This archive report was first published on 12 June 2021.
Hyundai Motorsport has announced that Ott Tanak, the 2019 World Rally Championship winner, will lead the team at the 2021 Safari Rally in Naivasha, Kenya, from June 24-27.
Tanak, an Estonian driver, had a strong start to the 2021 FIA World Rally Championship season, dominating the fifth round of the championship, Rally Italia Sardegna, before retiring due to a rock damage on his car.
He had a 40.6-second lead over his main competitor, Frenchman Sébastien Ogier, before the incident.
Tanak expressed his frustration with the incident, saying, "There is nothing much to look at anymore." He added, "Obviously it's nothing you can change yourself, so for us it's pretty much like, race-by-race and everywhere we go we try the maximum. I guess end of the year we see if that was enough or not."
Tanak is determined to follow a different strategy for the remainder of the FIA World Rally Championship season, especially during the Kenyan leg, where he will compete in his first-ever African rally.
He is currently 57 points behind Ogier, with seven rounds remaining in the championship.
Tanak will be joined by his co-driver, Martin Jarveoja, in their first attempt to conquer Africa.
The 2021 Safari Rally will feature 58 drivers, including 34 Kenyan and 24 international racers, and will be a significant event for the World Rally Championship calendar, which has not featured the rally in close to two decades.
Local entry will be headlined by 5-time Safari Rally champion Carl Tundo, along with other Kenyan drivers, including Baldev Chager, Eric Bengi, and Jasmeet Chana.
