Halfway through the third day of competition on Saturday, Kalle Rovanperä (Toyota Yaris Rally1) retains the lead in the Safari Rally. In Kenya, the Finn has a lead of 1:27.9 over Thierry Neuville (Hyundai i20 N Rally1), who has moved up to second place. Takamoto Katsuta (Toyota Yaris Rally1) suffered a puncture and is now third. Grégoire Munster (Ford Puma Rally1) had to retire with a broken suspension.
The Safari Rally is held two months earlier than in previous years, right in the rainy season. During the explorations the course looked flooded, but the sun was shining during the rally. The first stage of the day was won by Katsuta. Neuville rode the fourth fastest time. Elfyn Evans had to stop after 12.7 km to replace a flat tire. He lost 1:50.4 and dropped to fifth place. Grégoire Munster (Ford Puma Rally1) arrived at the finish with a broken suspension. Munster tried to repair the car during the liaison stage, but in the end the failure was inevitable.
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Neuville won the second stage and then set the second fastest time during the 36.08 km stage called Sleeping Warrior. “What a ride that was,” said Neuville at the finish. “It was a bit muddy at the beginning of the ride, but we got through it well. About 7 to 8 kilometers before the finish we hit a stone, after which something folded because the car no longer steered well.”
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Neuville moved up to second place overall after Katsuta's puncture lost him a minute. Elfyn Evans suffered a second puncture. The Welshman no longer has a spare wheel and had to reach the service zone, which is 45 km away, on three wheels. He is still fifth in the standings. Another loop of three special stages will be held on Saturday afternoon.
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