Urheilu follows the Kenya World Cup rally moment by moment in the tracking found behind this link. If you want to listen to an expert Henri Haapamäki analysis of the race, you can do it at Areena or by playing the link below.
– That… what a joke! Oh, just kidding…
Esapekka Lapin karter Janne Ferm sighs, not holding back his laughter. The reason is obvious: I have asked Konkar for his thoughts on the Safari rally.
– It was already an adventure last time, but now it’s the rainy season. Can you even find that way? But that’s why this is a rally. That’s why it’s loved when things come up that you can’t prepare for, Ferm says with a cheeky grin.
The World Rally Championship in Kenya, which started on Wednesday with a special test, is an extreme exception.
The competition returned to the World Series three years ago. Those times the Safari was run on Midsummer, but this time the race is run on Easter.
Rain has also messed up the competition in the past, but during the spring rainy season, the probability of unexpected thunderstorms increases.
Henri Haapamäki: Rovanperä is the biggest favourite
Kenya has been driven in the rainy season throughout history, but the challenge facing us today is completely new for modern drivers. Expert On Henri Haapamäki there is a clear view of who benefits the most from the changing conditions.
He is the reigning world champion Kalle Rovanperä, who already held the fastest pace during the test special. This season, Rovanperä only drives individual rallies of his own choosing.
– I would like to say another name, but he is the strongest guy. Rovanperä is again on a robbery spree, taking points from the drivers who are driving for the championship this season, Haapamäki emphasizes.
Rovanperä’s first time in Safari tells everything about the race: the Finn got stuck in the middle of the road with his Toyota. In the safari, certain sections are driven in quicksand.
The term is incorrect to the extent that it is more about the immersing dust, which is called “fesh-fesh”.
– It has been described as finely divided sugar. The road is full of dust and it doesn’t carry anything. You can easily get caught up in that, says Haapamäki.
Rovanperä has always been at a good pace in Safari. The reason lies in the changing conditions, because Rovanperä has been at its strongest precisely when the others have secured the road after it became muddy after heavy rain.
– It is so slippery that even a four-wheel drive car can get stuck on the flat. Progress is really challenging. Rovanperä has shown that he is a master at adjusting his pace in these conditions, when excessive risk-taking or, on the other hand, hedging can cost a lot, Haapamäki describes.
Are the Finns messing up the championship fight?
The rainy season and the Finns can mix up the world championship fight even more in Safari. In addition to Rovanperä, Lapland is also running only single races this season. Neither of them will participate in April’s World Rally Championship in Croatia.
Hyundai’s Ott Tänak too the early season has been weak. He is already more than 20 points behind his teammate Thierry Neuville and Toyota Elfyn Evans.
If, for example, Rovanperä is able to capture the highest points from Safari, Tänak will have one race less time to close the gap.
1. Thierry Neuville 48
2. Elfyn Evans 45
3. Adrien Fourmaux 29
4. Sebastien Ogier 24
5. Ott Tänak 21
6. Esapekka Lapland 19
7. Takamoto Katsuta 12
8. Kalle Rovanperä 11
9. Oliver Solberg 8
10. Sami Pajari 6
Even today, the Hyundai team has mostly been in trouble in Kenya. In previous years, Hyundais have suffered from many concerns, such as the fact that the windows of the cars have fogged up in the rain.
Toyota, on the other hand, has celebrated two consecutive quadruple wins in Kenya. Three years ago, the result was “only” a double win.
– Hyundai has had too many difficulties in Kenya. Mistakes are not repeated on purpose, but dust, for example, can cause defects to the car that are not encountered in other rallies. After the clips, the cars are also full of that “baking powder” inside, Haapamäki reminds.
In the Safari Rally, so-called “snorkels” are allowed for cars this year, which allow air to be directed to the engine from higher up. Similar tunings were seen in Safari in past years, when the rally was purely an endurance competition.
Haapamäki welcomes the change with joy.
– As a little boy, I watched those pictures and videos. Yes, they just belong to this species. Air steering like that is good for cars, because the front of the car hits the ground all the time in those conditions, throwing up either sand or mud.
Safari is definitely unpredictable again. Do wild animals jump into the middle of the road? Does anyone get stuck in quicksand? What if the heavy rain starts in the middle of a long special test?
It is impossible to predict everything.
So what can be done, karter Janne Ferm?
– Then we just improvise. That’s great!
Kenya WC Rally Schedule
Thursday
EK 1 4.84 km at 13:05
Friday
EK 2 19.17 km at 07:15
EK 3 13.12 km at 08:33
EK 4 31.50 km at 09:26
EK 5 19.17 km at 12:48
EK 6 13.12 km at 14:06
EK 7 31.50 km at 14:59
Saturday
EK 8 29.32 km at 07.01
EK 9 15.08 km at 08.05
EK 10 36.08 km at 09.03
EK 11 29.32 km at 13:34
EK 12 15.08 km at 2:35 p.m
EK 13 36.08 km at 15:33
Sunday
EK 14 8.33 km at 07:02
EK 15 18.33 km at 08:57
EK 16 10.53 km at 09:05
EK 17 8.33 km at 11.20 am
EK 18 18.33 km at 12:10
EK 19 10.53 km at 2:15 p.m