On the heels of a successful run at Rally Portugal and overcoming adversity at Rally Italia Sardegnia, M-Sport Ford went into Rally Kenya on June 21st through 25th, 2023, with high hopes and strong resolve. However, things didn’t quite pan out in The Blue Oval’s favor at the event, as the Puma Rally1 Hybrid racers took on the tough course drenched in rain, and got more of a challenge than they bargained for.
The course was made slick by the downpour, but Ott Tänak managed to conquer the poor conditions, earning two stage wins and a few top-five-worthy times. He would finish sixth overall, overcoming an incident involving wildlife, and two blown tires, gaining four Power Stage points in the ordeal.
“Altogether a great safari with a lot of passionate fans a people who clearly love rally,” Tänak said. “So far it’s been a bit tricky this year, so we need to find a bit of speed for the next rally as it is all about the speed now.”
Meanwhile, Pierre-Louis Loubet had a clean go at the tough track, finishing seventh overall despite struggling with some mechanical issues in his Puma racer.
“We struggled to find good balance. It was a bit disappointing with the power stage, I wasn’t able to do a good run because I had an issue with the turbo pressure. So I’m a bit disappointed about that, but it’s part of the game,” Loubet explained.
Jourdan Serderidis first appeared to be strong, but unfortunately, his race car was felled by a technical issue during Saturday’s event, forcing him to retire early.
Looking ahead, Richard Millener, M-Sport Ford team principal, said he’s already looking forward to the next event on the WRC schedule.
“We swap now from one of the roughest rallies of the year to the smoothest and fastest, Ott’s home round in Estonia,” he said. “The plan is to get these cars back, get them ready, and go again in a few weeks. A little bit of a tough weekend, but we’re all still motivated to do well and try to keep us in that title fight.”
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Comment
I was sure they were talking about cannibals.