Solberg leads Evans by 33 seconds on Day 1 of the Safari Rally

Oliver Solberg built a 33.3-second lead over Elfyn Evans after the first two special stages of the 2026 Safari Rally Kenya, the third round of the WRC championship, contested on Thursday in Naivasha. The rain and mud turned the long Camp Moran stage into terrain where the gaps among the Rally1 cars approached nearly four minutes. Toyota occupied the top five positions overall for the third consecutive rally this season, and all three Hyundai i20 N Rally1 cars ended up with high-temperature warnings as mud accumulated in the first stage, clogging their radiators in the second.

Camp Moran separated the Rally1 cars by nearly four minutes

The rain that fell on Camp Moran before and during the stage turned entire sections into deep mud alternating with standing water puddles, and the gaps between the ten Rally1 drivers reached 3:57.1 seconds between first and last. The starting order was decisive because those who ran the stage first found difficult but passable conditions, and each passing car degraded the surface further for the next.

Solberg started second and set a time 30 seconds faster than Evans, who opened the road as championship leader but ran out of windshield washer fluid midway through the stage with mud building up on the glass until late rain gave him back some visibility in the final kilometers. Sébastien Ogier, nine-time world champion and further back in the starting sequence, faced worse conditions and finished 1:09.3 behind the leader, although the Hyundai and M-Sport drivers paid an even heavier price with Thierry Neuville losing 2:13.3 and Josh McErlean closing out the Rally1 table nearly four minutes down.

Takamoto Katsuta had the most complicated run among the Toyota drivers as he lost communication with his co-driver Aaron Johnston just before the start of Camp Moran and had to cover the 24.35 kilometers without pacenotes, relying on hand signals Johnston improvised from the right seat. The pair finished fourth in the stage 1:15.7 behind Solberg and managed to repair the intercom before Mzabibu, where Katsuta set the third-fastest time.

The day's second stage covered the 8.86 kilometers of Mzabibu in dry conditions and changed little in the overall classification. Ogier posted the fastest time by four-tenths over Sami Pajari, and Solberg's lead grew to 33.3 seconds as he was also 3.3 seconds faster than Evans on the short stage.

Photo By Red Bull Content Pool

All three Hyundais overheated due to mud in the radiators

Hyundai arrived at Rally Sweden with questions about whether their performance issues were specific to snow or part of something broader. Two stages in Kenya provide new data, although the problem this time was different. The mud that all three i20 N Rally1 cars accumulated in Camp Moran clogged their radiators and triggered high-temperature warnings during Mzabibu, the afternoon's second stage.

Neuville attempted to clean his radiator manually between stages without success. "We tried brushing it and blowing it, but there was still too much dirt," the Belgian admitted, finishing sixth with visible steam coming from the front of his car as he crossed the finish line. Adrien Fourmaux and Esapekka Lappi had to reduce their pace during Mzabibu to avoid major engine damage, a problem that also affected McErlean's Ford Puma and left him tenth among the Rally1 cars.

This makes three rallies with three different problems but a recurring result, as all three i20 N cars end up more than two minutes behind the leader in each round. The gap in the constructors' championship remains 51 points in Toyota's favor with nine rallies remaining, and Hyundai has completed three rounds without being able to get close to the pace of the GR Yaris Rally1 on asphalt, snow, or gravel.

Photo By Red Bull Content Pool

Evans arrives at Safari Rally Kenya as championship leader with 60 points compared to Solberg's 47, followed by Katsuta with 30, Fourmaux with 28, and Neuville with 21. 18 special stages remain to be contested before Sunday, starting with the eight on Friday totaling 125.01 kilometers and including three new tests around Lake Naivasha in addition to the repeats of Camp Moran and Mzabibu.

Jon Armstrong was the best M-Sport Ford driver in seventh place overall in his first gravel stage with a Rally1 car. In WRC2, Gus Greensmith leads the category in his debut with the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, holding a 3.0-second advantage over Diego Domínguez, with Robert Virves 8.6 seconds behind the leader in third.

Friday will be the longest day of the Safari Rally with eight special stages totaling 125.01 competitive kilometers, more than triple what was run on Thursday. The schedule includes three new tests around Lake Naivasha that are run twice, with the repeats of Camp Moran and Mzabibu opening and closing the day's itinerary.

WRC Overall After SS2 - Safari Rally Kenya 2026

POS	#	PILOTO/COPILOTO	EQUIPO	MARCA	MODELO	TIEMPO
1	99	Oliver SOLBERG Elliott EDMONDSON	Toyota Gazoo Racing Wrt	Toyota	Gr Yaris Rally1	22:56.2
2	33	Elfyn EVANS Scott MARTIN	Toyota Gazoo Racing Wrt	Toyota	Gr Yaris Rally1	+ 30.0
3	1	Sébastien OGIER Vincent LANDAIS	Toyota Gazoo Racing Wrt	Toyota	Gr Yaris Rally1	+ 1:09.3
4	18	Takamoto KATSUTA Aaron JOHNSTON	Toyota Gazoo Racing Wrt	Toyota	Gr Yaris Rally1	+ 1:15.7
5	5	Sami PAJARI Marko SALMINEN	Toyota Gazoo Racing Wrt2	Toyota	Gr Yaris Rally1	+ 2:10.2
6	11	Thierry NEUVILLE Martijn WYDAEGHE	Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team	Hyundai	I20 N Rally1	+ 2:13.3
7	16	Adrien FOURMAUX Alexandre CORIA	Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team	Hyundai	I20 N Rally1	+ 2:17.4
8	95	Jon ARMSTRONG Shane BYRNE	M-sport Ford World Rally Team	Ford	Puma Rally1	+ 2:22.2
9	4	Esapekka LAPPI Enni MÄLKÖNEN	Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team	Hyundai	I20 N Rally1	+ 2:40.8
10	55	Joshua MCERLEAN Eoin TREACY	M-sport Ford World Rally Team	Ford	Puma Rally1	+ 3:57.1