Toyota has announced its driver line-up for next month’s Safari Rally Kenya, with double world champion Kalle Rovanperä chasing a second African win in three years.
After missing the World Rally Championship season opener in Monte Carlo, the Finn made his first start of 2024 on Rally Sweden, where he finished a disappointing 39th overall after crashing out of the rally while leading on Friday.
But Rovanperä will get an immediate shot at redemption in Kenya, where he will join full-time time-mates Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta as Toyota seeks to maintain its dominance on one of the WRC’s toughest events.
The Yaris hasn’t been beaten in Kenya since the event returned in 2021.
Confirmation that the Japanese brand will only enter three cars in Kenya means there is no place for defending Safari winner Sébastien Ogier, with the eight-time world champion set to miss his second consecutive event after finishing second on the Monte Carlo Rally.
![Girardo Overlay [White]-3](https://www-dirtfish.imgix.net/2024/02/Girardo-Overlay-White-3.png?fit=crop&fm=png&h=500&ixlib=php-3.3.1&q=70&rect=0%2C410%2C1800%2C562&w=1600&wpsize=panorama)
