Toyota Gazoo Racing has achieved one of the best results of a brand in the WRC with its ‘poker’ in the Safari Rally. With a magnificent Kalle Rovanperä as the absolute protagonist, the Japanese firm achieved close the rally with their four Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 in the first four places. To the triumph of Rovanperä was added the second place of the Welshman Elfyn Evans and the third place of the Japanese Takamoto Katsuta. In addition, Sébastien Ogier took fourth position, despite not having an easy rally.
Nevertheless, Toyota already knew what it was like to achieve a 1-2-3-4 in the Safari Rally. He did it in 1993, when the test was even tougher and had a very different format – more savage – than the one it has today. Toyota’s last ‘poker’ before this weekend was led by the Finn Juha Kankkunen and also had Markku Alén, Ian Duncan and Yasuhiro Iwase as protagonists. The Toyota Team Europe signed a great feat 29 years ago that has now been repeated. Also, both milestones have some similarities.
The 1993 poker and the one achieved in 2022 by Toyota in the Safari Rally have been led by Finnish drivers, with Juha Kankkunen -KKK- achieving the triumph 29 years ago and the young Kalle Rovanperä achieving it now. Also, in both rallies there was a Japanese driver involved, as almost three decades ago Yasuhiro Iwase finished fourth just eleven seconds off the podium. On this occasion, his compatriot Takamoto Katsuta has managed to climb to the third step of the podiummaking this result even more special for Toyota.
In the meantime, Kalle Rovanperä continues to show that he has the foundations of what could be a legendary driver. He has accumulated six victories in a total of 25 rallies held in the premier class of the WRC. A figure not very far from the one that the two drivers who have marked the World Rally Championship in the 21st century, Sébastien Loeb and Sébastien Ogier, had in equal number of events. Also, winning the Safari Rally is not just any victory and Rovanperä can already boast of having won one of the toughest events on the calendar.
Leaving aside Toyota’s historic -and cyclical- success in the Safari Rally or the numbers of its leader, the Kenyan event left another moment that must be remembered. At the close of the event, Maxime Wahome became the first woman to win an event in the new WRC3 categoryin addition to also becoming the first woman of Kenyan origin to win a victory in one of the World Cup support categories. A success with the Ford Fiesta Rally3 that also remains for the history books.
Photos: Toyota Gazoo Racing