Fans were treated to dramatic scenes on Saturday on the penultimate leg of the World Rally Championship Safari Rally, as unforgiving terrain and heavy rain dented Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team’s dream of a sixth consecutive team title in the World Rally Championship Safari Rally.
Three Toyota drivers - defending champion Elfyn Evans, Oliver Solberg, who started on the lead in the morning, and reigning world champion Sebastien Ogier - retired with mechanical problems in the dramatic morning stages.
Should the three drivers manage to repair their cars overnight at the Service Park located at the Wildlife Research and Training Institute in Naivasha, they will be allowed to rejoin the race today, with a 30-minute penalty.
Their Toyota team mate, Takamoto Katsuta, took the lead heading to the final day. Takamoto, who started the day in fifth but moved to third after the morning section, found himself at the helm after Evans, Solberg and Ogier retired before midday service.
Katsuta, navigated by Irishman Aaron Johnston, goes into the final day today ahead of Hyundai i20 N crew of Frenchman Adrien Fourmaux and Alexandre Coria, by a minute and 25.5 seconds.
Romet Jargenson and his co-driver Siim Oja change the wheens of their Ford Fiesta Rally2, after it broke down at Sleeping Warrior stage during day-three of WRC Safari Rally on March 14, 2026.
Photo credit: Boniface Mwangi | Nation Media Group
Finnish Sami Pajari, navigated by his fellow countryman Marko Salminen, is third on 5:29.1, while the Toyota crew of Esapeka Lappi and Enni Malkonen from Finland are fourth in 6:18.25. Two-time Africa champion Karan Patel is the leading local driver in 13th place (53:54). He is navigated by Tauseef Khan in a Skoda Fabia WRC2 car.
With his team’s top three drivers on the back foot, 32-year-old Katsuta is hoping for a maiden victory on his sixth appearance at the WRC Safari Rally, having secured three podium finishes before. He was second in 2021, and in 2024, and came third in 2022.
WRC Safari Rally drivers stop at muddy pools, scoop up water to cool their cars
Katsuta, who is navigated by Irishman Aaron Johnston, is yet to win a race in the WRC series, having finished second in Rally of Sweden in February and seventh in the Rally of Monte Carlo in Spain in January.
Today, the action will start at 8.09am. Crews will tackle the 18.33km-long SS17 Oserengoni 1 stage, and the Power Stage in the afternoon. The cars will pass at Oserengoni and at Hell’s Gate twice as they tackle the final four sections today for a competitive distance of 57.72km.
Esappeka Lappi navigated by Enni Malkonen in a Hyundai i20 drive through Elementaita Stage during World Rally Championship Safari Rally Championship on March 14,2026.
Photo credit: Sila Kiplagat | Nation Media Group
Kasutsa went into the last three afternoon stages with Hyundai drivers breathing down his neck-Thierry Neuville from Belgium, Fourmaux and Lappi but Neuville bowed out at SS14 Soysambu 2 as they were left without any tyres after several punctures.
“Honestly, it’s much easier when you are fighting flat out everywhere. It’s very stressful, I am just trying to avoid every single rock, even the very small ones,” said Katsuta.
”Anything can happen tomorrow, so we need to be focused.”
Only two stages were covered in the afternoon SS 14 Soysambu 2 and SS14 Elementaita 2 after the third SS16 Sleeping Warrior 2 was cancelled.
The unforgiving terrains at SS12 Elementaita 1 and SS 13 Sleeping Warrior 1 were rendered difficult owing to the heavy rains, putting Toyota Gazoo Racing’s dream for their sixth consecutive team title at the Safari Rally in jeopardy.
Toyota’s individual driver dominance also faces a serious threat from Hyundai i20 N Rally 1 drivers, who are also in search of their first team and individual gongs at Safari Rally.
Evans, Solberg and Ogier- were forced to retire after the dramatic morning stages on the penultimate day, giving
The first big story from the muddy and treacherous course was that of Evans, who threw in the towel during the SS13 Sleeping Warrior 1 with a broken rear suspension. It was first retirement for Evans since 2024 Greece’s Acropolis.
Evans, who had not won any stage at this year’s Safari Rally, hit a big stone on the stage after a visibility challenge owing to the mud to break the right-hand suspension.
As the championship reeled from Evans’ shocker, Toyota Gazoo Racing deputy principal Juha Kankkunen walked into the mixed zone at the Wildlife Research and Training Institute (WRTI), Naivasha, with the bad news.
“We have decided to retire two more drivers, the leader Solberg and Ogier, over varying issues with their cars,” said Kankkunen, who is hopeful that they can fix their cars for today’s power stage.
Solberg, who had one second lead overnight, led after SS13 by 42.6 seconds from Ogier.
Despite finishing the morning section, Solberg and Ogier got stuck at the road section, suffering broken alternators.
“We hope all of them will return for the power stage on Sunday after fixing their cars tonight. There are 10 available points from the power stage for Ogier and Solberg, with Evans completely out,” said Kankkunen, the three-time WRC Safari Rally champion.
The organisers were forced to stop SS13 Sleeping Warrior owing to the rugged state of the section after all nine Rally 1 cars finished.
