2021 Safari Rally
The 2021 Safari Rally (also known as the Safari Rally Kenya 2021) was a motor racing event for rally cars that was held over four days between 24 and 27 June 2021.[2] It marked the sixty-ninth running of the Safari Rally. The event was the sixth round of the 2021 World Rally Championship, World Rally Championship-2 and World Rally Championship-3. The 2021 event was based in Nairobi in the Nairobi County and was contested over eighteen special stages totalling 320.19 km (198.96 mi) in competitive distance.[1]
| 2021 Safari Rally Safari Rally Kenya 2021 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Round 6 of 12 in the 2021 World Rally Championship
| |||
 The opening ceremony of the rally. | |||
| Host country |  Kenya | ||
| Rally base | Nairobi, Nairobi County | ||
| Dates run | 24 – 27 June 2021 | ||
| Start location | Kasarani, Nairobi | ||
| Finish location | Hell's Gate National Park, Naivasha | ||
| Stages | 18 (320.19 km; 198.96 miles)[1] | ||
| Stage surface | Gravel | ||
| Transport distance | 813.17 km (505.28 miles) | ||
| Overall distance | 1,133.94 km (704.60 miles) | ||
| Results | |||
| Overall winner |  Sébastien Ogier Julien Ingrassia Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT3:18:11.3 | ||
| WRC-2 winner | no classified finishers | ||
| WRC-3 winner | Onkar Rai Drew Sturrock3:47:37.7 | ||
| Power Stage winner |  Ott Tänak Martin Järveoja Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT6:06.4 | ||
| Crews registered | 58 | ||
| Crews | 52 at start, 26 at finish | ||
Colin McRae and Nicky Grist were the overall reigning rally winners, but they did not defend their titles.[3] Ford World Rally Team, the team they drove for in 2002, when Safari Rally held a World Rally Championship event last time, were the defending manufacturers' winners.[3] However, they did not defend the rally either as they withdrew from the championship at the end of 2012.[4]
Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia won the rally. Their team, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT, were the manufacturer's winners.[5] There were no classified finishers in the World Rally Championship-2 category.[6] Local hero Onkar Rai and Drew Sturrock won the World Rally Championship-3 category.[7]
At the age of ninety-one, Polish driver Sobiesław Zasada became the oldest competitor to start a World Rally Championship event.[8]
Background
Championship standings prior to the event
Reigning World Champions Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia entered the round with an eleven-point lead over Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin. Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe were third, a further eighteen points behind. In the World Rally Championship for Manufacturers, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT held a massive a forty-nine-point lead over defending manufacturers' champions Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT, followed by M-Sport Ford WRT.
In the World Rally Championship-2 standings, Andreas Mikkelsen and Ola Fløene held a two-point lead ahead of Mads Østberg and Torstein Eriksen in the drivers' and co-drivers' standings respectively, with Marco Bulacia Wilkinson and Marcelo Der Ohannesian in third. In the teams' championship, Movisport and Toksport WRT co-led the championship, with M-Sport Ford WRT in third.
In the World Rally Championship-3 standings, Yohan Rossel and Alexandre Coria lead drivers' and co-drivers' championship respectively. Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Maciek Szczepaniak were second, trailed by Nicolas Ciamin and Yannick Roche.
Entry list
The following crews entered the rally. The event was opened to crews competing in the World Rally Championship, its support categories, the World Rally Championship-2 and World Rally Championship-3, and privateer entries that are not registered to score points in any championship. Eleven entries for the World Rally Championship were received, as were four in the World Rally Championship-2 and six in the World Rally Championship-3.
