WRC 2
Virves moves ahead in WRC2 as Greensmith hits trouble in Kenya
Robert Virves holds a 14.5sec lead in WRC2 at Safari Rally Kenya after a dramatic Friday that saw early leader Gus Greensmith slowed by a combination of punctures and mechanical issues.
The punishing Kenyan terrain quickly began to take its toll on the category contenders. Greensmith initially set the pace in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 but soon found himself managing problems through the demanding stages.
The Briton spent the morning battling a loss of engine power and a front-right tyre deflation on the rock-strewn Kedong test before further complications emerged during the afternoon loop. A persistent gearbox issue made it difficult for Greensmith to engage gears cleanly, forcing him to adopt a more cautious approach to protect the car through the remaining stages.
© WRC
“We had two punctures in here [Kedong] in the first pass,” Greensmith explained after opting to take a conservative approach later in the day. “If we got two punctures… it makes the afternoon very difficult. I was not risking it in this one.”
Virves capitalised on Greensmith’s difficulties to seize control of the category. The Estonian climbed to the top of the leaderboard on the afternoon repeat of Kedong after surviving a massive high-speed jump earlier in the stage.
“It was actually quite enjoyable,” Virves said after moving into the lead. “I was working mostly with my eyes just looking for the stones. If we can say the same at the end of Sunday I will be very happy. I’m really happy with the car and everything so far.”
Behind the leading pair, Fabrizio Zaldivar holds third place despite a challenging afternoon. The Paraguayan stalled his car and later battled clutch issues on the closing Mzabibu stage but managed to retain a podium position, 28.2sec behind the leader.
© WRC
His compatriot Diego Domínguez delivered one of the standout performances of the afternoon, setting the fastest WRC2 time on SS10 in his Toyota to climb to fourth overall, just 27.1sec behind Zaldivar.
Returning WRC2 champion Andreas Mikkelsen endured a mixed day that included both stage-winning pace and costly setbacks. The Norwegian topped the timesheets on SS6 and set a strong time again on SS9 despite briefly overshooting, but a tyre deflation on SS7 cost him nearly a minute and dropped him to fifth overall.
“It looks like we took the wrong lottery ticket today,” Mikkelsen joked at the end of the leg. “It has been entertaining… we want to keep the spirit high in the car.”
Local favourite Karan Patel successfully navigated the stages to return to the Naivasha service park in sixth position.
