The FIA World Rally Championship shifts from icy roads to African savannah this week as the legendary Safari Rally Kenya hosts round three of the 2026 season.
Based in Naivasha, the iconic rally is widely regarded as one of the toughest challenges in global motorsport. Rough gravel roads, hidden rocks and sudden rainstorms can quickly transform stages into survival tests where reliability and strategy are just as important as outright speed.
Evans Arrives as Championship Leader
Championship leader Elfyn Evans heads into the African classic with strong momentum after his victory at Rally Sweden, where Toyota Gazoo Racing dominated the event by locking out the top four positions.
The Welsh driver now leads the drivers’ standings by 13 points and returns to Kenya aiming to defend the win he secured at the rally last year.
Evans will once again open the road on the first day — a position that can often be less punishing on Safari’s rough gravel than on many other loose-surface rallies.
“It’s been an incredible start to the year for the team but we certainly can’t underestimate the challenges ahead of us, especially going into a rally like Safari,”.
Evans said
“It can be a really unpredictable event: you can find rocks in the middle of the road or hidden in the grass, and when it rains there can be standing water and zero grip.”
Reflecting on his previous victory, Evans added that the rally’s extreme conditions make defending the title far from guaranteed.
“Last year’s rally was quite extreme with the weather and I was very happy to get through it and come away with the win for the first time. It won’t be an easy feat to repeat but that will be the target.”
Toyota’s Safari Dominance
Toyota has been the dominant force since Safari Rally Kenya returned to the championship calendar in 2021, winning every edition in the modern era.
Evans’ team-mates Oliver Solberg and Takamoto Katsuta both arrive in strong form following Rally Sweden, where Katsuta finished runner-up to Evans for the second year in a row.
Meanwhile, nine-time world champion Sébastien Ogier rejoins the championship after skipping Sweden. The French veteran has already claimed two Safari Rally victories in the modern era, winning in 2021 and 2023.
Hyundai Seeking a Turnaround
Hyundai Motorsport heads to Kenya looking to turn around a difficult start to the 2026 campaign. The team has yet to secure a podium finish in the opening two rounds — its slowest start to a season since 2018.
Adrien Fourmaux has been Hyundai’s most consistent performer so far, while reigning world champion Thierry Neuville will be eager to regain ground in the standings after a challenging start to the year. Esapekka Lappi completes the team’s line-up in a third i20 N Rally1.
Safari’s Historic Challenge
The rally itself remains steeped in history. First run in 1953 as the East African Coronation Safari, the event became famous for its endurance format and unforgiving terrain long before it joined the inaugural WRC calendar in 1973.
Today’s version still carries much of that spirit. Crews will tackle 20 stages covering 350km of competitive distance, including iconic tests such as Sleeping Warrior, Elmenteita and Hell’s Gate National Park.
Toyota hotshot Sami Pajari also returns to Kenya after finishing fourth on his debut last season, while M‑Sport Ford drivers Jon Armstrong and Josh McErlean prepare for one of the toughest assignments of their careers on the punishing African gravel.
Action begins on Thursday with shakedown near the Naivasha service park before the rally officially gets underway later in the day, setting the stage for another dramatic chapter in one of rallying’s most legendary events.
