The Latest Breaking News from Esapekka Lappi

The Toyota driver clinched his second win of the season in stunning fashion, beating Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville by 52.7s after a streak of 13 consecutive stage wins.

The Hyundai driver was reported to have started stage three late which left the Finn potentially facing a time penalty.

The eight-time world champion came through challenging damp and muddy conditions to preserve his lead, although Ogier's overnight advantage over championship leader Rovanpera was cut by 0.7s to 22.1s.

The Hyundai driver was sitting fourth, 35.3s adrift of rally leader Toyota’s Sebastien Ogier, when he hit a compression that broke the front left suspension on his i20N during stage six.

Toyota driver Ogier won four of the day’s six stages to head into Saturday with a 22.8s lead over Rovanpera, who impressed despite starting first on the road.

Eight-time world champion Ogier started the day 0.1s behind overnight leader Tanak but headed to midday service with a 2.5s lead over Toyota team-mate Kalle Rovanpera.

Eight-time world champion Ogier started the day 0.1s behind overnight leader Tanak but headed to midday service with a 2.5s lead over Toyota team-mate Kalle Rovanpera.

The two-time Safari Rally podium finisher rolled his GR Yaris during his third shakedown run which ripped the rear wing and damaged the right rear of his car.

The rally has prided itself on being one of the WRC’s jewel in the crown events given its difficulty to win. Its unique stages feature a mix of rough gravel and soft sandy roads sprawled across Kenya’s iconic wildlife-filled savannah. amid changeable weather, poses an altogether different challenge for crews.