NAIROBI, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Kalle Rovanpera stretched his overall lead in the 2022 World Rally Championship (WRC) Safari Rally in Kenya to more than half a minute on Saturday afternoon in a driving masterclass that puts him in the frame to clinch a fourth victory of the season.
With stunning scenery and smoother and faster roads around Lake Elmenteita, located northwest of the Kenyan capital Nairobi, the Finn adopted a mature approach to consolidate his position in the morning session as Toyota Gazoo Racing GR Yaris teammates Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta completed the leading trio.
"It was quite a big job just to stay on the road today. There is no grip in the mud here and sometimes there is so much water that it's hard to get through. I have not been feeling too good today. It's not with the stomach, but I feel I am quite tired. Hopefully, tomorrow will be better," Rovanpera told the WRC Promoter after his Saturday's run.
On a day that troubled most of the WRC leading drivers, Rovanpera overcame sickness worries to increase his advantage and headed a Toyota GR Yaris quartet in front of Evans by the close of the day.
Championship leader Rovanpera seized the lead of this sixth round late on Friday when teammate and early polesitter and 2021 Safari Rally winner Sebastien Ogier stopped to change a wheel.
Saturday's afternoon loop was a completely different story.
Downpours in the final pair of stages caused chaos as the dry and dusty roads turned to mud, with grip levels comparable to ice.
Rovanpera fared well in the extreme conditions despite feeling under the weather himself.
He outpaced the entire field by 11.2 seconds at Elementaita 2 before adding another 13.2 seconds to his lead in the Sleeping Warrior finale.
The 21-year-old will start Sunday's final leg a substantial 40.3 seconds clear at the top.
Evans punctured on SS10 and was also lucky to survive a close call with a tree on the last stage.
The Welshman put the mishap down to poor visibility - the result of a broken windscreen washer motor - but ended 35.3 seconds clear of Takamoto Katsuta.
Katsuta was slow out of the blocks and dropped out of the runners-up spot on the first stage at Soysambu.
Two deflated tyres and a late overshoot were the only real bumps in the road for the Japanese driver and he remained on target to claim a second consecutive Kenya podium.
Katsuta's place in the leading trio was made possible by Thierry Neuville's demise on SS13.
The Hyundai driver grabbed a brace of early-stage wins but lost time when his i20 N was slow to restart following a stall. His day ended just one kilometer later following a shunt with a tree.
Neuville's retirement added insult to injury for his Hyundai Motorsport squad, with Estonian driver Ott Tanak also sidelined by propshaft failure earlier in the day.
Such was the rate of attrition, Neuville will start Sunday in fifth overall despite incurring a 10 minutes penalty for failing to finish the final stage.
Eight-time world champion Ogier was aided by the drama unfolding ahead and brought his Yaris home one minute and 22.7 seconds adrift of the podium in fourth overall, while Oliver Solberg completed the top six.
The Hyundai youngster incurred one minute and 30 seconds in time penalties after making roadside repairs to his car's suspension and trailed the leaders by over 12 minutes at the close of play.
Sunday's finale features three stages - each run twice - located on the southern side of Lake Naivasha.
Oserian (17.93km) and Hell's Gate (10.53km) sandwich Narasha (13.30km) - another new test that rises from the arid floor of the Rift Valley across historic Maasai grazing lands.
The second pass through Hell's Gate, which finishes amid stunning scenery at Fishers Tower, forms the Wolf Power Stage with bonus points on offer for drivers and manufacturers.
The survivors will then return to Naivasha for the afternoon finish ceremony. ■
