2026 WRC Safari Rally: Solberg leads Toyota podium sweep as Day 1 ends in dramatic Style

The 2026 Safari Rally Kenya burst into life on Thursday in Naivasha, with dramatic action across the opening two stages — Camp Moran and Mzabibu — as Toyota stamped early authority on the demanding gravel.

Young gun Oliver Solberg stunned rivals, surging into the early lead with a combined time of 30:18.8  more than  30 seconds ahead of teammate Elfyn Evans. Solberg excelled on the first stage through 24.35 km of rain-soaked Camp Moran, where mud and water crossings tested every crew.

 Despite starting second on the road, he posted 22:56.2, the only driver able to truly attack. “It was really wet and slippery, but I’m happy the time was good,” Solberg said. “Tomorrow we start with Camp Moran — definitely it should not dry much overnight. It’s gonna be again a big challenge. Hopefully it will be more dry during the day.”

Multi world champion Sébastien Ogier took third, 1:05.1 behind Solberg, while Japan’s Takamoto Katsuta endured a nightmare. “Before the start we just lost the connection with Aaron [Johnston, co-driver].  we race the whole way through without pacenotes,” Katsuta said after the Camp Moran stage. 

Evans added: “The conditions were exceptionally bad in there. Not able to see half the time. Second stage was a bit more straightforward, better grip, more consistent, but a tough start to the rally. Back tomorrow at Camp Moran is no exception.”

Young Finn Sami Pajari completed the Toyota top five (+2:06.4), showing resilience despite brutal conditions. 

Hyundai crews suffered heavily, with Thierry Neuville losing 2:13.3, Adrien Fourmaux 2:17.4, and Esapekka Lappi 2:40.8 to Solberg, leaving them far behind overall. 

Jon Armstrong impressed, losing just 4.8 seconds to Fourmaux, while Josh McErlean struggled, already over 1:30 down on his Irish teammate.

The Toyota lockout underlines a commanding start for Toyota Gazoo Racing in Naivasha’s unforgiving terrain, setting the tone for what promises to be a thrilling Safari Rally