Evans seizes control as Safari Rally heads for thrilling finale

The Welshman clocked a cumulative time of 3:38:39.3, keeping his Yaris Rally1 at the summit of the standings.

by TEDDY MULEI

Realtime22 March 2025 - 19:25

In Summary

Earlier in the day, Evans led the charge, with Toyota teammate Kalle Rovanpera in pursuit and Tanak sitting third.
Neuville was further adrift in sixth. But the afternoon session proved decisive, as Rovanpera slipped to fifth, paving the way for Tanak and Neuville to muscle into the podium positions.

Elfyn Evans during Saturday's morning session /HANDOUT

Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Elfyn Evans tightened his grip on the Safari Rally lead after a dramatic day two of full action, setting the stage for a high-stakes final showdown on Sunday.

The Welshman clocked a cumulative time of 3:38:39.3, keeping his Yaris Rally1 at the summit of the standings.

The leaderboard, however, saw a major shake-up as Hyundai’s Ott Tanak of Estonia (3:40:36.7) and reigning WRC champion Thierry Neuville of Belgium (3:43:12.7) delivered a masterclass in the closing stages to secure second and third, respectively.

Earlier in the day, Evans led the charge, with Toyota teammate Kalle Rovanpera in pursuit and Tanak sitting third.

Neuville was further adrift in sixth. But the afternoon session proved decisive, as Rovanpera slipped to fifth, paving the way for Tanak and Neuville to muscle into the podium positions.

Evans wasted no time stamping his authority on Saturday, storming to back-to-back stage wins in SS11 (Sleeping Warrior 1 – 26.97km) and SS12 (Elmenteita 1 – 17.31km), keeping his hopes alive for a maiden Safari Rally triumph.

His Toyota stablemate Takamoto Katsuta responded in SS13 (Soysambu 1 – 28.97km), steering his Yaris Rally1 to a stage win to close the morning session.

The Japanese driver wasn’t done yet, returning in the afternoon session to clinch SS14 (Sleeping Warrior 2), leading Rovanpera by 15.3 seconds, with Evans settling for third, 27 seconds adrift.

The SS15 (Elmenteita 2) stage produced a fresh winner as M-Sport Ford’s Gregoire Munster stunned the field with a blistering 11:11.4 run.

Meanwhile, Tanak capped off the day in dominant fashion, bagging his sixth stage win in SS16 (Soysambu 2 – 20:19.1).

The Estonian had set the tone for the rally on Thursday, blazing through SS2 (Mzabibu 1) to claim victory by 1.1 seconds over Katsuta.

He carried that momentum into Friday, outpacing Neuville by 2.1 seconds in SS3 (Camp Moran – 31.4km) before clinching another win in SS4 (Loldia – 19.11km) with a 14:29.3 run.

Tanak’s dominance continued with triumphs in SS6 (Kedong – 7:21.4) and SS8 (Loldia 2 – 14:23.6).