Elfyn Evans tamed the wilds of Safari Rally Kenya to claim a landmark victory on Sunday and tighten his grip on the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) title race.
The Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 driver, co-driven by Scott Martin, beat Hyundai rival Ott Tänak by 1min 9.9sec to secure his second win of the season. In doing so, he opened up the largest championship lead ever recorded after three rounds of a WRC campaign.
Evans arrived in Africa riding a wave of momentum following victory in Sweden and a runner-up finish at Rallye Monte-Carlo. Now, with a commanding 36-point advantage at the top of the drivers’ standings, the Welshman has carved out clear daylight between himself and his title rivals after the third of 14 rounds.
His latest success was built across a punishing four-day route that began in Nairobi on Thursday and ventured deep into Kenya’s unforgiving Great Rift Valley. And as ever, the Safari’s raw spectacle drew huge crowds – with police estimating over 250,000 fans lined the stages this year, up from 188,000 in 2024.
Evans moved into the lead late on Friday when early pacesetter Tänak was delayed by a broken driveshaft on his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 – and from there, he never looked back.
It was far from a trouble-free run, however. He overcame tyre deflations and spins earlier in the rally, then carefully managed an electrical issue throughout Sunday’s final leg. Tänak chipped away at the deficit across the closing stages, but Evans held firm to join a select group of British drivers to have triumphed on the Safari – following in the wheel tracks of legends Colin McRae and Richard Burns.
“I want to say thank you to everyone in Kenya for a very warm welcome. An amazing rally, I have to say. Huge well done to the team – they did an amazing job, and I’m proud to be a very small part of Toyota’s history on this special rally.”
smiled Evans
Tänak was joined on the podium by team-mate and reigning world champion Thierry Neuville, who finished 2min 22.1sec behind after a drama-filled weekend. The Belgian’s troubles began on Friday with a one-minute time penalty after a delayed gearbox change, followed by further penalties for a jump start and a late arrival as he worked to repair damage to his car’s cooling package on Saturday.
Despite the setbacks, Hyundai’s double podium marked its best-ever result on the Safari. In contrast – despite Evans’ victory – this was the first edition of the rally in which Toyota GAZOO Racing failed to place more than one car on the podium.
A Toyota 1-2 had looked likely until two-time world champion Kalle Rovanperä plummeted from second to fifth on Saturday afternoon with rear suspension damage. His misfortune continued into Sunday, when he retired due to an electrical issue – leaving him trailing team-mate Evans by 57 points in the championship fight.
Takamoto Katsuta was on course for a fourth-place finish after battling through multiple punctures and a bout of heat exhaustion, but damage sustained during a roll on the Wolf Power Stage prevented him from reaching the finish and promoted fellow Toyota driver Sami Pajari. Meanwhile, Grégoire Munster overcame a gearbox problem to finish fifth in his M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1.
Gus Greensmith won WRC2, finishing more than three minutes ahead of Jan Solans after the Spaniard rolled on SS18. Gentleman driver Jourdan Serderidis placed eighth overall in another Puma, with Paraguay’s Fabrizio Zaldivar completing the WRC2 podium in ninth as Josh McErlean rounded out the top 10.
An all-new challenge awaits next, as the WRC heads to Rally Islas Canarias. The asphalt fixture – based on Gran Canaria – takes place from 24 – 27 April.
Rally Classification:
1. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris 4h 20m 3.8s
2. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 N +1m 9.9s
3. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N +3m 32.0s
4. S Pajari / M Salminen FIN Toyota GR Yaris +7m 18.7s
5. G Munster / L Louka LUX Ford Puma +11m 35.3s
6. G Greensmith / J Andersson SWE Škoda Fabia +14m 11.6s
Drivers’ Championship Standings (After Round 3 of 14):
1. E Evans 88pts
2. T Neuville 52pts
3. O Tänak 49pts
Manufacturers’ Championship Standings (After Round 3 of 14):
1. Toyota GAZOO Racing WRT 148pts
2. Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT 122pts
3. M-Sport Ford WRT 47pts
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