Takamoto Katsuta survived with a start. Likewise Esapekka Lappi.
Esapekka Lappi tries to enjoy her first Safari. ZumaWire / MVPHOTOS
Toyota driver Takamoto Katsuta derailed in a wild way during the test special stage of the Kenyan Safari rally. The Japanese’s tire hit a bend at high speed, which immediately turned the car on its side. The car spun two full revolutions and stopped facing the dirt road.
Despite the shock, Katsuta was able to continue his journey without assistance and arrived at the finish line in 43 seconds by Sebastian Ogier from the prime time at that time.
According to DirtFish, the car survived the situation surprisingly little. The Japanese’s participation in the opening stages of the race is not in danger.
The Safari Rally has been popular with Katsuta in recent years, as last year he was third and the year before that he was second.
Lapland’s car sucks
Driving the first Safari Rally of his career Esapekka Lappi immediately ran into problems on Wednesday morning. He had time to drive a good two kilometers, until the car started making a special bang.
Lappi drove his game to the side to wait for towing. It was later revealed that the drive shaft of the Hyundai had a problem. The fault was not catastrophic and was repairable.
– Of course, we don’t want to destroy the car any more. Mechanics can quickly do miracles, so I strongly believe that we will participate in the shakedown, Lappi tells DirtFish.
Lappi has said that he enjoys the exotic rally environment. There was also a silver lining to the suspension.
– Our stop was really nice. So there is no problem.
Lapland’s car was still able to start, but the joy didn’t last long. The problems continued and Lapland couldn’t make any decent moves.
The bottoms of the 5.4 kilometer special test were driven by the winner of last year’s Safari Kalle Rovanperä. of M-Sport Ott Tänak was half a second slower.