KENYA. Nairobi: The Toyota Yaris WRC driver Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia won the Safari Rally Kenya after an action packed and gripping final day in Kenya.
Sébastien Ogier won by a margin of 21.8 seconds displacing Toyota team-mate Takamoto Katsuta on the penultimate special. Takamoto Katsuta along with co-driver Daniel Barritt of Toyota team secured second place in the Rally and first ever WRC podium.
The Estonian team led by Ott Tänak and co driver Martin Järveoja came third in the rally driving the Hyundai i20 Coupé WRC taking a time of 3hr 19min 20.8sec. In addition to this, the Estonian team claimed five maximum bonus points for winning the Power Stage.
The fourth position was occupied by French driver Adrien Fourmaux and co driver Belgian Renaud Jamoul driving their Ford Fiesta WRC and timed 3hr 19min 56.0sec.
The French crew now have increased their leads in the FIA World Rally Championship. This victory of Ogier was Toyota’s first on the Safari since Japanese driver Yoshio Fujimoto and Swedish co-driver Arne Hertz won the 43rd Safari in 1995 in a Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD.
The latest top 10 driver standings after the Kenya Rally i.e. Round 6 of 2021 FIA World Rally Championship are as follows.
- S. Ogier with 133 points
- E. Evans with 99 points
- T. Neuville with 77 points
- O. Tänak with 69 points
- T. Katsuta with 66 points
- K. Rovanperä with 56 points
- G. Greensmith with 34 points
- D. Sordo with 31 points
- A. Fourmaux with 30 points
- C. Breen with 24 points
The Manufacturers’ Ranking goes like this, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT takes the leader position with 273 points followed by Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team in second position with 214 points. In the third position is M-Sport Ford World Rally Team with 109 points and Hyundai 2C Compétition secures fouth position with 28 points.
Kenya’s Safari Rally
Kenya’s Safari Rally is the 6th round of the 2021 FIA World Rally Championship that returns to African continent after 20 years. The Safari Rally traverses through unspoiled Kenya’s natural wilderness teeming with wildlife.
About FIA
The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile or International Automobile Federation (FIA) is an association established on June 20, 1904. FIA works across three key interlinked areas of activity i.e.: Sport, Campaigns and Mobility and promotes motor sport and road safety around the world.
Coming next in the 2021 FIA World Rally Championship, is WRC Rally Estonia the biggest motorsport event in the Baltic countries known to have fast gravel roads with plenty of crests and jumps and narrow forest roads. The rally is scheduled from July 15 to 18, 2021, Estonia.
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