The 2026 WRC Safari Rally is all set to kick off tomorrow in Naivasha, featuring 45 drivers, including 17 from Kenya, who will navigate through 20 stages between tomorrow and Sunday, covering a total of 338 km.
This event marks the third leg of the 2026 WRC calendar, following the Rally Monte Carlo in January and Rally Sweden last month.
In a departure from the previous five editions that began in Nairobi, this year’s ceremonial presidential flag-off will take place for the first time at the Wildlife Research and Training Institute (WRTI) in Naivasha on Thursday evening.
A significant change in this year’s edition, which is the sixth Safari Rally since its return to the WRC calendar in 2021, is the shakedown starting at 8 a.m. tomorrow in Nawisa, followed by the flag-off at 3 p.m. at the Naivasha Service Park.
The traditional Special Spectator Stage, where two drivers competed head-to-head on a closed circuit loop in Kasarani, has been removed this year after the FIA reduced the rally days to four.
On the opening day tomorrow, spectators can watch the first two competitive stages at Camp Moran 1 from 4 p.m. and Mzabibu 1 from 5:21 p.m.
Loldia was initially set to include a new rough section, but it was removed before the rally began, reducing the overall distance from 350.52 km to 338.34 km.
Rally 1 features 10 foreign drivers from three different manufacturers: Hyundai, Toyota, and Ford.
In Rally 2, 17 drivers are participating, including 7 from Kenya.
Three drivers will compete in the Rally 3 category, with the remaining participants in National Rally 2 and National Rally 4.
Toyota has dominated the last five WRC Safari Rally editions since 2021, with Kalle Rovanperra and Sebastian Ogier each securing two wins, while Elfyn Evans claimed victory last year.
