70. Safari Rally Kenya 2022
22. 6. – 26. 6. 2022, Naivasha • WRC Safari Rally Kenya • gravel 359.93 km • total distance including road sections - 1223.79 km • Other years
Info
SS19
"I want to thank the team. Everybody did an incredible job after Portugal and Sardinia to develop the car so strong. It was a very tough weekend. Okay, we had issues, but the car was strong. This is Aaron's first podium and he has been such a big support."
"I hope my team-mates come through because it's extremely rough in there. Without the puncture it would have been different, but that's part of the game. Toyota Gazoo Racing has provided an amazingly strong car for the toughest three days of the season and I want to congratulate them."
"I have not much to say. The situation is very obvious, so I am really disappointed. I am disappointed for our mechanics as well because they are working hard, but they don't get any return."
"It's been difficult and not the most enjoyable rally by any stretch of the imagination, but we did what we had to do. We were already out of the fight on Friday and we've been managing a couple of bits and pieces over the last two days."
"The last stage was very difficult with all the ruts, but we had a fantastic rally. It's really surprising to finish seventh with Sébastien Loeb behind me! Even in my dreams this would not be possible!"
"For sure, it's much better than last year! Not really what I hoped for, but that's part of rallying. We have a lot of work to do for sure, but it was great to come to the finish. It's thanks to all the mechanics - without them nothing is possible. We have to push on and be flat-out from here."
"Today went well. We had a good feeling with the car. For sure, we are disappointed for what happened on the first day, but today the car was great and we tried to enjoy it."
"Unfortunately we had some issues, but it's such a rough event and it's been difficult for the whole team. We have been enjoying it today, so that's the main thing."
"I am just glad to see the finish and grateful to be able to drive today. I might have been more of a hindrance than a help to the guys yesterday repairing the car, but at least we got to go again."
"We were pushing! It's like a dream and I don't want to wake up. This is the hardest WRC round and it's amazing to win. Thanks to all of my team - they did really good work and it's fantastic."
"It's so incredible. What an amazing adventure! For sure, it was the hardest rally I've ever competed in and we're so grateful to be here. I was trying to keep Kajto honest in there but we had a pop-off valve issue going up the hill, so I don't think the time will be very interesting."
SS18
Mechanical
SS17
Mechanical
"Difficult to feel competitive - it's quite rough in there with a lot of unknowns, so I was very careful."
"Quite rough, so I had to manage quite a lot. This one is more tricky than the next ones so it should be quite okay."
"We just have to go to the end. There is no reason to push - we have big gaps around - and we will try to enjoy the last kilometres."
"This one, I pushed more. I think I am at 95 per cent of full-speed. I like this stage because it's tricky, but there is a lot of fesh-fesh."
"An okay stage for us...let's go to the next one."
"I can't figure it out. It's something very strange and I have no idea."
"We tried to push. The bad part from the beginning was out - it was quite rough still, but interesting to drive. We had some pleasure."
"I've been a bit ill this morning, but we're still here and the car is fine. All good."
"We removed the bad part of the stage, so it's okay. For sure, the ground is really loose and the grip is really low. It was a clean stage for us and I enjoyed a lot to play with the car."
SS16
"It's quite rough already. I just tried to avoid all the stones, but I think the Power Stage will be rough for the car and the tyres."
"I'm just taking it easy and looking after everything. It's quite rough in there, but all okay."
"Quite a nice stage. Some sections are always quite tricky, but nothing special to do today. I am trying to bring the car back without any damage."
"At this point, I am just thinking about points for the team. We will see, but it will be difficult in the second pass. It's a very destroyed stage."
"I didn't expect this! It's very, very loose and for the second pass it will be terrible."
"The road is already destroyed and it will be a very tough Power Stage on the second pass."
"I felt like I had a puncture on the rear right, so I have some work to do."
"It was okay - no problems, that's the most important thing and we are here. The rhythm is correct."
"There is an opportunity for everything. It's so rough and anything can happen."
"We're an hour and 19 minutes off the lead... we're not in the fight. It's better than last year."
"We were enjoying this morning. They were difficult stages actually, and the grip is really low with a lot of sand and fesh-fesh. It's really good to be driving today."
SS14
"Horrible. The car was jumping all around and it was very rough in there, with lots of sand in the car. It's an interesting one!"
"It's very difficult, so I am happy to get through there."
Stopped
"It's a really bad stage. A lot of fesh-fesh, very rough and the visibility is zero. We could see nothing."
Stopped
"That will be the worst stage of the rally in a couple of cars. I'm not sure if we will be able to do the second pass - I don't think any cars will get through it."
"I am really surprised. It was already really rutted in the beginning with a lot of fesh-fesh coming into the vent. It will be challenging on the second pass."
