Karan Patel topped the local brigade after returning 21 seconds adrift the reigning seven-time world champion and Day One leader Sebastien Ogier during the Super Special Stage at Moi International Sports Centre (MISC), Karasani.
Karan ran the 4.8km Kasarani Stadium SSS returning his Ford Fiesta R5 in the 13th spot—three seconds slower than the Fiesta MKII of WRC2 driver Czech Republic’s Martin Prokop by a three-second margin.
Prokop is the only WRC3 driver in the Safari and will take over the lead in the second-tier WRC class should he push his contraption to the finish.
Navigated by Tauseef Khan, Karan beat Carl Tundo’s VW Polo R5 by 4 milli-seconds. Ogier set a blistering pace on the Thursday afternoon stage as the top three drivers were separated by less than a second at a thrilling opening in Nairobi.
This was the first-ever stage that the current generation of drivers and WRC cars have tackled on Africa soil following 19-year absence of Safari Rally.
Ogier, who is the series leader, ran 0.3sec faster than Toyota Yaris team-mate Kalle Rovanpera in the curtain-raising 4.84km Super Special Stage on the outskirts of Nairobi capital city.
Elfyn Evans completed a Toyota Gazoo Racing clean sweep of the top three, with the Welshman a further 0.4sec back.
Ogier and Ott Tanak went head-to-head in the final frontline heat around the sweeping curves and jumps of the purpose-built track in front of an excited large crowd, kicking up huge plums of dust,
Ogier beat the Hyundai i20 driver by 2.5sec. Dani Sordo survived a scare with this two-wheel moment. “Tomorrow (today) is going to be the real start. It has been amazing to see so much crowd,” warned the Frenchman at the stage finish as he eyed the punishing rocky roads to come.
Rovanpera, whose father, Harri, twice finished second on the grueling Safari, was a clear winner over Hyundai’s Dani Sordo.
Evans came out on top against Thierry Neuville, who conceded a few seconds after running his i20 wide. Spirits were high at the start in Nairobi.
Tanak’s pace was good enough to secure fourth, with Neuville 5.0secs off the pace in fifth and Takamoto Katsuta completing the top six. The Japanese driver was a further 0.6 secs back despite the brief stalling of his Yaris engine.
The stage followed a colourful opening ceremony in central Nairobi, with competitors flagged away by Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta and Sports Cabinet Secretary, Amina Mohamed.