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| No. | Driver | Co-Driver | Entrant | Car | Tyre |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 |  Andreas Mikkelsen |
Ola Fløene |
 Toksport WRT |
Škoda Fabia R5 Evo | — |
| 21 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Marco Bulacia Wilkinson |
 Marcelo Der Ohannesian |
Toksport WRT |
Škoda Fabia R5 Evo | — |
| 22 |  Teemu Suninen |
Mikko Markkula |
M-Sport Ford WRT |
Ford Fiesta R5 Mk. II | — |
| 23 |  Martin Prokop |
Zdeněk Jůrka |
M-Sport Ford WRT |
Ford Fiesta R5 Mk. II | P |
| Source:[9] | |||||
| No. | Driver | Co-Driver | Entrant | Car | Tyre |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | Onkar Rai |
Drew Sturrock |
Onkar Rai |
Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 | P |
| 25 | Carl Tundo |
Tim Jessop |
Carl Tundo |
Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 | P |
| 26 | Tejveer Rai |
 Gareth Dawe |
Tejveer Rai |
Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 | P |
| 27 | Karan Patel |
Tauseef Khan |
Karan Patel |
Ford Fiesta R5 | P |
| 28 | Aakif Virani |
Azhar Bhatti |
Aakif Virani |
Škoda Fabia R5 | P |
| 29 |  Daniel Chwist |
Kamil Heller |
Daniel Chwist |
Ford Fiesta R5 Mk. II | P |
| Source:[9] | |||||
| No. | Driver | Co-Driver | Entrant | Car | Tyre |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | Sobiesław Zasada |
Tomasz Borysławski |
M-Sport Poland |
Ford Fiesta Rally3 | P |
| Source:[9] | |||||
Itinerary
All dates and times are EAT (UTC+3).
| Leg | Date | Time | No. | Stage name | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | 23 June | 13:01 | — | Loldia [Shakedown] | 2.89 km |
| 1 | 24 June | 14:08 | SS1 | Super Special Kasarani | 4.84 km |
| 25 June | 08:09 | SS2 | Chui Lodge 1 | 13.34 km | |
| 09:05 | SS3 | Kedong 1 | 32.68 km | ||
| 10:18 | SS4 | Oserian 1 | 18.87 km | ||
| 13:46 | SS5 | Chui Lodge 2 | 13.34 km | ||
| 14:42 | SS6 | Kedong 2 | 32.68 km | ||
| 15:55 | SS7 | Oserian 2 | 18.87 km | ||
| 2 | 26 June | 08:08 | SS8 | Elmenteita 1 | 14.67 km |
| 09:08 | SS9 | Soysambu 1 | 20.33 km | ||
| 10:22 | SS10 | Sleeping Warrior 1 | 31.04 km | ||
| 14:05 | SS11 | Elmenteita 2 | 14.67 km | ||
| 15:08 | SS12 | Soysambu 2 | 20.33 km | ||
| 16:22 | SS13 | Sleeping Warrior 2 | 31.04 km | ||
| 3 | 27 June | 07:26 | SS14 | Loldia 1 | 11.33 km |
| 08:38 | SS15 | Hell's Gate 1 | 10.56 km | ||
| 10:45 | SS16 | Malewa | 9.71 km | ||
| 11:25 | SS17 | Loldia 2 | 11.33 km | ||
| 13:18 | SS18 | Hell's Gate 2 [Power Stage] | 10.56 km | ||
| Source:[1] | |||||
Report
Classification
Special stages
| Day | Stage | Stage name | Length | Winners | Car | Time | Class leaders |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 June | — | Loldia [Shakedown] | 2.89 km | Ogier / Ingrassia | Toyota Yaris WRC | 3:42.6 | — |
| 24 June | SS1 | Super Special Kasarani | 4.84 km | Ogier / Ingrassia | Toyota Yaris WRC | 3:21.5 | Ogier / Ingrassia |
| 25 June | SS2 | Chui Lodge 1 | 13.34 km | Neuville / Wydaeghe | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 9:47.7 | Neuville / Wydaeghe |
| SS3 | Kedong 1 | 32.68 km | Neuville / Wydaeghe | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 16:52.3 | ||
| SS4 | Oserian 1 | 18.87 km | Rovanperä / Halttunen | Toyota Yaris WRC | 12:39.3 | ||
| SS5 | Chui Lodge 2 | 13.34 km | Rovanperä / Halttunen | Toyota Yaris WRC | 9:59.9 | Rovanperä / Halttunen | |
| SS6 | Kedong 2 | 32.68 km | Neuville / Wydaeghe | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 16:52.1 | Neuville / Wydaeghe | |
