Eight-time World Rally Champion Sebastien Ogier says luck will be even more of a factor when it comes to who prevails on Safari Rally Kenya, which starts on Thursday.
When the iconic event made its World Rally Championship comeback in 2021 following a 19-year hiatus, Ogier wasted little time adding it to his long list of achievements.
It was an unexpected triumph for the Frenchman, however, and only came when the suspension on the Hyundai i20 N of leader Thierry Neuville collapsed after he clouted a rock on the closing day’s opening test.
Ogier’s hopes of a repeat success were thwarted 12 months later when he had to stop and perform a tyre swap on the final Friday stage after picking up a puncture, dropping him down to fifth.
GALLERY: 2022 Safari Rally Kenya.
He would go on to finish fourth overall, with team-mates Kalle Rovanpera, Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta locking out the podium places in an historic achievement for Toyota.
The Japanese manufacturer has been the dominant force at the African classic, which celebrates its seventieth anniversary this year and adopts a route that is similar to last year.
The rally – which begins from the Kenyan capital of Nairobi on Thursday lunchtime – adopts a route that is similar to last year meaning sections of rough and rocky roads whilst other stretches consist of soft sand known locally as ‘Fesh-Fesh’. In all, crews will tackle 19 special stages totalling 355.92 competitive kilometres.
“I have really enjoyed the experience of going to Kenya these past two years and this is the main reason why I wanted to return again,” said Ogier, who is provisionally fifth in the points’ standings. “It’s something very different from what we are used to, and the country and its people are amazing.
“The rally is very tough and we know that luck can be a big factor: in 2021 it was possible for me to come back from more than two minutes behind to win, as almost everybody had an issue at some point.
“Every rally I start, I try to win, and we will give it everything like always. I hope we got all our bad luck out of the way in Sardinia and that fortune will be on our side this time,” he added.
Meanwhile, Toyota has announced its Hilux MHEV concept vehicle will make a special appearance to ‘demonstrate and offer options for achieving carbon neutrality in markets like the African continent’ where the current infrastructure is underdeveloped. Juha Kankkunen – a three-time Safari Rally winner – will be behind the wheel.
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