WRC drivers set for extreme 'Safari Rally' conditions in Sardinia

Sardinia is renowned for producing rough gravel stages but a revised route for this weekend’s 20th anniversary event is set to deliver perhaps the toughest conditions of the season.

Four-time Sardinia winner Sebastien Ogier, returning to the championship this weekend after sitting out Portugal, is expecting a gruelling rally after likening the stages to those seen in Kenya, which has earned a reputation as one of the toughest events in global motorsport.

“I thought Safari Rally Kenya was in three weeks time but we have a taste of it already because some sections are very rough," Ogier told Autosport.

“Honestly some sections do feel like Kenya, there are lots of stones and basically there are some sections that are harder than a lot of sections we go through in Kenya.”

The rough stages will require plenty of focus on car management to reach the finish according tor reigning world champion and Ogier’s Toyota team-mate Kalle Rovanpera.

“Some of the new parts they have used to connect the stages like the long one and the new stage on Friday morning are really rough now, so I cannot imagine what it will be like on the second pass. It will be tough to keep the car and the tyres in one piece," Rovanpera told Autosport.

“We will be managing the car on some parts.”

Toyota struggled for outright pace on rough gravel rallies last year and particularly in Sardinia, with Rovanpera’s fifth its best result at the event 12 months ago.

Elfyn Evans is however confident the Japanese marque has made improvements to the GR Yaris that will bring the team closer to the pack this year, but the Welshman is wary that simply finishing the event is a result.

“I don’t think the car is an issue now let’s say I think the performance has been proved to be there in most of these type of rallies more recently," said Evans.

"But of course the event is massive challenge I think it is probably the roughest or more difficult Sardinia that we have seen in quite a few years in terms of some of the roughness in places

Thierry Neuville, Martijn Wydaeghe, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1

Photo by: Austral / Hyundai Motorsport

“It’s a pretty extreme rally so finishing is something here and with a thin field like we have, there is always decent points if we can get to the end."

Friday’s schedule is tipped to be particularly gruelling, opening with the new Tantariles test, which is followed by an extended 49.9km pass through Monte Lerno.