| SS7 | Oserian 2 | 18.87 km | Ogier / Ingrassia Katsuta / Barritt |
Toyota Yaris WRC Toyota Yaris WRC |
12:52.1 | ||
| 26 June | SS8 | Elmenteita 1 | 14.67 km | Neuville / Wydaeghe | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 9:01.4 | |
| SS9 | Soysambu 1 | 20.33 km | Ogier / Ingrassia | Toyota Yaris WRC | 14:11.9 | ||
| SS10 | Sleeping Warrior 1 | 31.04 km | Ogier / Ingrassia | Toyota Yaris WRC | 17:26.6 | ||
| SS11 | Elmenteita 2 | 14.67 km | Ogier / Ingrassia | Toyota Yaris WRC | 8:47.5 | ||
| SS12 | Soysambu 2 | 20.33 km | Tänak / Järveoja | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 13:52.7 | ||
| SS13 | Sleeping Warrior 2 | 31.04 km | Sordo / Rozada | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 17:25.0 | ||
| 27 June | SS14 | Loldia 1 | 11.33 km | Ogier / Ingrassia | Toyota Yaris WRC | 7:37.1 | |
| SS15 | Hell's Gate 1 | 10.56 km | Evans / Martin | Toyota Yaris WRC | 3:14.3 | Katsuta / Barritt | |
| SS16 | Malewa | 9.71 km | Fourmaux / Jamoul | Ford Fiesta WRC | 7:01.1 | Ogier / Ingrassia Katsuta / Barritt | |
| SS17 | Loldia 2 | 11.33 km | Ogier / Ingrassia | Toyota Yaris WRC | 7:35.0 | Ogier / Ingrassia | |
| SS18 | Hell's Gate 2 [Power Stage] | 10.56 km | Tänak / Järveoja | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 6:06.4 | ||
Championship standings
| Pos. | Drivers' championships | Co-drivers' championships | Manufacturers' championships | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Move | Driver | Points | Move | Co-driver | Points | Move | Manufacturer | Points | ||||
| 1 |  |
Sébastien Ogier | 133 | |
Julien Ingrassia | 133 | |
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT | 273 | |||
| 2 | |
Elfyn Evans | 99 | |
Scott Martin | 99 | |
Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT | 214 | |||
| 3 | |
Thierry Neuville | 77 | |
Martijn Wydaeghe | 77 | |
M-Sport Ford WRT | 109 | |||
| 4 | |
Ott Tänak | 69 | |
Martin Järveoja | 69 | |
Hyundai 2C Competition | 28 | |||
| 5 | |
Takamoto Katsuta | 66 | |
Daniel Barritt | 66 | ||||||
Classification
| Position | No. | Driver | Co-driver | Entrant | Car | Time | Difference | Points | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | Class | Class | Stage | Event | |||||||
| Retired SS6 | 23 | Martin Prokop | Zdeněk Jůrka | M-Sport Ford WRT | Ford Fiesta R5 Mk. II | Crash | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Did not start | 20 | Andreas Mikkelsen | Ola Fløene | Toksport WRT | Škoda Fabia R5 Evo | Withdrawn | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Did not start | 21 | Marco Bulacia Wilkinson | Marcelo Der Ohannesian | Toksport WRT | Škoda Fabia R5 Evo | Withdrawn | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Did not start | 22 | Teemu Suninen | Mikko Markkula | M-Sport Ford WRT | Ford Fiesta R5 Mk. II | Withdrawn | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
Special stages
| Day | Stage | Stage name | Length | Winners | Car | Time | Class leaders |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 June | — | Loldia [Shakedown] | 2.89 km | Prokop / Jůrka | Ford Fiesta R5 Mk. II | 4:17.9 | — |
| 24 June | SS1 | Super Special Kasarani | 4.84 km | Prokop / Jůrka | Ford Fiesta R5 Mk. II | 3:39.6 | Prokop / Jůrka |
| 25 June | SS2 | Chui Lodge 1 | 13.34 km | Prokop / Jůrka | Ford Fiesta R5 Mk. II | 11:05.9 | |
| SS3 | Kedong 1 | 32.68 km | Prokop / Jůrka | Ford Fiesta R5 Mk. II | 19:40.1 | ||
| SS4 | Oserian 1 | 18.87 km | Prokop / Jůrka | Ford Fiesta R5 Mk. II | 14:12.2 | ||