SS13
Stopped to let Ogier pass him
Hit a tree
"I don't know even myself [how we did it]. We were basically off two tomes in the water - we couldn't keep the car in a straight line and I couldn't see anything. I am happy to be here."
"I had a puncture and it was a very tough stage! I was very careful when I saw Thierry stopped. Now the day is over I am a bit more relaxed, but it is a big day tomorrow so I will try to push."
"It was awful. I can't see a lot because we have a windscreen washer issue. I'm obviously happy to be here but it was really slow."
"The engine stopped twice and I lost a lot of time. It doesn't matter - I am here and we are very lucky! That is one of the coolest things I have done in my life. Even if it was hell, it was cool!"
"It's going to get faster, because it is just drying now. Some sections were very tricky and we are happy to be here."
"Not so pleasant! It's horrible and there's nothing to fight for. I am trying to go with zero risk."
"In a straight, suddenly the car fell down and it's maybe a steering arm or something. We had to do 15km like this and I had to go slowly to the finish. That's it."
Puncture + damaged suspension
SS12
"I couldn't really see anything, so it was difficult."
"In here you either try to take a hell of a lot of time or you lose everything. It's easy to do such a small mistake and get stuck, so I took it very easy. One corner you have a lot of grip and the next you have zero."
"It's not the most extreme! There is no grip at all, so you know you can have no speed at the end."
"Ice in Kenya?! It was fun - okay, the time is not good, but we managed it. For the last 5km we could have been in Sweden."
"I have a small issue, but we should be able to carry on through. There shouldn't be any drama, but it's not ideal."
"It was terrible conditions. The grip is like zero, so I just tried to keep the car on the road and avoid mistakes. I went through!"
SS11
"Much better. I did some changes and it's night and day compared to before. I need to protect my position now."
"In the bumpy section, I lost all the body work. I had a lot of understeer at the end and I couldn't drive faster because without the front, the car is lifting all the time."
"It's okay, but I had a strange feeling at the end like I have no power. I'm not sure if it's alright."
"Almost the same conditions as this morning, and we improved by 40 seconds! It's fantastic - maximum fun."
"I'm sure I have a rear puncture. It was a really slow puncture going gradually and we slowed right down for the last 3km to make sure it didn't go off the bead."
Puncture
"It was not too bad. I think we had to clean again after the last pass, but this stage was quite good."
SS10
Broken propshaft
Puncture
"What a crazy morning! I am so happy to be here. In the first stage I hit a rock and bent the arm and I had to fix it and it was okay. I am finally here, but. I saw Ott in there and that's not so good. I have to bring it home now for the team."
"We had an okay stage, but we are still struggling with the dust inside and I had a rear right puncture for the last 3km as well. We lost a bit of time in there, but we are here."
"It's about surviving. Like I have said, we have no fight around us. We are just trying to stay out of trouble and be safe."
"We had a good speed. We had a bit of a mistake in the water, but otherwise it was a good morning for us."
Puncture
"It's a bit boring here. It's not like we've got nothing to fight for and we can go and play - we're still in the points, so I have to go carefully."
"The dust is coming in from the doors all the time. It's difficult to breathe and difficult to see!"
SS9
"It seems that the team has done a good job, so we just have to trust that it will stay like this. We have to be careful too - we can not break the car and they are such conditions."
"This one was quite clear about what I should do in the rough sections, but it's still difficult."
"It's a bit difficult in places. We were perhaps too careful in some of the tricky parts, but it's okay."
"It's not about pushing. We don't know how some places are affected and we are trying to learn."
"I had to try and fix the car. Something was bent after we hit a rock in the road on the previous stage. Nothing too severe, but I wanted to take my time to fix it properly."
Retired after the stage end
"I struggled a bit in there. I had no good visibility with the [cracked] windscreen and it was difficult for me to see the rocks. The next stage will be a huge challenge."
"It's okay. At the moment we are just trying to stay out of trouble. We have no fight around us."
"That was one was very smooth and we had a clean run here. It was nice."
"It was horrible!"
"Relatively okay, but there are a couple of tricky places with a lot of rocks. It only takes one of those to spell the end of your day."
SS8
"The stage is okay, but I was confused with the pace notes and I did not know where I was going..."
"It was okay, but it wasn't such a fantastic feeling - especially towards the end. There are still areas to improve for the next pass."
"No issues. The stage was okay and probably better than we expected. For now, it was a safe and clean run."
"I enjoyed the stage, but I am struggling with the handling of the car and also the visibility. In a fast left, there was a tree and it touched the windscreen and broke it. It was not good at the end, but we are here."
"So far, so good. It's going to be a very long day. Already in this stage there were many rocks and you have to be careful in some sections."
Puncture
"There was a rock in the middle of the road and I hit it with both wheels. I had a slow puncture for a long time, so it's not so good. We are just surviving."
