challenges since Friday, when he ended up in contention for a podium, but a fraught Saturday, which saw the Welshman stop twice to carry out stage-side wheel changes, meant he finished over four minutes back from his teammate Rovanpera in fourth overall.

He remains second in the drivers’ championship behind leader Thierry Neuville, who trailed him by almost six minutes in fifth.

“It’s always special to win here. It was also a legendary event for Toyota. We’ve always been so good here, and that’s continuing. Like they say in Africa, the car in front is always a Toyota!

“A big thanks to the team; everybody made a big effort to make the car work so well. I think me and Jonne did a good job. I don’t think you can have a better Safari Rally than we did. No issues, clever driving, and I think it was a good effort,” Rovanpera told WRC.

The next edition of the World Rally Championship will be held in Zagreb, the capital city of Croatia, between April 18 and 21.