- "It's been a slow morning for us; we are not taking any risks today."
- "It's never in the bag before you cross the finish line."
Image: HANDOUT
Toyota’s Kalle Rovanpera has maintained a commanding lead of the WRC Safari Rally Kenya after Sunday's morning stages.
Rovanpera has widened the lead, inching closer towards clinching his second Safari Rally Kenya victory with a 2-minute 8.2-second gap.
He widened his lead as drivers including Thierry Neuville, Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta faced significant setbacks.
Thierry Neuville was Rovanpera’s closest threat, but his challenge was short-lived after his Hyundai i20 N encountered a fuel system issue during the afternoon’s first stage at Soysambu.
Neuville dropped more than two-and-a-half minutes as he rectified the problem through the remaining two stages, which opened the door for Rovanpera’s teammate Takamoto Katsuta Katsuta to reclaim the runner-up spot ahead of M-Sport Ford Puma man Adrien Fourmaux.
Rovanperä’s Saturday standing will earn him 18 points provided he completes Sunday’s stages. Katsuta will receive 15 while Fourmaux, who ended 3m 13.3s off the lead, gets 13.
"The lead is now quite good,” said the two-time world champion, “so of course we took it carefully."
He however says it's not all won and will hope to clear the remaining three stages without any drama.
"It's been a slow morning for us; we are not taking any risks today. It's never in the bag before you cross the finish line. The plan will be the same for the afternoon loop, just minimal risks out there," added Rovanpera.
His teammate Elfyn Evans who endured three punctures on Saturday won two stages- Oserengoni and Hell's Gate - with Neuville winning the opening Malewa stage.
"It was a clean morning perhaps not brave enough in the rough conditions this morning but apart from that it's generally been fine. To be honest, a podium doesn't mean so much now since the points system is so much different this year so the focus is only on the day points and we will try our best to make the most of it."
Hyundai's Ott Tanak finished second in all three stages and will hope to redeem his chances by garnering the maximum points on offer.
The drivers tackle the same Malewa, Oserengoni and Hell's Gate stages on Sunday afternoon as the rally curtains come down in Naivasha.