Elfyn Evans secured a historic victory at Safari Rally Kenya, extending his lead in the FIA World Rally Championship with a commanding 1m9.9s win over Hyundai's Ott Tanak.

Evans now holds a record-breaking 36-point championship lead after three rounds, following his win in Sweden and second place in Monte Carlo. The victory makes him only the third British driver to win the Safari Rally, joining Colin McRae and Richard Burns.

The four-day event challenged drivers with treacherous conditions including tire-destroying terrain, deep dust, and heavy rain. Despite electrical issues on the final day and earlier tire deflations, Evans maintained his lead after taking control when early leader Tanak suffered a broken driveshaft.

Hyundai secured its best-ever Safari Rally result with Tanak and Thierry Neuville completing the podium. Neuville overcame multiple setbacks, including time penalties and cooling system problems, to finish third.

Toyota's Kalle Rovanpera's championship hopes suffered a blow after retiring due to electrical issues, leaving him 57 points behind Evans. Sami Pajari finished fourth, while Takamoto Katsuta dropped to fifth following a Power Stage roll.

In WRC2, Gus Greensmith claimed victory by 3m15s after Jan Solans crashed out of contention on the final day.

Final Standings (Top 5):

1. Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota) 4h20m03.8s
2. Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveoja (Hyundai) +1m09.9s
3. Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai) +3m32.0s
4. Sami Pajari/Marko Salminen (Toyota) +7m18.7s
5. Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota) +8m15.7s

Championship Standings:

1. Evans 88 points
2. Neuville 52
3. Tanak 49
4. Katsuta 35
5. Ogier 33

The WRC continues with Rally Islas Canarias on April 24-27, marking the championship's first visit to the Canary Islands.

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