On Friday the rally resumes at WRTI in Naivasha with a 15-minute service before heading to the new stage at Camp Moran, followed by Loldia and Geothermal, each run twice to conclude Day Two.
Estonian Ott Tänak was in imperious form as WRC Safari Rally Kenya 2025 finally roared to life in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.
The 2019 World Rally Champion arrived at the Naivasha service park at the end of the day with a 2.4-second advantage over Japanese Toyota Gazoo Racing star Takamoto Katsuta, who clocked 9:54.7 after the first two stages: the Kasarani Super Special Stage (4.76km) and the 8.15km Mzabibu test in Naivasha.
M-Sport Ford’s Grégoire Munster and his co-driver Louis Louka secured third place, 2.6 seconds behind the leader and just 0.2 seconds ahead of Katsuta.
Current championship leader Elfyn Evans set the early pace at the Kasarani SSS, edging out reigning champion Thierry Neuville by 1.5 seconds. However, his lead was short-lived as Tänak unleashed his fearless, flat-out driving style at Mzabibu—one of the two stages featured in this year’s Safari Rally.
Tänak was all smiles as he checked into Naivasha’s Wildlife Research and Training Institute, where crews proceeded to parc fermé, marking the end of the day's itinerary.
Day One, however, proved disastrous for Frenchman Adrien Fourmaux, who retired due to electrical issues before the second speed test at Mzabibu.
“The day was all good. Very happy to be leading after the first day. Short stages today, but the second (Mzabibu) was quite demanding, with some wet grass in places. Tomorrow will be a completely different ball game as we take on the real Safari,” Tänak said.
Toyota’s Evans settled for the fifth-fastest time on Day One and was left ruing the tough conditions at Mzabibu: “We had quite an okay run on the SSS, but the next stage was a bit tricky because the grass was quite slippery in places. We know that when it rains here in Kenya, it tends to pour. Let’s see what challenge tomorrow brings.”
Kalle Rovanperä finished fourth but remained cautious about making any early predictions. “The real Safari starts tomorrow. Today was great, though—a bit of a shakedown to check that everything is working well. The Nairobi spectators made the SSS even more exciting with their large numbers and passionate cheering.”
Tomorrow, the rally resumes at WRTI in Naivasha with a 15-minute service before heading to the new stage at Camp Moran, followed by Loldia and Geothermal, each run twice to conclude Day Two.
DAY 2 ITINERARY – FRIDAY
06:00 – Service A - WRTI Naivasha (15 mins)
07:13 – SS3: Camp Moran 1 (31.40km)
08:51 – SS4: Loldia 1 (19.11km)
10:04 – SS5: Geothermal 1 (13.18km)
10:57 – SS6: Kedong 1 (15.10km)
11:52 – Service B - WRTI Naivasha (40 mins)
13:30 – SS7: Camp Moran 2 (31.40km)
15:08 – SS8: Loldia 2 (19.11km)
16:21 – SS9: Geothermal 2 (13.18km)
17:14 – SS10: Kedong 2 (15.10km)
17:49 – Flexi Service C - WRTI Naivasha (45 mins)
DAY ONE RESULTS
Ott Tänak - Martin Järveoja (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) – 9:52.3
Takamoto Katsuta - Johnston A. (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) – 9:54.7 (+2.4s)
Grégoire Munster - Louis Louka (Ford Puma Rally1) – 9:54.9 (+2.6s)
Kalle Rovanperä - Halttunen J. (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) – 9:55.3
Elfyn Evans - Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) – 9:56.8
Josh McErlean - Eoin Treacy (Ford Puma Rally1) – 10:01.1
Sami Pajari - Marko Salminen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) – 10:02.1
Thierry Neuville - Wydaeghe M. (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) – 10:12.0
Oliver Solberg - Edmondson E. (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) – 10:16.3
Gus Greensmith - Andersson J. (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) – 10:25.4
F. Zaldivar - Der Ohannesian M. (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) – 10:27.3
J. Serderidis - Miclotte F. (Ford Puma Rally1) – 10:40.0