Why Safari Rally is like no other

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The third leg of the 2026 World Rally Championship (WRC), the Safari Rally, concluded over the weekend, a tough outing for many drivers in Naivasha.

World champion Sebastien Ogier concurred that it’s the toughest leg of the global motorsports series that he has ever tackled in his entire career.

The drivers faced the wrath of the famed Sleeping Warrior and Elmenteita stages where Toyota were the heavy casualties, with Ogier, Elfyn Evans (Safari defending champion) and Oliver Solberg, who had ruled the roost for the first three days, retiring from the showdown.

Twelve other speedsters also threw in the towel from the show including the Kenyan duo of mother and daughter Tinashe Gatimu and Caroline, Lisa Christoffersen, Pauline Shegu, Evans Kavisi Nzioka, Hamza Anwar and Ishmael Azeli.

It was the first time the Gatimus were failing to bring the car home in one piece in all their four outings in the Safari.

Following the catastrophe, Takamoto Katsuta navigated his GR Yaris Rally1 machine to the ultimate finish line on Sunday, to bag his first ever WRC win.

He also saved face for Toyota, who for the first time, were facing imminent threat from rivals Hyundai, Skoda Fabia and M-Sport Ford following retirement of Toyota’s three top soldiers from the race on Saturday.

From the victory, the world came to know the existing great friendship between Katsuta and Estonian star Ott Tanak who this year announced his retirement from rallying.

Hyundai still succeeded in spoiling the podium for Toyota after their marksman Adrien Fourmaux finished second ahead of Toyota’s young Sami Pajari who is gaining ground in the Safari.

Once again, Thierry Neuville of Hyundai returned to his previous torrid seasons of being hounded by the unforgiving Safari terrains after he joined the retired Toyota trio on the wayside.

It was all smiles for debutant Robert Virves of Estonia when he bagged both the WRC2 and the WRC2 challenger category, giving him an assurance not only of a bright start in the Safari, but in the rest of the WRC series he is out to tackle this season. Double continental champion Karan Patel made Kenya proud by being the top local finisher in this year’s Safari. He also have bagged the opening leg of the African Rally Championship (ARC) category in the Safari.

Patel, who indicated that he is out for a third gong in the ARC which will be his main priority this year, was nailing his first ever win in the Safari including a first ever finish in the global championship.

“It has been four years of retiring but we managed to finish the rally this year, capping it off with the ARC title. I am excited for what lies ahead and I cannot wait to participate in the coming ARC legs. The last four days have been incredibly difficult, and we could not be prouder of this achievement,” Patel told Standard Sports.

Ntambi Oscar of Uganda won the ARC2 as George Vasilakis of Greece denied Kenya’s Nikhil Sachania a chance to retain his WRC3 trophy. However, Sachania rose to bag the ARC3 gong as Vasilakis also went for the WRC Masters Cup.

Junior ARC went to Kenya’s Sing Vohra while another Kenyan Aakif Virani went home with the ARC Masters.

Rwanda’s Queen Kalimpinya, competing in the event for the first time, emerged as the highest-placed female driver in the Kenya National Rally Championship category.

“This was my first time to participate in the Safari Rally. This event is not only iconic but also unforgiving. We managed to finish the rally and there is something valuable to take home. We hope to carry the same momentum into upcoming competitions,” said sKalimpinya.