2026 Safari Rally
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Kenya| 2026 Safari Rally Safari Rally Kenya 2026 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Round 3 of 14 in the 2026 World Rally Championship
| |||
 The rally is featured with rocky and rutted tracks and unpredictable weather. | |||
| Host country | Kenya | ||
| Rally base | Naivasha, Nakuru County | ||
| Dates run | 12 – 15 March 2026 | ||
| Start location | Kasarani, Nairobi | ||
| Finish location | Hell's Gate National Park, Naivasha | ||
| Stages | 20 (350.52 km; 217.80 miles)[1] | ||
| Stage surface | Gravel | ||
| Transport distance | 877.34 km (545.15 miles) | ||
| Overall distance | 1,227.86 km (762.96 miles) | ||
| Statistics | |||
| Crews registered | 46 | ||
| Crews | 40 at start, 29 at finish | ||
| Overall results | |||
| Overall winner |  Takamoto Katsuta Aaron Johnston Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT3:16:05.6 | ||
| Sunday Accumulated leader |  Oliver Solberg Elliott Edmondson Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT33:28.9 | ||
| Power Stage winner | Oliver Solberg Elliott Edmondson Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT 5:32.2 | ||
| Support category results | |||
| WRC-2 winner |  Robert Virves Jakko Viilo Toksport WRT3:27:44.3 | ||
| WRC-3 winner |  Georgios Vasilakis Allan Harryman4:25:07.7 | ||
The 2026 Safari Rally (also known as the Safari Rally Kenya 2026) was a motor racing event for rally cars held over four days from 12 to 15 March 2026.[2] It marked the seventy-fourth running of the Safari Rally, and was the third round of the 2026 World Rally Championship, 2026 WRC2 Championship and 2026 WRC3 Championship. The 2026 event was based in Naivasha in the Nakuru County, and was consisted of twenty special stages, covering a total competitive distance of 350.52 km (217.80 mi).
Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin were the defending rally winners, and Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT, were the defending manufacturer's winners.[3] Gus Greensmith and Jonas Andersson were the defending rally winners in the WRC2 championship.[4] Nikhil Sachania and Deep Patel were the defending rally winners in the WRC3 championship.
Takamoto Katsuta and Aaron Johnston took their maiden victory, and Toyota successfully defended their title.[5] Robert Virves and Jakko Viilo were the winners in the WRC2 category.[6] Georgios Vasilakis and Allan Harryman were the winners in the WRC3 category.[7]
Entry list
The following crews entered into the rally. The event was open to crews competing in the World Rally Championship, its support categories, the WRC2 Championship, the WRC3 Championship and privateer entries that were not registered to score points in any championship. Ten crews entered under Rally1 regulations, as were fifteen Rally2 crews in the WRC2 Championship and four Rally3 crews in the WRC3 Championship.[8]
| No. | Driver | Co-Driver | Entrant | Car | Class/Championship eligibility | Tyre |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 |  Nataniel Bruun |
 Sergio Fernández Guerra |
Nataniel Bruun |
Ford Fiesta Rally3 | WRC3 | H |
| 37 | Georgios Vasilakis |
Allan Harryman |
Georgios Vasilakis |
Ford Fiesta Rally3 | WRC3, Masters Driver, Masters Co-Driver | H |
| 38 |  Naveen Puligilla |
Musa Sherif |
Naveen Puligilla |
Ford Fiesta Rally3 | WRC3 | H |
| 39 | Nikhil Sachania |
Deep Patel |
Nikhil Sachania |
Ford Fiesta Rally3 | WRC3 | H |
Itinerary
All dates and times are EAT (UTC+3).
| Date | No. | Time span | Stage name | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 March | — | After 8:01 | Nawisa [Shakedown] | 6.31 km |
 |
After 15:00 | Opening ceremony, WRTI Naivasha | N/a | |
| SS1 | After 16:05 | Camp Moran 1 | 24.35 km | |
| SS2 | After 17:23 | Mzabibu 1 | 8.86 km | |
 |
18:23 – 19:08 | Service A, WRTI Naivasha | N/a | |
| 13 March | SS3 | After 8:03 | Camp Moran 2 | 24.35 km |
| SS4 | After 9:06 | Loldia 1 | 25.04 km | |
| SS5 | After 10:24 | Kengen Geothermal 1 | 13.16 km | |
| SS6 | After 11:17 | Kedong 1 | 13.79 km | |
 |
11:57 – 12:57 | Regroup, WRTI Naivasha | N/a | |
|
12:57 – 13:27 | Service B, WRTI Naivasha | N/a | |
| SS7 | After 14:00 | Kedong 1 | 13.79 km | |
| SS8 | After 14:58 | Kengen Geothermal 1 | 13.16 km | |
| SS9 | After 15:56 | Loldia 1 | 25.04 km | |
| SS10 | After 16:59 | Mzabibu 2 | 8.86 km | |
|
17:59 – 18:44 | Flexi service C, WRTI Naivasha | N/a | |
| 14 March | SS11 | After 8:35 | Soysambu 1 | 24.94 km |
| SS12 | After 9:35 | Elmenteita 1 | 18.01 km | |
| SS13 | After 10:33 | Sleeping Warrior 1 | 18.01 km | |
|
12:30 – 13:15 | Regroup, WRTI Naivasha | N/a | |
|
13:15 – 13:45 | Service D, WRTI Naivasha | N/a | |
| SS14 | After 15:05 | Soysambu 2 | 24.94 km | |
| SS15 | After 16:05 | Elmenteita 2 | 18.01 km | |
| SS16 | After 17:03 | Sleeping Warrior 2 | 18.01 km | |
|
19:28 – 20:13 | Flexi service E, WRTI Naivasha | N/a | |
| 15 March | SS17 | After 8:09 | Oserengoni 1 | 18.22 km |
| SS18 | After 9:35 | Hell's Gate 1 | 10.48 km | |
| SS19 | After 10:38 | Oserengoni 2 | 18.22 km | |
|
11:47 – 12:50 | Regroup, WRTI Naivasha | N/a | |
| SS20 | After 13:15 | Hell's Gate 2 [Power Stage] | 10.53 km | |
 |
After 14:15 | Podium ceremony, WSTI Naivasha | N/a | |
 |
After 15:50 | Finish, WSTI Naivasha | N/a | |
| Source:[1] | ||||
