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WRC - Breaking news – Rovanperä/Halttunen claim fourth season victo ry at Safari Rally Kenya

26.06.22

Kalle Rovanperä charged to his fourth FIA World Rally Championship victory in five rounds at Safari Rally Kenya on Sunday as Toyota Gazoo Racing locked out the top four places.

The Finn overcame sickness, glue-like mud and rocky gravel tracks in the Great Rift Valley to win the legendary African fixture by 52.8sec in a GR Yaris Rally1. Victory extended his lead in the drivers’ standings to 65 points.

Elfyn Evans finished second, 49.9sec clear of Takamoto Katsuta, with Sébastien Ogier fourth. It was Toyota’s first 1-2-3-4 since Kenya 1993 and the first in the WRC for 12 years.

Thierry Neuville won the Wolf Power Stage to claim five bonus points in a Hyundai i20 N. Sébastien Loeb scored four in second in a Ford Puma with Ogier taking three in third. Gus Greensmith secured two points in fourth in another Puma with team-mate Adrien Fourmaux netting one.

In FIA WRC2, Kajeta Kajetanowicz/Maciej Szczepaniak took a dominant win by more than ten minutes in their Škoda Fabia Evo.

"We were pushing! It's like a dream and I don't want to wake up. This is the hardest WRC round and it's amazing to win. Thanks to all of my team - they did really good work and it's fantastic,” said the Polish crew at the Hell’s Gate finish line.

Sean Johnston, navigated by American-Kenyan co-driver Alex Kihurani, battled through adversity, overcoming sickness and car troubles to finish second – their best-ever result.

More news to follow.