The 2022 WRC Safari Rally is done and dusted but for Frenchman Thierry Neuville, the spectacle couldn’t go to bed without some charitable measure.

Following the spectacle that concluded in pomp and style, Frenchman Neuville who was part of the Hyundai Motorsport team decided to bless his social handles with warm measures of giving back to the Kenyan community.

“Following our 5th place finish in Safari Rally Kenya, I will donate 2000 euros (Ksh 249,400) to the association Hand in Hand 4 Kenya. It was so nice to meet some of the kids of the Maisha Mazuri Children Center in Nairobi before the start of the event! Special thanks to Barbara and her team for the support all over the weekend,” posted Neuville on his Facebook page.

Maisha Mazuri Children Center

The center is actually based in Machakos County, about 60km east of Nairobi and consists of a children’s home, a nursery school, an elementary school, and a secondary vocational school including its boarding house. The center also comprises organic farming for its own consumption and fresh water supply for its own premises but also for the whole community.

As Neuville was just getting ready strapping his boots and overalls for the first stage in Naivasha, the Maisha Mazuri Children Center team arrived quick enough to wish the talented driver a fulfilling event.

“For Safari Rally Kenya, I’m very happy to support Hand in Hand for Kenya. This beautiful association has built the Maisha Mazuri Children’s Centre which is dedicated to support both children and adolescents to improve their general living conditions, offer them a sustainable future and raise the living standards of the entire community over the long term,” added Neuville.

Hyundai Motorsport team

The warm gesture comes at a time when Neuville and his team had a rather not so great rally race with his team finishing at 5th place bagging 15 points. Indeed, both Hyundai and M-Sport-Ford battled misfortune and mechanical issues as the Safari Rally proved to be a car breaker.

For Hyundai, the pace of the i20 N Rally1 doesn’t appear to be a grave concern. Although Thierry Neuville in particular has been prone to complaining about the drivability of the car or the handling, the general consensus seems to be that the car is at least competitive enough to win stages and rallies. What will worry Hyundai is the consistent reliability problems that keep appearing.