Pajari, Takamoto shine as Solberg maintains top place

Swedish driver Oliver Solberg retained the overall lead of the 2026 Safari Rally Kenya through to afternoon stages despite a challenging second day in Naivasha, holding off pressure from his fast-chasing teammates.

Finnish sensation Sami Pajari and Japanese star Takamoto Katsuta stole the spotlight of morning stages on Day Two of the 2026 Safari Rally Kenya, showing blistering pace in Naivasha.

Pajari stamped his authority on SS5 KenGen Geothermal, storming to victory in 6:53.3, ahead of 9-time world champion Sébastien Ogier (6:56.3) and teammate Elfyn Evans (7:01.8).

He carried that momentum into SS6 Kedong 1, topping the timesheets again in 6:22.6, with Katsuta second in 6:26.2 and Thierry Neuville third in 6:28.1.

“The Safari is brutal and unforgiving. There are a lot of loose rocks, so it’s risky to trust the speed,” Pajari said.

Katsuta added on the famed Kedong jump: “I don’t feel it that much today, maybe in the afternoon I will try more. Until Saturday, the plan is to avoid big mistakes and losing time, and execute the program with the days ahead in mind.”

Despite Pajari and Katsuta’s impressive stage wins, Oliver Solberg continues to command the overall leaderboard. The Swedish driver, navigated by Elliot Edmondson in the Toyota Gazoo GR Yaris, leads after six stages with a total time of 58:30.3, ahead of teammate Evans (+28.8 seconds), Ogier (+38.2 seconds), and Katsuta in fourth.

Stage 4, the rally’s longest at 25.6km Loldia 1, was a highlight as Ogier stormed to victory in 14:18.8, Pajari was second (14:21.3), and Adrien Fourmaux third (14:21.8). Solberg finished eighth on the stage (14:35.0) but maintained his lead in the overall standings with a cumulative time of 44:53.6.

Kenya’s best-placed driver, Karan Patel, competes in WRC 2 in a Skoda Fabia, sitting 16th with 1:13:23.8, followed by Aakif Virani in 18th with more stages to go.