Your Friday guide to Safari Rally 2025

The wait is finally over. President William Ruto has Thursday morning flagged off the 2025 Safari Rally in a ceremonial display at City-Hall Way, Nairobi.

The action proper will begin at 13:05 EAT, when the first drivers set off for a thrilling, 4.76km head-to-head stage in Kasarani, Nairobi.

The closed, mixed-surface course will set the tone for the rally in front of thousands of spectators and will be run in reverse compared to previous years.

That is not all the action today though, as we have been accustomed to, because for the first time, there will be two stages on the opening day of Rally Kenya.

Super Stage 2 is a brand new, 8.15km route named ‘Mzabibu’, designed with fans in mind, offering spectacular viewing points just 10km from Naivasha town.

The route includes both fast sections and challenging twists and turns along the Malewa River.

It is all to play for in this year’s Safari leg of the WRC season, but Toyota Gazoo Racing has dominated the event since its return in 2021.

Rally legend Sebastien Ogier and two-time world champion Kalle Rovanpera have two wins-a-piece, but the Finn has had a less-than-ideal start to his 2025 campaign.

His teammate, Elfyn Evans, however, is in great form, following his overall win in Sweden last time out.

Expect a strong challenge from Hyundai – reigning world champion Thierry Neuville has been strong here in recent years, and so has Estonia’s Ott Tanak, but both have fallen short due to some tough luck and costly mistakes.

An equally intense battle between Skoda’s Oliver Solberg, Britain’s Gus Greensmith and any other rally hopefuls will ensue in WRC 2 too.

Greensmith got the better of Solberg by 1 minute and 23 seconds in last year’s edition, but the Swede in 2025 has made the jump from Skoda to Toyota.

Kenya has a number of representatives looking to make their mark this year, including Kenya’s top placers from last year, Carl Tundo and co-driver Tim Jessop, who came home 7th among the WRC 2 competitors.

Tundo finished over 30 minutes ahead of compatriots Karan Patel and Aakif Virani, but expect a strong challenge from both barring any technical issues.

Jeremiah Wahome, Hamza Anwar, and Samman Singh Vohra are another three exciting prospects for Kenya in this year’s WRC 2 contest.

Nikhil Sachania, Jasmeet Chana, and Rio Smith will carry the flag for Kenya in WRC 3, while seven Kenyans and one Ugandan compete in the National class.