Review: Round 3 - Safari Rally Kenya

Hyundai Motorsport’s Adrien Fourmaux and Alexandre Coria survived the most punishing Safari Rally in recent memory to finish second in Kenya, the third round of the FIA World Rally Championship. It was a strong team result at the demanding event, with Esapekka Lappi and Enni Mälkönen claiming a fine fourth place. 

With Safari Rally Kenya once again living up to its iconic, treacherous reputation, the determination of Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team to never give up came to the fore across four days and 18 stages of competition.
 
A difficult start to the event on a wet Thursday saw all three Hyundai i20 N Rally1 cars suffering from overheating issues caused by a mud-blocked radiator and running in sixth, eighth, and ninth. Friday brought dry conditions, enabling Hyundai Motorsport’s crews to better unlock the performance of the car. Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe moved up into fifth, having scored two top-three stage times (SS6/SS8) despite suffering tyre damage and recurrent overheating problems. Fourmaux and Coria were a second behind with three top-three times (SS4/SS7/SS9), while Esapekka Lappi and Enni Mälkönen were eighth.
 
Saturday turned the rally on its head. Fourmaux was on a charge, moving ahead of team-mate Neuville on SS11 Soysambu 1. The drivers were second and third respectively on the following stage, and traded places in the standings again on SS13 Sleeping Warrior.
 
The break between the morning loop proved eventful, with the three leading cars retiring; meanwhile, Hyundai Motorsport’s mechanics were hard at work during service. All three cars had their gearboxes and clutches changed, cooling systems checked, and repairs made to damaged components, while two required suspension changes – with only 30 minutes to get the cars back on the road.
 
On the afternoon loop, Fourmaux was flying, taking a stage victory on SS14 to move up into second place overall. Lappi was fourth fastest and promoted to fourth in the classification, however Neuville retired after suffering two punctures and a broken driveshaft after a heavy impact damaged the front suspension on the same stage.
 
Neuville returned for a Sunday push, claiming top five stage times on each of the four stages to claim four championship points from the Power Stage and Super Sunday. Conditions on the stages deteriorated with every passing car, so Fourmaux and Lappi focused on safely navigating the final tests to confirm a fantastic team result. As well as scoring its first podium of the season, the team takes first and third in the manufacturers’ points in Kenya.

 
Crew Notes: Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (#16 Hyundai i20 N Rally1) 

• Eight top-three stage times including stage victory on SS14 on Saturday
• Closed the gap to rally leader by nearly a minute on final day 

Fourmaux said: “I’m feeling relieved finishing on the podium after four tough days; this is a big result. I said often this weekend that Safari Rally Kenya isn’t over until the finish line, and anything can happen. We never gave up, even when we had a lot of time to make up on Friday. On Saturday morning, we had more issues to battle. We knew coming into this event that everyone would have problems, but our plan was to have fewer than everyone else. We can be pleased that we achieved that. Congratulations, and a big thank you, to the team – it has been a proper team effort this weekend. What the mechanics did yesterday was unbelievable. People think rallying is about the driver and co-driver, but there are many others behind the scenes who contributed to this success.”

 
Crew Notes: Esapekka Lappi/Enni Mälkönen (#4 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)  

• Crew bested myriad obstacles from overheating to visibility to tyre issues
• Finns finish fourth in Lappi’s first points-scoring visit to Kenya

Lappi said: “We had a plan this weekend and let nothing deviate us from it, and it has paid off. We might not have won the rally, however it is the first time I have finished it. If you’d have told us at the start of the weekend we would finish second and fourth as a team, we would have taken it, and considering that we should be very satisfied with the result today. Thanks to the mechanics, who did an amazing job at every service. Today we were slow to be safe, we had a bit more rhythm on the Power Stage but it was all about ensuring we finished. It was the toughest event I’ve ever done, I’ve never done so many repairs on the road section. The conditions Thursday and yesterday were insane, the mud made it so difficult to drive and keep the car alive.”

Crew Notes: Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (#11 Hyundai i20 N Rally1) 

• Belgians were in touching distance of team-mates before Saturday retirement
• Crew finished fourth in Super Sunday and Power Stage standings

 Neuville said: “A very tough rally comes to an end; this has been a Kenya like no other. It has been an incredible adventure from the beginning, and the conditions were very difficult. The team has done really well, making some great steps forward with the car to address the issues we had previously and surviving where others failed. Today was tough, we tried hard to fight for Super Sunday but we just couldn’t go any faster. We didn’t give up, and I’m happy we did what we could after a lot of disappointments on each stage. We will fight back. Finally, a big shout-out to the mechanics who have done an incredible job this weekend to get the car repaired every time – they deserve this great result.”

 
Hyundai Motorsport WRC Sporting Director Andrew Wheatley said:

“This has been an exceptional Safari Rally Kenya in the modern era, with incredible performances from every single  team member to secure first and third in the manufacturers’ standings from this really challenging event. We were tested to the limit here in Kenya but with a huge effort by the crews who had to work equally hard on and off the stages  to ensure that Adrien could finish second overall, EP could do exactly what he was requested to do to finish fourth despite all the challenges, and for Theirry to demonstrate pace and determination to bring the car home in 12th. This will be a rally we remember for a long time, because of the extreme conditions, but also the strong result that the whole team  were able to achieve.”

Next rally 

• Croatia Rally, the first full tarmac event of the year, will take place April 9-12, moving to a new location around the port city of Rijeka for the 2026 edition