| SS5 | Chui Lodge 2 | 13.34 km | Prokop / Jůrka | Ford Fiesta R5 Mk. II | 11:15.5 | ||
| SS6 | Kedong 2 | 32.68 km | No stage winners | — | No leaders | ||
| SS7 | Oserian 2 | 18.87 km | No stage winners | — | |||
| 26 June | SS8 | Elmenteita 1 | 14.67 km | No stage winners | — | ||
| SS9 | Soysambu 1 | 20.33 km | No stage winners | — | |||
| SS10 | Sleeping Warrior 1 | 31.04 km | No stage winners | — | |||
| SS11 | Elmenteita 2 | 14.67 km | No stage winners | — | |||
| SS12 | Soysambu 2 | 20.33 km | No stage winners | — | |||
| SS13 | Sleeping Warrior 2 | 31.04 km | No stage winners | — | |||
| 27 June | SS14 | Loldia 1 | 11.33 km | No stage winners | — | ||
| SS15 | Hell's Gate 1 | 10.56 km | No stage winners | — | |||
| SS16 | Malewa | 9.71 km | No stage winners | — | |||
| SS17 | Loldia 2 | 11.33 km | No stage winners | — | |||
| SS18 | Hell's Gate 2 [Power Stage] | 10.56 km | No stage winners | — | |||
Championship standings
| Pos. | Drivers' championships | Co-drivers' championships | Teams' championships | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Move | Driver | Points | Move | Co-driver | Points | Move | Manufacturer | Points | ||||
| 1 | |
Andreas Mikkelsen | 68 | |
Ola Fløene | 68 | |
Toksport WRT | 125 | |||
| 2 | |
Mads Østberg | 66 | |
Torstein Eriksen | 66 | |
Movisport | 125 | |||
| 3 | |
Marco Bulacia Wilkinson | 63 | |
Marcelo Der Ohannesian | 63 | |
M-Sport Ford WRT | 104 | |||
| 4 | |
Esapekka Lappi | 59 | |
Janne Ferm | 59 | |
Hyundai Motorsport N | 12 | |||
| 5 | |
Teemu Suninen | 41 | |
Mikko Markkula | 41 | ||||||
Classification
| Position | No. | Driver | Co-driver | Entrant | Car | Time | Difference | Points | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | Class | Class | Stage | Event | |||||||
| 7 | 1 | 24 | Onkar Rai | Drew Sturrock | Onkar Rai | Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 | 3:47:37.7 | 0.0 | 25 | 5 | 6 |
| 8 | 2 | 27 | Karan Patel | Tauseef Khan | Karan Patel | Ford Fiesta R5 | 3:51:41.7 | +4:04.0 | 18 | 2 | 4 |
| 9 | 3 | 25 | Carl Tundo | Tim Jessop | Carl Tundo | Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 | 3:54:52.0 | +7:14.3 | 15 | 3 | 2 |
| 17 | 4 | 29 | Daniel Chwist | Kamil Heller | Daniel Chwist | Ford Fiesta R5 Mk. II | 4:37:20.4 | +49:42.7 | 12 | 4 | 0 |
| 22 | 5 | 28 | Aakif Virani | Azhar Bhatti | Aakif Virani | Škoda Fabia R5 | 5:12:17.6 | +1:24:39.9 | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| Retired SS3 | 26 | Tejveer Rai | Gareth Dawe | Tejveer Rai | Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 | Rolled | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
Special stages
| Day | Stage | Stage name | Length | Winners | Car | Time | Class leaders |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 June | — | Loldia [Shakedown] | 2.89 km | Rai / Sturrock | Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 | 4:07.6 | — |
| 24 June | SS1 | Super Special Kasarani | 4.84 km | Patel / Khan | Ford Fiesta R5 | 3:42.6 | Patel / Khan |
| 25 June | SS2 | Chui Lodge 1 | 13.34 km | Rai / Sturrock | Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 | 11:01.1 | Rai / Sturrock |
| SS3 | Kedong 1 | 32.68 km | Tundo / Jessop | Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 | 19:36.1 | ||
| SS4 | Oserian 1 | 18.87 km | Rai / Sturrock | Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 | 14:41.9 | ||
| SS5 | Chui Lodge 2 | 13.34 km | Rai / Sturrock | Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 | 11:39.0 | ||
| SS6 | Kedong 2 | 32.68 km | Stage cancelled | ||||