"Gus is okay - no problem for him. We couldn't see anything for a while after the water, but otherwise it was not so bad."
"We got the puncture and changed it, and then in a rocky part it broke. We need to have a look, and hopefully we can fix it. I hope I wasn't disturbing Craig too much."
"I did it yesterday to somebody else - it's difficult to know how much time you're losing and that's why we have all these trackers and cameras. Hopefully the FIA can do something."
Rolled
Damaged suspension
"It was okay. A clean road and no big stones because I am the first car. It's quite slippery, but it was a nice stage."
Changed a wheel
SS7
Stalled
Puncture
Stalled
"I just had to nurse the car through and thankfully everything is all good. We can go again tomorrow and get some experience for the weekend."
"It's so extreme. I was careful and I was sure it would be a car graveyard! From my side it was important ot try and get through. I lost a lot time with catching the dust in the hairpin."
Changed a puncture
"We had a lot of dust from Craig and in some corners I couldn't see anything. In a long straight Craig had stopped and there were big massive rocks everywhere, so I had to almost stop there. I think I lost a lot of time from this, so hopefully we can get something back."
Steering
"The car was full of dust from mid-stage. Visibility was very bad and we had a puncture on the last 5km. It was an interesting stage and we tried to survive, but with the dust it was very difficult."
"Overall the first two stages were quite nice, but this was tricky as expected. Everything should be fine with the air filter, but at the beginning I felt I had no power. After the dust and fesh-fesh we had no power at all, but I don't know why I felt like that at the beginning
Puncture
Stopped
SS6
"This stage is not so rough, so it was much more enjoyable. We still have a lot of work to do with the car, but we did something now and it's the best I can do."
"So far it matches my expectations - when you are in the lead you can not expect more! We know it's a long weekend and it's all about the next one. We saw what happened this morning and for sure it's going to be a big challenge."
"We're just here to make sure the car is at the finish line. We're aware of the issues Adrien had and we need to make sure we get back to service this evening."
"Everything's fine with the car. It felt like a clean run, but obviously the time is not so good."
"This stage felt good with the car. I didn't push to the maximum, but the car is working well. We had no risks and no moments, so it's quite comfortable."
"All okay - no issues at all. It's difficult to find the balance of what's fast and what's not. Considering everything that's happening, a couple of seconds isn't going to make too much of a difference."
"This is a nice stage - I was having fun between the proper stages!"
"I am driving and trying to improve the car. I am not happy at all and I am fighting hard to at least be able to get some good times. There's not much more we can do at the moment."
"It's still pretty okay in this stage. This one is maybe the hardest base and it was a lot cleaner now. I am quite happy with everything, but I struggled a bit with the car under braking and I am trying to learn the new diff. Other than that, everything is good."
SS5
"I don't know what to do. I think I am driving okay and then I am more than 1sec per km down. This is the roughest ride of my life!"
"That's good. This stage was clean and I enjoyed the driving, but the rest of the loop will be tricky."
"We're quite a long way away now, so we're just trying to keep the car in one piece and get to the end."
Mechanical
"It went soft about 7km from the end. I think we probably got away quite lightly with how much we lost, but it's not ideal."
Puncture
"You can not say anything about the podium yet because it is still only day one! We had to manage it in some places, but compared to SS4 it was an enjoyable stage!"
"Completely fine. I had a puncture alarm for about 7km or 8km which was a bit disturbing, but other than that it was okay."
"A clean stage - no worries. All is good."
"I am struggling as well with the drivability of the engine. We are going to work on the settings and try to improve - that's the only thing we can do."
"I think there is a better clean line, so there was more grip. Some parts were a bit rough, but it wasn't too bad. Overall, quite an okay stage."
SS4
Accident
Stopped, continued
Stopped
Neuville in the Media Zone: "Problems already in the start of the stage, I was losing power. We carried on, in the sandy part it got worse and in the end we had no power at all. My air filter box came loose and obviously all the sand went in."
Stopped after the stage with fire coming from the engine bay. Tried to get to service on EV, but to no avail.
Stopped
"I did a really clean stage - I didn't make any mistakes so I am quite happy with my pace."
"I think it's from the sand. I took it very calm and very neat - there are so many big rocks. It's so annoying when you are trying to have a clean morning and it doesn't work anyway."
"I have no idea what drama is going on, but I had drama myself. I had no power at the end and it was very difficult to go through this stage."
"I was lost in my own dust! I had a hairpin and it was full of dust and I didn't know where to go! I had to wait and then go again. The end of the stage is rougher and rougher, so I am not sure we can get through on the second pass."
"It's pretty extreme and I felt like I was definitely too much on the careful side, but it's difficult to know."
Puncture
"I have never had this kind of feeling. I don't want to drive this stage anymore actually! It's too bad."
