Championship leader Elfyn Evans is dreading the Safari Rally: "It's probably the toughest race."

The Kenyan round of the World Rally Championship (WRC) remains one of the most dreaded events on the calendar. True to its reputation, the 2026 edition of the Safari Rally could push the limits even further with particularly demanding conditions, marked by heavy rain and tracks already badly damaged even before the start. During the first special stage, run in the afternoon, the crews Toyota had to contend with intense rain that quickly transformed the track into a mixture of mud, standing water and highly variable grip.

Under these conditions, the main objective for most crews wasn't pure performance, but simply to get through the special stage without any major errors or mechanical problems. The cars often had to contend with deep puddles, extremely slippery sections, and mud spray that severely limited visibility. This scenario is nothing new on Kenyan tracks. The Safari Rally is distinguished precisely by its ability to shake up the standings from the very first kilometers, with conditions that can change drastically from one car to another in just a few minutes.

Championship leader Elfyn Evans expected after the Shakedown a rally particularly trying after the reconnaissance carried out earlier in the week. "We're clearly on the extreme side. This is probably the toughest race compared to the survival stages we've seen in recent years. It's a bit of a mix of everything: water, red earth, and generally very difficult conditions. So yes, it's going to be tough."

The Welshman particularly emphasizes the potential impact of the weather conditions, which are already very unstable in the region. "I think so. It's potentially going to be difficult. Obviously, we know how it is when it rains here. So we have to try to be as prepared as possible for that." The first special stage of the rally, very technical and particularly rocky, has already played an important role in the weekend's hierarchy. “Yes, it’s the most technical stage of the rally. It’s extremely rocky and slippery in places. There are many different sections to the stage. The beginning is a bit more through the trees, but the last part is particularly technical. It’s almost like a roller coaster, but with rocks.”

Solberg hits hard in extreme conditions

In this chaotic context, Oliver Solberg delivered a particularly impressive performance in the first special stage. The Swedish driver set the fastest time by a significant margin over his rivals, benefiting from both a good pace and slightly more favorable conditions than those encountered by some of his pursuers. Despite this impressive result, the Swede explained that the day was primarily about survival. "Certainly no opportunity for us today in these conditions, we can only lose. So, we just tried to maintain our pace and try to read the road as much as possible when it's wet."

The main difficulty lay in the constant changes in grip, sometimes impossible to anticipate. "Sometimes everything is dry and then suddenly it's wet and you come to a bend and all that." Rain and mud also invaded the car's interior, further complicating the crew's task. "We ended up with water in the car, and fog in the car. We tried opening the window to get some air, but then the water came back in." Under these conditions, every kilometer represents a challenge. "It was a real adventure." The Toyota driver himself admitted to being surprised by the gap he had built over his rivals. "Yes, I must admit that I was surprised, clearly very surprised."

A collective domination for Toyota

Beyond Solberg's individual performance, the first day primarily highlighted Toyota's collective dominance. After the first two stages, the top five positions in the overall standings are occupied by cars from the Japanese manufacturer. This start to the rally confirms the momentum observed since the beginning of the season. The first two rounds of the championship, the Monte Carlo Rally and the Swedish Rally, had already concluded with podiums entirely composed of Toyotas. The first stage, however, was particularly eventful for Takamoto Katsuta. The Japanese driver encountered an unexpected problem just moments before the start. "Yes, it's a shame. We had no problems before departure. Forty seconds before, we lost the connection."

Communication with his co-driver Aaron Johnston was suddenly interrupted, making the special stage extremely complicated. "I couldn't hear his voice, and he couldn't hear mine." Deprived of notes for much of the journey, the crew had to improvise to stay on the road. "Aaron [Johnston] was showing me numbers with his fingers, but it was very difficult." The situation continued to be turbulent after the special stage, particularly during the liaison sections. "It was full of mud and we had to change settings, repair the intercom and clean the windows because we had no visibility." Despite this chaotic start to the rally, Katsuta believes the race is still very open. "Fortunately, there's still a long way to go, and anything can happen, so I'm continuing to do my job."

"That was perhaps the trickiest special stage I've ever done."

For Sami Pajari, this first day also served as a reminder of the unique difficulty of the Safari Rally. "It was simply more difficult than last year." The Finn was particularly affected by the first special stage, which he describes as one of the most difficult of his career. "It was close to being perhaps the trickiest special stage I've ever done."

The rain, combined with the already degraded state of the track, made driving extremely tricky. "Obviously we lost a lot of time there, but I don't think it was any better for the cars behind." The second special stage of the day proved to be a little more favorable for him. "It was already much better in the second special stage and we came very close to the best time." The Finn explains that his approach to this rally is to carefully choose the moments to attack. "Before the rally, the plan was to choose certain special stages where I can push a little harder, when the conditions are better and there is less risk to the car." But he also reminds us that the race has only just begun. "This is just the first glimpse of this rally. There are still three more days like this."

A weekend that looks set to be very unpredictable once again.

Despite Toyota's dominance on the first day, the Safari Rally remains a particularly unpredictable event. Weather conditions could continue to play a decisive role in the coming days. Some stages will be run again on the next leg, which could lead to further surprises depending on how the weather develops and the state of the tracks. The rain that fell today could also make some sections even more treacherous.

Solberg himself expects a very long and very difficult rally. "Tomorrow (Friday) should, I hope, be a little better, but we're doing this stage again tomorrow morning so it should be exactly the same, with the same pitfalls." With eighteen special stages still to go and terrain notorious for its harsh treatment of both cars and crews, nothing is yet decided for Toyota in this 2026 edition of the Safari Rally. In this type of event, consistency and reliability often count as much as speed. And on African tracks, the ability to avoid pitfalls can sometimes prove more decisive than pure performance.

ALSO READ > Safari Rally – SS2: Sébastien Ogier sets the fastest time, disaster for Hyundai