| SS7 | Oserian 2 | 18.87 km | Stage cancelled | ||||
| 26 June | SS8 | Elmenteita 1 | 14.67 km | Tundo / Jessop | Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 | 9:42.4 | Rai / Sturrock |
| SS9 | Soysambu 1 | 20.33 km | Rai / Sturrock | Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 | 15:51.6 | ||
| SS10 | Sleeping Warrior 1 | 31.04 km | Rai / Sturrock | Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 | 20:10.3 | ||
| SS11 | Elmenteita 2 | 14.67 km | Tundo / Jessop | Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 | 9:56.1 | ||
| SS12 | Soysambu 2 | 20.33 km | Tundo / Jessop | Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 | 15:27.9 | ||
| SS13 | Sleeping Warrior 2 | 31.04 km | Tundo / Jessop | Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 | 21:05.5 | ||
| 27 June | SS14 | Loldia 1 | 11.33 km | Tundo / Jessop | Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 | 8:32.5 | |
| SS15 | Hell's Gate 1 | 10.56 km | Chwist / Heller | Ford Fiesta R5 Mk. II | 3:50.2 | ||
| SS16 | Malewa | 9.71 km | Tundo / Jessop | Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 | 7:58.5 | ||
| SS17 | Loldia 2 | 11.33 km | Tundo / Jessop | Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 | 8:27.6 | ||
| SS18 | Hell's Gate 2 [Power Stage] | 10.56 km | Rai / Sturrock | Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 | 7:10.7 | ||
Championship standings
| Pos. | Drivers' championships | Co-drivers' championships | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Move | Driver | Points | Move | Co-driver | Points | |||
| 1 | |
Yohan Rossel | 98 | |
Alexandre Coria | 70 | ||
| 2 | |
Kajetan Kajetanowicz | 64 | |
Maciek Szczepaniak | 64 | ||
| 3 | |
Nicolas Ciamin | 57 | |
Yannick Roche | 57 | ||
| 4 |  |
Onkar Rai | 30 | |
Drew Sturrock | 30 | ||
| 5 |  1 |
Teemu Asunmaa | 28 | 1 |
Benoît Fulcrand | 28 | ||
Notes
- Under the Sporting Regulations, each car competing in the World Rally Championship-3 is entered under the driver's name.
References
- "Itinerary Safari Rally Kenya 2021". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
- "Croatia and Estonia named in 2021 WRC calendar". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 9 October 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
- "50. Inmarsat Safari Rally 2002". ewrc-results.com. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
- O'Leary, Jamie (16 October 2012). "Ford to pull works backing from the WRC". Autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Archived from the original on 18 October 2012. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
- "Ogier seizes Safari success after Neuville heartbreak". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 27 June 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
- "Rai charges to early WRC3 lead in Kenya". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 25 June 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
There were no finishers in WRC2.
- "Onkar conqiers WRC3 in Kenya". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 27 June 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
- "Sobieslaw Zasada: Q & A". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 21 June 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
- "Entry List Safari Rally Kenya 2021". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
External links
- Official website (in English)
- 2021 Safari Rally at eWRC-results.com
- The official website of the World Rally Championship