Kenya Rally 2023 Winners: Ogier holds on for victory from Rovanperä

For just the third time in the modern era of the World Rally Championship (WRC), the drivers and teams complete an event in Africa. The Safari Rally Kenya was easier on teams than expected in 2023. Just one driver retired: M-Sport Ford’s Jourdan Serderidis from stage 12. With that, here’s a look at the Kenya Rally 2023 winners.

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Sebastian Ogier

Ogier came to Kenya following his worst result of the season in Italy (14th). He established early on that there wouldn’t be a repeat in Africa by winning stage 2 and taking the lead for good from there. He won five of the first eight stages to take an early lead.

Of the next 11 stages, he only notched two stage victories (11 and 15). Toyota Gazoo Racing teammate Kalle Rovanperä closed the gap over those 11 stages. He won five stages (9,10, 13, 14, and 17) to cut the margin to Ogier but couldn’t catch up enough. Ultimately, Ogier took his third win of 2023 by just 6.7 seconds, the most in WRC racing this year.

This win pushes Ogier up to third in the championship with 98 points. Despite competing part-time in 2023, the eight-time champion is just one point behind Elfyn Evans for second. Rovanperä’s second-place finish keeps the Finnish driver in the lead of the WRC championship. He sits at 140 points, a large gap away from Evans in second.

Toyota Gazoo Racing

The two-time defending constructors’ champions enjoyed a dominant weekend, making them another one of the Kenya Rally 2023 winners. Toyota Gazoo Racing drivers won all but four of the stages. It wasn’t particularly close in the end, either. The best non-Toyota finisher was Hyundai Shell Mobis’ Dani Sordo in fifth, more than five minutes back from the winning Ogier.

In a year of parity among drivers, 2023 has again been another strong season for Toyota. The team’s 48 points ahead of Hyundai in the manufacturers’ WRC standings after the season’s halfway point. That gap could easily double when the championship gets to Japan for the finale.

Takamoto Katsuta

It may be a surprise to see the fourth Toyota driver mentioned here. Ogier and Toyota being winners aren’t unusual WRC news items, but for the third year in a row, the Japanese driver’s had his best result of the year in the Safari Rally. He took two stage victories (12 and 18) to finish three minutes behind Ogier and Rovanperä. More gravel events are on the schedule, and Katsuta could use the momentum for more good results in 2023.

What’s next on the WRC schedule

The first half of the 2023 WRC season is in the rearview now after the teams finished up in Kenya. Next on the calendar is Rally Estonia in four weeks, where the Kenya Rally 2023 winners are likely to be among the favorites. Rovanperä, the defending event winner and championship leader, will likely face a challenge from his teammates and Estonian driver Ott Tänak. Tänak will be looking to bounce back from a rough sixth place in Kenya.

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