Elfyn Evans wins in kenya to boost title hopes!
Elfyn Evans & Scott Martin 2025 WRC Safari Rally. © 2025 Red Bull Content Pool
Welshman Elfyn Evans has secured a landmark win in the WRC Safari Rally Kenya, alongside Co-driver and fellow Brit Scott Martin to tighten his grip on the lead of the World Championship.
Sunday’s victory is Evans’ second of the season following a win in Sweden in the snow at the previous round and a runner-up place in Monte-Carlo. He now registers a 36-point lead in the championship, ahead of Belgian Hyundai driver and current World Champion Thierry Neuville. It is also the largest lead ever recorded after three rounds of a WRC season.
Evans claimed victory in the Toyota GR Yaris ahead of his rival in the Hyundai Ott Tänak by 1min 9.9secs. Tänak was the early leader on Friday before a broken driveshaft compromised his race. The Estonian still produced a strong performance and secured a runner-up place, co-driven by Martin Järveoja.
Toyota GR Yaris WRC Safari Rally 2025. © 2025 Red Bull Content Pool
After his maiden win in Kenya, Evans sits at a table with the likes of Colin McRae and Richard Burns, as a British driver to have conquered the Safari rally. Pretty good company, right? This is the first time a British driver has won the Safari rally since the late McRae back in 2002.
It wasn’t all plain sailing, the round consisted of 384km of car-murdering routes, with a chance to wreck the suspension, puncture a tyre or roll the car at every turn. Luckily Evans got off to a great start winning the super special stage on Thursday before toppling down the order to fifth after the second stage.
Evans regained some momentum and climbed to sit behind his rival Ott Tänak, who had dominated the Friday morning session, winning three out of the four stages. Evans sat 24.4s behind Tänak before a bit of luck, and a broken driveshaft helped Evans gain the lead. After a couple of spins and punctures, as well as some torrential rain, Evans held firm going into the Super Sunday and the Power Stage. The Welsh driver decided not to take any risks during the final stages and brought the win home in one piece.
Elfyn Evans, Scott Martin, Ott Tanak, Martin Järveoja, Thierry Neuville, Martijn Wydaeghe WRC Safari Rally 2025. Jaanus Ree / Red Bull Content Pool 2025.
We now look ahead to the next round of the Championship, the WRC Rally Islas Canarias, a technical asphalt race that has seen its popularity grow in the European Rally Championship. Elfyn Evans will be looking to extend his lead and tighten his grip on the World Championship, when they head to sunny Gran Canaria on April 24-27 2025.
At DRFT, a group founded in Wales and proud of our Welsh motorsport, we thought it would be fitting to touch on the interview Elfyn Evans gave during the weekend as drivers protested the clamping down of ‘inappropriate language’ by the FIA. We have also seen similar in Formula One after an incident with Max Verstappen. Evans, being from Dolgellau, responded to reporters using the Welsh language, as many drivers followed by giving interviews in their native languages. It was refreshing to hear the Welsh language on a live broadcast heard all around the world.
Da Iawn Elfyn a cher amdani i ennill y bencampwriaeth y byd!
Good luck, Elfyn, and go win that World Championship!
Did you enjoy this weekend’s Safari rally? Let us know what you think and who will come out on top come the end of the campaign, by heading to our socials @DRFTmotorsport or emailing us at drftblog@gmail.com.
