Safari Rally – Who will take the big points in WRC2?

Reading the WRC2 entry list for Safari, it's clear there have been much tougher rounds. The challenging terrain and the high costs of such an event inevitably put off competitors. For those aiming for the title, however, it's a godsend. With regulations requiring contenders to choose seven events (six results will be retained) across the entire calendar, there are some trips where it's easier than elsewhere to rack up points. In Kenya, however, this approach has its limits.

The terrain in the Rift Valley is so tough that even Rally1s sometimes find themselves in difficulty. It's easy to imagine the torture this can cause for Rally2s. Now as fast as the WRC of the 2000s, these WRC2s are not specifically prepared for the bush. The only two exterior elements that differ from Europe and suggest that they will face Kenya are the bull bar and the snorkel, this kind of boa coming out of the front hood to allow the engine to continue to "breathe" in the fesh-fesh and the crossing of fords. No tests on site having been carried out except for the Sunday debugging, the teams reinforced the undersides of the cars and installed the highest suspensions in the store hoping that it resists the impacts at high speed. In Africa, it is impossible to adopt the same pace as in Europe without breaking everything and the next winner of this 73^e will be the one who has found the best tactic to avoid the traps.

In this little game, who will prove more effective: Oliver Solberg or Fergus Greensmith? They already know Kenya very well, and their clash in 2024 ended in victory for the Englishman. My goal is to repeat our success from last year., announced the Mancunian. We have a very good setup that worked perfectly last year so I'm quite confident, even if it's the most brittle Safari I've encountered. "" I haven't missed a single edition since 2021 and I still enjoy coming to this event which is undoubtedly my favorite in the calendar., explained Oliver Solberg. This is the first time the Yaris Rally2 will be competing on these stages, but from what I saw last year on other rounds, it looks solid. Our goal is obviously to try to score as many points as possible. »

Having discovered the difficulty of the terrain, the Spaniard Jan Solans has revised his ambitions downwards (Photo: Nikos Katikis/DPPI)

While the first two steps of the podium appear to be promised to the former teammates at Toksport, the match is more open for the 3^e rank. Experienced in this field, will Kajetan Kajetanowicz succeed in taming the Yaris he will be using for the first time? Knowing the Japanese car, but discovering Kenya, Jan Solans has already warned that he has revised his ambitions downwards. I came as a spectator last year and where I observed the cars, it seemed easy to drive fast., did he declare. After this year's reconnaissance, I can say that I will be very careful, because the paths are sometimes very rutted. "Rounded up in a Skoda Fabia RS, will Fabrizio Zaldivar cause a surprise in Kenya? Much more accustomed to these roads with 3 starts in Kenya, Diego Dominguez, for his part, plans to remain calm. This is my first race with the Yaris in the world championship., smiled the 3 WRC2024 champion. I still have to learn how to use it well, so we'll be studious. "The field is completed by several locals, the fastest of which should be Karan Patel (Fabia R5) and Carl Tundo (Fiesta R5). If the headliners get caught out, the Kenyans will certainly be able to grab some nice places of honor.

After the traditional starting ceremony in Nairobi, the competitors will have 21 special stages and just over 384 timed kilometers to cover.