The Latest Breaking News from Elfyn Evans

Eight-time world champion Ogier started Saturday with a 22.8s lead and the Toyota driver went on to stamp his authority on the event in the afternoon.

The Finn inherited third on Saturday morning after making the most of a stall for Toyota’s Elfyn Evans on stage eight, but Lappi’s rally came to a premature end on stage 11.

The eight-time world champion came through challenging damp and muddy conditions to preserve his lead, although Ogier's overnight advantage over championship leader Rovanpera was cut by 0.7s to 22.1s.

Toyota driver Ogier won four of the day’s six stages to head into Saturday with a 22.8s lead over Rovanpera, who impressed despite starting first on the road.

The 70th anniversary Safari Rally kicked off with a 4.48km head-to-head super special stage, lined by thousands of fans in the centre of Nairobi.

The rally has prided itself on being one of the WRC’s jewel in the crown events given its difficulty to win. Its unique stages feature a mix of rough gravel and soft sandy roads sprawled across Kenya’s iconic wildlife-filled savannah. amid changeable weather, poses an altogether different challenge for crews.  

Three of the team’s four drivers encountered issues with the GR Yaris while traversing water crossings during last weekend’s rain-impacted round on the Italian island.

Despite holding a healthy 36.4s overnight lead, Neuville elected to push while the majority of his rivals opted to preserve their cars and tyres.

Ogier started the day 0.1 seconds behind Lappi but managed to overhaul the Finn to take an 18.2s lead into the afternoon.

The eight-time world champion started the loop 0.1s adrift but ended with an 18.2s lead after the pair enjoyed a thrilling battle before Lappi's challenge began to unravel in the final two stages.

The eight-time world rally champion was largely in command during Friday morning’s loop of stages, winning two of the three tests to open up a 16.3s lead over Hyundai’s Esapekka Lappi.