Tänak got off to a fantastic start in Kenya, winning five of the first eight stages and holding a 46-second lead ahead of the ninth stage. Unfortunately, during Friday evening's ninth stage, the driveshaft on Tänak's Hyundai broke, causing him to drop from first to third place. This allowed Evans to take the lead, which he maintained all the way to a victorious finish.

On Saturday and Sunday, the Welshman did not need to push too hard, as his closest rival, Kalle Rovanperä (Toyota), was forced out of contention on Saturday afternoon due to a suspension failure. By Sunday, Evans held an insurmountable lead over the rest of the field. Despite winning only three stages, he managed to finish in the top three in 11 stages overall.

"I want to thank all the Kenyan people for their warm welcome. An incredible rally! I'm very proud to now be a small part of this special rally's history," the winner said at the finish line.

Following Rovanperä's misfortune, Tänak moved up to second place overall. However, the 2019 world champion took a cautious approach on Sunday, prioritizing reaching the rally finish. Behind Evans and Tänak, reigning world champion Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) secured third place. The Belgian had the pace to challenge for victory but was hindered by three time penalties incurred on Friday.

Sunday's stage winner was Hyundai's third driver, Frenchman Adrien Fourmaux, who earned five bonus points for his performance. Tänak finished third on Sunday's stage, collecting three extra points.

In the power stage, Fourmaux was the fastest, followed by Neuville (+1.3 seconds), Tänak (+4.9), Gregoire Munster (M-Sport Ford; +9.3) and Sami Pajari (Toyota; +11.1).

In the WRC2 category, Gus Greensmith (Skoda) claimed victory, finishing seventh overall. Jan Solans (Toyota) took second place (+3:15.0), while Fabrizio Zaldivar (Skoda) finished third (+21:27.2).

In the WRC standings, Evans remains the overall leader with 88 points after three rounds. Neuville and Tänak hold second and third place with 52 and 49 points, respectively. In the manufacturers' standings, Toyota leads with 158 points, followed by Hyundai (122 points) and M-Sport Ford (43 points).

The fourth round of the World Rally Championship season will take place in the Canary Islands from April 24 to 27.

WRC drivers' standings after the Safari Rally Kenya (overall rally points + Sunday stage points + Power Stage points)

Elfyn Evans – 88 points (25+2+0)
Thierry Neuville – 52 points (15+4+4)
Ott Tänak – 49 points (17+3+3)
Takamoto Katsuta – 35 points (10+0+0)
Sébastien Ogier – 33 points (-)
Adrien Fourmaux – 33 points (2+5+5)
Kalle Rovanperä – 31 points (0+0+0)
Sami Pajari – 19 points (12+0+1)
Gregoire Munster – 14 points (8+0+2)
Josh McErlean – 11 points (4+1+0)

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