Rovanpera Keeps Safari Rally Lead

Kalle Rovanperä maintained his overall lead in the 2022 WRC Safari Rally by almost a minute after Saturday’s six stages, but Elfn Evans is the man that’s setting the pace in the fight for the overall title.

The Toyota Yaris pilot was third-fastest on the opening Soysambu speed test and set a similar pace with his colleagues to place sixth at Elmeinteita.

The 21-year-old then emerged out of Sleeping Warrior unscathed to carry over 40 seconds lead,with several drivers experienced punctures and damaged car parts

“The feeling is quite good,” Rovanperä told WRC portal. “It’s always a bit scary on these rough sections when you are trying to avoid all the rocks.

“Of course, we still need to carry quite a lot of pace because all the guys are going quite fast, so it’s not so easy.

“I think we need to go with the same pace this afternoon. Let’s see how the conditions are and how rough it is, but we will just try to survive without any issues,” he added.

Takamoto Katsuta finished the day third following a misunderstanding with his pace notes and a rock-induced puncture.

Kenyan driver McRae Kimathi and his navigator Mwangi Kioni were forced to retire from the rally on Saturday after their Ford Fiesta damaged their car after hitting a rock.

Photo Credit:Nation Media