M-Sport Ford youngster Pierre-Louis Loubet will look to put a tough first half of the season behind him when he makes his debut in Kenya.
The WRC Safari Rally Kenya is scheduled for June 22-25 in Naivasha.
“It has been a tough season so far,” said Loubet. “After Sardinia, it was time for me to refocus and a reset to get ready for Kenya."
The French driver will be chasing a maiden podium finish in his debut season, the highest level of rally racing thus far in his promising career.
Loubet twice finished fourth aboard a Puma Rally1 Hybrid in 2022.
"It’s exciting to go to the Safari Rally for the first time. It’s fair to say the results we had so far were not what we were hoping for. My focus now is on the next challenge in Kenya,” Loubet maintained.
Loubet had been sitting third overall at the previous round in Italy but plummeted down the order after incurring time penalties when he struggled to engage any gears prior to SS5.
Loubet's best results have come on rough gravel rallies. This has instilled confidence in him ahead of Naivasha.
“Sardinia was a tough one for the whole team. Everybody in the team did their best but it was just tough luck to miss out on a podium finish. We’ll bounce back next week in Naivasha. We have a point to prove,” M-Sport principal Richard Millener said.
