Katsuta Takamoto of Toyota Gazoo claimed victory in the 2026 WRC Safari Rally, finishing 27.4 seconds ahead of Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux, who finished 2nd, while Sami Pajari also from Toyota Gazoo finished a distant third as this year’s edition concluded on Sunday afternoon in Naivasha.
Takamoto, who started the final day with a healthy 42 seconds, was keen on just finishing the Powerwolf stage at the Hell’s Gate on Sunday after rolling over the stage last year.
The double-point Hells Gate 2-stage was won by Oliver Solberg, also from Toyota.
It was a maiden WRC win for the 33-year-old Japanese at a familiar championship where he achieved his first podium finish,and also came too close to victory but settled for silver.
“I don’t know what to say; we have so many difficulties and moments. The team always believed in me when I was failing all the time. “Thanks to the whole team,” said the emotional Takamoto.
Karan Patel was the best-placed Kenyan after finishing 7th in the WRC 2, followed by Aakif Virani and Sammani Vohra in 8th and 9th positions, respectively.
Robert Virves emerged the WRC 2 champion ahead of Roope Korhonen, with Leo Rossel completing the podium positions.
The WRC 3 was won by George Vasilakis, with Kenyan Nikhil Sachania finishing 2nd.
Toyota Gazoo retained the manufacturer’s title for a fifth time in a row.
After 3 rounds of the 2026 WRC season, Elfyn Evans leads his Toyota teammates in first position on 66, followed by Solberg on 58, while Takamoto is 3rd on 55 poi
