Evans Retires from Rally Kenya
Elfyn Evans has not retired from a rally since the Acropolis Rally Greece in 2024. However, he was forced to retire from Rally Kenya after his car sustained damage in swamp-like conditions on Saturday.
The Welsh driver had a strong start on Thursday and was positioned second overall before encountering rear-right suspension damage during the challenging 31km "Sleeping Warrior" stage.
Alongside Evans, Oliver Solberg, who ranks second to Evans in this year's World Rally Championship (WRC), and nine-time world champion Sebastien Ogier also had to retire.
As a result, Evans' Toyota teammate Takamoto Katsuta is now leading ahead of the final stage on Sunday.
Recent Performances
Evans recently secured the WRC lead with his victory at Rally Sweden and finished second as Solberg won Rallye Monte Carlo.
Team Comments on Conditions
Toyota's deputy team principal, Juha Kankkunen, commented on the challenging conditions:
"The last stage was quite muddy and tough, and the mud went into the engine side and broke the alternators for both of them (Solberg and Ogier)."
"Oliver also has a little bit of, let's say, a transmission problem as well, and Elfyn we know already, so it hasn't been the best morning."
"I have been in Kenya so many times that it doesn't surprise me when something like that happens. The conditions have been really tough and the cars should be built for that, but in those muddy conditions it can go everywhere."
