Rovanpera steers clear of trouble to maintain Kenya Rally lead

English Woman's Journal - Rovanpera steers clear of trouble to maintain Kenya Rally lead

SPORTS 30.03.2024

Rovanpera steers clear of trouble to maintain Kenya Rally lead / Photo: LUIS TATO - AFP

Kalle Rovanpera seamlessly steered his Toyota over unforgiving terrain to maintain his grip on the Safari Rally Kenya on Saturday as his Welsh teammate Elfyn Evans had a day to forget.

Change text size:

Three punctures cost Evans dear, and he dropped from second overnight to fourth, over three and a half minutes from Rovanpera.

The 23-year-old Finn goes into Sunday's closing five stages with a 2min 17.7sec cushion over another Toyota contender, Japan's Takamoto Katsuta.

"The lead is now quite good, so of course we took it carefully," reflected the two-time world champion.

"It's not so enjoyable when you have a big lead and in a stage like (Sleeping Warrior) you just go around every rock, it's scary. Tomorrow is still a tough day and we will try to finish the job."

Rovanpera followed up Friday's clean sweep of six stages with just one more on the penultimate day.

Rovapenra, who has elected not to compete in all the rallies on the 2024 calendar, is on target for his first win of the season after skipping the season-opening monte Carlo and retiring from the Rally of Sweden.

Evans, placed second overnight, was left frustrated by three punctures in stages nine, 10 and 13.

Hyundai's championship leader Thierry Neuville briefly moved up to second but then had his hopes of Kenya glory on Sunday dented with a mechanical issue.

That dropped him to fifth, more than 11 minutes off the pace.

Safari Rally Kenya standings on Saturday:

1. Kalle Rovanpera/Jonne Halttunen (FIN/Toyota) 2hr 28min 22.4sec, 2. Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (JPN-IRL/ Toyota) at 2:17.7, 3. Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (FRA/M-Sport Ford) 2:52.4, Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (GBR/Toyota) 3:35.1, 5. Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (BEL/Hyundai) 11:07.5

Main retirements:

Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm (FIN/Hyundai), Ott Tänak/Martin Jarveoja (EST/Hyundai)

Special stage winners:

Kalle Rovanpera (SS2, SS3, SS4, SS5, SS6, SS7, SS10), Thierry Neuville (SS1, sS9), Takamoto Tatsuta (SS8, SS11), Elfyn Evans (SS12), Ott Tanak (SS13).

N.Steward--EWJ

Mets President David Stearns Expresses Confidence in Marcus Semien's Motivation

New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns has identified Marcus Semien’s self-motivation as the primary factor in his potential recovery from an underwhelming debut season. Speaking at the general managers meetings in Las Vegas, Stearns affirmed that the team remains confident in Semien’s ability to improve, even as they evaluate other infield options for next year.

FA Cup Second-Round Draw Confirmed for Non-League and Midlands Clubs

The FA Cup second-round draw has been finalized, setting up crucial ties for non-league teams aiming to reach the third round proper. Several clubs from the Midlands, including Burton Albion and Kidderminster Harriers, have secured their next opponents following recent victories over lower-league opposition.

Panthers expected to begin 2027 NRL season away from new stadium

The new Penrith Stadium is expected to be ready in time for the opening round of the 2027 NRL season, but it’s still likely the Panthers is expected to be on the road for their early matches. There is no delay to the build of the new $309 million venue but there’s a lack of appetite for risk around weather delays through the summer.

English Woman's Journal - Rovanpera steers clear of trouble to maintain Kenya Rally lead