Blow to Team Toyota as Solberg, Evans & Ogier retire for Day 3 of Safari Rally
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Toyota’s leading trio of Oliver Solberg, Sébastien Ogier and Elfyn Evans have been forced to retire for the remainder of Saturday’s action at the Safari Rally Kenya following a dramatic turn of events on Day Three.
Juha Kankkunen, the Toyota team leader, confirmed that the three drivers will not continue with the remaining stages today and are expected to return under restart regulations on Sunday.
It started with crews battling the rough and unpredictable Elementaita stage around Lake Naivasha, which they said that had different conditions from wht they expected.
Several drivers complained about late changes made to the 18.01km Elementaita stage, with rocks reportedly scattered along the racing line after markers placed during recce disappeared.
Championship leader Elfyn Evans did not hide his frustration after suffering punctures in the section.
“It’s an absolute joke. They put all these things at the finish to stop us from cutting after the recce, and now the stones are everywhere. I just went for the line and got a double puncture. It’s ridiculous and completely out of order,” said Evans.
Safari Rally leader Oliver Solberg also criticised the situation, raising safety concerns.
“Seriously, what the organisers and FIA have done is unacceptable. They put sticks after recce, sent us a video, and now all the sticks are gone—there are rocks everywhere. It’s dangerous, and they still talk about safety. This is unacceptable,” Solberg said.
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