On a day when Toyota GR Yaris cars topped the timesheets in every stage, Ogier looked set to finish comfortably ahead of his championship-leading colleague, the Frenchman content to measure his pace and keep a close eye on those behind after overcoming tire damage in SS8.
However, a torrential downpour in the last 31.04km of Sleeping Warrior caused havoc. The dry and dusty roads immediately changed to muck and provided little traction in ice-like conditions.
Ogier, the last of the Rally1 vehicles to enter the stage, was possibly the hardest damaged by the circumstances than any of his competitors, limping to the finish line with two slow punctures.
The Frenchman’s advantage was cut in half after conceding over 15 seconds, leaving him 16.7 seconds clear at the top.
Toyota’s chances of a repeat 1-2-3-4 Safari finish are almost guaranteed, but the driver heading it tomorrow are uncertain.
Esapekka Lappi retired his Hyundai i20 N with suspected propshaft failure, and Elfyn Evans inherited the position before being passed by Takamoto Katsuta.
The Toyota-driving duo split 16.7 seconds at the close of play, with Rovanperä more than two minutes further up the road. Hyundai’s hopes now rest on Dani Sordo, who trailed Evans by 1min 12.3sec to hold fifth overnight.
Ott Tänak was almost five minutes behind, while Pierre-Louis Loubet held seventh despite a run-in with a bush in SS10. Grégoire Munster’s retirement handed the WRC2 lead to Kajetan Kajetanowicz, now eighth overall.
Neuville climbed to ninth by the day’s end, while Oliver Solberg completed the leaderboard. Sunday’s finale features three stages, each run twice, located on the southern side of Lake Naivasha.
