Four-time WRC champion Juha Kankkunen couldn’t have asked for a better start to his role as Toyota GAZOO Racing’s deputy team principal, celebrating victory at last week’s Safari Rally Kenya.
The Finn stepped in for Jari-Matti Latvala and oversaw a fifth consecutive Safari triumph for Toyota, with Elfyn Evans and co-driver Scott Martin claiming the top step of the podium on Sunday. The win also marked a major milestone – Toyota’s 100th WRC start since rejoining the series in 2017.
Kankkunen, who won the gruelling African three times himself in the 1980s and 1990s, was moved by the moment.
“I’m really happy that we managed to win the 100th WRC rally for the team and that I could celebrate another Toyota win on the Safari Rally, 40 years after my first victory here,” he said. “It really brought tears to my eyes.”
While the modern-day Safari may be shorter than the version Kankkunen was used to in his driving days, it still delivered a tough test – even from the service park.