"Incredibly difficult. I can't imagine what the second pass will be like! The fesh-fesh section is new since last year, so maybe that's how we made up a bit of time there."
Ott dropped a few seconds after getting caught in his own dust while exiting a tight corner. "That was the least of our problems! I think in the last part, soon they will start to get stuck because there is no road anymore. We just got through."
"I have no power. Absolutely no power. I have no idea."
SS3
"I was just careful in some places where the rocks are going. The cars in front are bringing big rocks into the middle of the stage, so I have to be careful."
"Very difficult and slippery. I am taking it easy, but I am not happy with the car. I can't find a good feeling and I am not confident. I just want to bring it home and we will see what the result is."
"A lot of rocks everywhere - I didn't expect so many rocks on this one. It looked a bit more clean in the recce."
"It was okay, but it felt slow going up the hills. I was too cautious at the beginning in the rough places."
"I had a good stage and I had the feeling that I didn't have a lot of power, but I think that's just the altitude and it is probably the same for everybody."
"It was okay. Not the greatest run to be honest."
"I am very surprised the time is okay because I felt I was driving badly. The car is working well, so I think that's why we had a good time."
"It's Safari - you have to get through it. I struggled a little bit at the start and I didn't get a rhythm at all, but we had no problems and we're here."
"It was not good. The material is so soft, so it's just two gear changes and it's gone again. It will be a difficult long stage now."
"I am struggling like hell. The car is not driveable in these conditions - with the cleaning I have no grip and it doesn't go where I want. The rally is long, so it's not so worrying to lose a few seconds here and there."
"The stage would be quite nice - it's really fast and flowing - but being first car is horrible. There is so much loose gravel and even on the straights the car is moving a lot."
SS2
Accident
"I am happy. It was a nice stage for us and last year I also did a good time in this stage. It's not too rough so you can still push. We are enjoying the stages and the car is all good."
"I am taking it very easy, but I have something wrong with the car. On one side it's super hard - I don't know what happened. I think a lot can happen, so we just have to be smart."
"This one is not too bad. I think the worst is coming! I struggled a bit towards the end, but it was okay."
"Not as bad as I expected, but the second pass [conditions] will be bad. The first part was really good, but in the middle where it was really rough I struggled to find a rhythm."
"I just corrected a note and the next one was a tricky one, so I had it a bit late and touched a small tree. I have to check, but I don't think it's a big problem."
"It all felt quite okay. I was listening to the notes and staying in the middle of the road. It seems to be okay, but let's see."
"It wasn't so bad. I expected a trickier stage, but it's okay. I was a bit too careful, but I think in this rally that's the best way to go. I will try to continue like that."
"I felt like I was stopped! It's so difficult to know what's slow, and what's very slow! Zero risk - it's cleaning a lot - but I'm happy with my run."
"We have an automatic gearbox now!"
"It wasn't a great experience. I am struggling with traction and a lot of wheelspin. I had a problem with my gear shift - it was really harsh. Not a perfect stage, but it's going to be very bumpy here in the second pass."
"Pretty okay - nothing special really. Quite slippery, especially the narrow part in the middle. There is a lot of cleaning."
Broken gearstick
SS1
Mechanical
"The real rally starts tomorrow and it's going to be a tough one. We need to find a good rhythm, but at least we were able to kick off the rally with a clean and good run. Tomorrow is a different story."
"It was a bit on the limit under braking! Nothing really happened, but we had a puncture. That was a big shame, but it's a long rally and hopefully we didn't lose too much there. Let's try to focus on the weekend now."
"It's not a performance rally - it's a proper challenge. With these cars it will be some challenge."
Puncture
"It's very colourful here and the people in this country give us amazing support. The challenge is big. It's not the kind of rally I usually love because it's going to be really rough, but we will try to survive it."
"They're all important. There's no one that's less important than the other, but this weekend is a bit different. The challenge is different and, of course, we like challenges, but there are also a few unknowns as well."
"It's okay. I was quite wide in a lot of places and it's very slippery. For sure, there's a lot of cleaning in a lot of places so it will get quicker."
"The plan is a bit like last year. I know it will be a rough event and I have to manage the car on the tricky sections, but also push in the other areas. This stage was really slippery and not what I expected, but it was still really nice to drive."
"It's a big challenge. This one was short and nice - I was braking because of dust from Prokop's car. It's not a bad start and we are happy to be here. We need to keep our concentration because it's absolutely important here."
"For us, this is a dream come true. It's a classic and legendary event and it's a once in a lifetime opportunity to be here. It's great to see so many fans out here and we can't wait to get this thing kicked off."
"I am very excited, especially now I am rallying at home. It's a real pleasure and I am just so happy to be back. It's going to be a big challenge - of course we have big ruts to deal with. The trick is to be clean and to get to the end without problems."