This listing shows what a crazy day was seen at the Safari Rally – the expert bores the plowing Hyundai | Sport

The Saturday of the World Rally Championship in Kenya offered a long list of dramatic events for various drivers. Kalle Rovanperä drove masterfully while Hyundai’s difficulties continued.

You can listen to Pertti Lappalainen and expert Henri Haapamäki’s summary of Saturday’s fast-paced driving day below or on Areena.

Some things remained unchanged on rally Saturday under the African sun.

Kalle Rovanperä did a masterfully precise job and increased his lead in the World Rally to more than two minutes, while the last Hyundai driver, the World Series leader Thierry Neuvilledropped out of the top fight.

There was a breathtaking amount of events on the longest driving day of the rally. Rovanperä was practically the only driver who managed more than 160 special test kilometers without major problems.

Takamoto Katsuta completes Toyota’s double lead in second ahead of Ford in third Adrien Fourmaux‘ta.

Hyundai’s miserable streak in Safari rallies continues

The differences in the rally have grown huge precisely because of the misfortunes of different drivers. For example, fifth place Neuville is almost 12 minutes behind Rovanperä. On the 11th special stage, Neuville had a problem with the fuel supply and dropped from second place.

When the Hyundai trio Ott Tänak and Esapekka Lappi canceled already on Friday, the classic race has again been a low quote from the top team.

– The performance has been disappointing. Hyundai always seems to drop out of the game in the Safari rally, Urheilu’s expert Henri Haapamäki download.

He says that the eyes are forced to turn to the garage and the team’s activities, when the car almost always has so many problems in extremely difficult conditions. In the two previous years, Toyota has taken a quadruple victory in the rally.

An experienced sports person emphasizes how much Toyota has driving experience in the team’s staff, especially from World Cup rallies and demanding competitions, from team boss to team boss Jari-Matti from Latvala. In a race like the Safari Rally, experience is a huge advantage.

– It’s quite a different thing when the entire team’s staff has the experience of dozens or hundreds of rallies, if you compare that the team is gathered from different sports or selected with other achievements, Haapamäki reflects.

Luck plays a huge role

Among the Hyundai drivers, Lapi also had unimaginably bad luck on Saturday. In the morning run, he hit a zebra on the rally’s longest special stage number 10. In the afternoon run, he hit the birds twice in the same section.

– When you’re driving two hundred and a bird flies into the windshield, you as a driver can’t do anything about the situation, Haapamäki emphasizes.

The situation is mentally challenging for the driver, when the rally practically goes from one adversity to another. The expert emphasizes the difficulty of being motivated when you are only waiting for Sunday in a long-lasting and tough competition.

– When you get on your knees, we always hit the ground, Haapamäki illustrates in his familiar style.

The safari is still challenging even on Sunday

In some places, the routes with rough ruts, stones and rocks in the soil have already broken several tires in Kenya. In addition, constant dust and sand dust have challenged the technology of the cars.

The same will continue on Sunday, when there are six special tests and almost 75 driving kilometers ahead. With the new point calculation system, every driver has a chance for good World Championship points.

– Surely everyone will attack. On the other hand, Rovanperä, for example, has to clear the finish line in order for him to get Saturday’s points. In the old points calculation, you wouldn’t see very hard racing before the final special stage, says Haapamäki.

Only three points separate Neuville and Evans at the top of the World Series. Up to 12 more points are available tomorrow. Haapamäki draws one more wild card for the final day, which has not been seen much so far.

– If you put off 20 milliliters of rain, then the Tivoli will only begin, Haapamäki paints.