Safari WRC: Neuville extends Kenya lead after brush with wildlife
Thierry Neuville extended his Safari Rally lead over Takamoto Katsuta despite World Rally Championship crews having to avoid several brushes with zebras on the morning stages.

The Hyundai driver kicked off the day with his fourth stage win before Sebastien Ogier took the spoils in the following two tests as the Toyota driver continued to edge closer to the podium battle.
Neuville’s stage win came despite a close call with zebras as wildlife became a factor for all the crews with several drivers having to brake hard to avoid animals on the trio of fast and open stages.
After successfully competing the morning loop, Neuville has extended his rally lead to 28.1s over Toyota’s Katsuta, who produced a measured drive as the Japanese driver goes in search of a maiden WRC podium.
Hyundai’s Ott Tanak ended the morning in third, 56.2s adrift of Neuville, but the Estonian saw the gap back to Ogier close to 37.6s as the reigning world champion stepped up his push.
M-Sport Ford’s duo Gus Greensmith and Adrien Fourmaux remain in the hunt in fifth and sixth respectively.
Toyota duo Kalle Rovanpera and Elfyn Evans along with Hyundai’s Dani Sordo all returned to action under restart rules after retiring from Friday’s action.
The day began with the fast open 14.67km Elmenteita stage held on the African plains that posed plenty of challenges and a brush with the local wildlife.
Rally leader Neuville extended his advantage by winning the test but it wasn’t without a heart stopping moment when he came across a group of zebras on the road that scattered just in time, thanks to the services of the camera helicopter.
Teammate Tanak also came across a zebra on his pass through the stage which resulted in him hitting the brakes hard to avoid a potential incident.
In the end, Neuville took the win by 0.9s from Ogier, while Tanak was third fastest ahead of Katsuta and Greensmith.
Ogier continued to claw back time on the top three as he stepped up his push to join the podium fight by winning stage 9.
The smooth roads of the 20.33km Soysambu test allowed drivers a rare opportunity to push a bit harder, but again they had to be on their toes to avoid the wildlife.
Ogier clocked the best time but had to brake for zebra and gazelle but was still 4.2s faster than the impressive Fourmaux, who produced his best drive of the rally to date.
"I tried to drive clean. I had a lot of animals in the stage and I had to brake a lot for zebra and gazelle,” said Ogier.
Neuville and Tanak both dropped time to Ogier finishing third and fourth respectively on the stage although the former did extend his lead over Katsuta to 28.9s, as the Toyota pilot lost time trying to avoid a zebra.
“I lost quite a lot of time to zebras, but nice to see them on the stage. It’s a good safari park,” said Katsuta.
Ogier notched up his third stage win of the event in the final test of the morning, a tough 31.04km run through the Sleeping Warrior roads, that featured a particularly nasty rocky section towards the end.
The Frenchman was 5.9s faster than Tanak with Katsuta clawing back some time on Neuville, who was 10s off the pace.
After an impressive run on the previous stage, Forumaux’s charge was halted after losing the roof vent on his Ford Fiesta, resulting in clouds of dust entering the cabin reducing his visibility.
"It was really difficult with the dust inside the car. It was difficult to see where the road was,” said Fourmaux.
The field will run through the three stages again this afternoon to complete the day’s action.
Read Also:
Related video

Safari WRC: Evans rues clumsy error in “painful” retirement
Safari WRC: Neuville survives rain storm to lead as Tanak suffers

Latest news
How Rovanpera has reignited Finland's rallying obsession
Finland may have a small population, but it has long enjoyed rallying success. Now that the nation has a new star to cheer in the form of Kalle Rovanpera, interest in the discipline is surging once again.
Loeb to make WRC return at Acropolis Rally
Sebastien Loeb will return to the World Rally Championship to contest the Acropolis Rally for M-Sport in September.
WRC Finland: The Good, The Bad and an inspired Tanak
The World Rally Championship returned to rallying’s spiritual home in Finland where hoards of rally mad fans gathered to support their new home hero Kalle Rovanpera. While Rovanpera threw everything at trying to claim a home win, it was Hyundai’s Ott Tanak that delivered a stunning surprise win. Motorsport.com reviews the highs, lows, turning points, close calls and heartbreak from Rally Finland.
Latvala: Hyundai WRC win on Toyota home soil a reminder to keep working
Ott Tanak's Rally Finland victory served a reminder that Toyota must continue to work on improving its World Rally Championship challenger, according to team boss Jari-Matti Latvala.
How Rovanpera has reignited Finland's rallying obsession
Finland may have a small population, but it has long enjoyed rallying success. Now that the nation has a new star to cheer in the form of Kalle Rovanpera, interest in the discipline is surging once again.
How Tanak spoiled Rovanpera's Finnish homecoming
Kalle Rovanpera and Toyota went into Rally Finland as overwhelming favourites but came away as runners-up to a resurgent Ott Tanak and Hyundai. While it may have dampened the homecoming party, it still moved the Finn closer to the ultimate World Rally Championship prize
Inside Hyundai’s F1-spec mobile WRC home
Hyundai is one of the World Rally Championship's big three, and has a brand-new travelling facility befitting of that status. The team invited Motorsport.com for a behind-the-scenes look at its state-of-the-art HQ, which comes complete with all the bells and whistles you'd expect of a top Formula 1 outfit.
How Rovanpera's latest masterclass left his WRC rivals stumped
After trailing Toyota teammate Elfyn Evans for much of Rally Estonia's opening day, WRC points leader Kalle Rovanpera took advantage of a change in the weather and never looked back afterwards. Winning for a fifth time this year at the scene of his 2021 breakthrough, and with a breathtaking powerstage bonus for good measure, his advantage is already looking difficult to topple.
How the WRC captures its stunning visuals
Whether it’s the mountains of Monte Carlo, the snow of Sweden or the Kenya Savannah, the World Rally Championship is able to beam some of motorsport’s most spectacular footage to television screens while operating in the harshest of environments. Motorsport.com went behind the scenes to unearth the secrets that make this logistical challenge possible
Why WRC's Safari tour is more than just a rally
OPINION: A source of national pride in Kenya, the Safari Rally is also a sporting, cultural and economic phenomenon. And as last weekend's World Rally Championship round reminded us, it's a key driver in establishing Africa’s place in world motorsport.
How Kalle Rovanpera tamed a wild WRC Safari Rally in Kenya
The Safari Rally acted as a brutal test of driver and car resolve as multiple retirements opened the path for a historic Toyota 1-2-3-4 triumph, headed by star Kalle Rovanpera. But keeping things clean was only half of the challenge, as a well-timed charge when conditions worsened allowed the Finn to take control
How Tanak turned the tables to deliver Hyundai a timely WRC triumph
The 2019 champion has been a bit-part player recently, but Ott Tanak ended a 15-month drought in fine style with a dominant win in Sardinia. On a weekend when championship leader Kalle Rovanpera struggled with cleaning the road, his Hyundai rival has made his belated arrival into the title race and given cause for those predicting a walkover from the Toyota star to pause