Toyota's championship leader Elfyn Evans will go into the final day of Safari Rally Kenya with a nearly two-minute advantage over Hyundai's Ott Tanak as teammate Kalle Rovanpera's challenge faded on a chaotic Saturday.
The Welsh driver started the day only 7.7 seconds clear of Rovanpera but won the opening two stages and ended up one minute and 57.4 seconds ahead of Tanak.
Providing he stays out of trouble, Evans is set for a first Safari victory.
Leading the way ahead of Sunday 💪#WRC | #SafariRallyKenya 🇰🇪 pic.twitter.com/jGsrYecPtl
— FIA World Rally Championship (@OfficialWRC) March 22, 2025
"It's definitely been a proper Safari so far," said Evans. "Two minutes: Normally you would say that guarantees you a win but not here. On a rally like Kenya you have to weigh up the risk factor."
Hyundai's reigning champion Thierry Neuville was in third place but more than four and a half minutes off the lead after a day of punctures and misted windscreens with Toyota's Takamoto Katsuta fourth.
Are you opting for the basic wash, or full wax after this stage? @thierryneuville was a passenger through Saturday morning's opening stage @SafariRallyWRC #WRC | #SafariRallyKenya 🇰🇪 pic.twitter.com/ljT833ko03
— FIA World Rally Championship (@OfficialWRC) March 22, 2025
"I wasn't feeling well at all after a bad night and struggled to keep my concentration and do my job, but we kept fighting and we were rewarded with third place overnight," said Neuville.
"Those were some extreme conditions this afternoon – I haven't seen anything like it in my career. We've had some rough Safari Rally Kenyas in the past, but this is the roughest so far."
Rovanpera's hopes of taking the lead disappeared when he suffered a front-right tyre delamination and then a front-left puncture.
Rainy conditions in the afternoon left the Finn with a damaged rear suspension and the lost time dropped him back to fifth overall.
Sunday's final day has five more stages.