WRC
Solberg retains Safari lead as Pajari shines on Friday morning
Oliver Solberg maintained control of Safari Rally Kenya on Friday morning, overcoming a moment on the first stage of the day to head a dominant Toyota charge at the top of the leaderboard.
Overnight rain forced the cancellation of SS3 Camp Moran after deep rutting left sections inaccessible for medical and safety vehicles. Crews instead began the loop on the 18.95km Loldia stage, where conditions remained unpredictable.
Solberg briefly lost ground when he ran wide into the bushes on a right-hander, costing around 10sec, but the Swede settled into a measured rhythm across the remaining stages to return to the Naivasha service park with a 28.8sec advantage.
“There is a lot of cleaning and a complete lottery with the rocks,” Solberg said. “I was way too careful this morning. I just want to keep it clean – as long as I keep around Evans, I'm happy.”
Toyota drivers filled the top five places at midday, with championship leader Elfyn Evans holding second despite battling brake issues early in the loop.
WRC Safari Rally Kenya 2026, Sami Pajari / Marko Salminen
© WRC
Behind him, eight-time world champion Sébastien Ogier closed to within 9.4sec of the Welshman after claiming the fastest time on SS4. The Frenchman later lost time with a left-rear puncture on the rock-strewn Kedong test but retained third overall.
Takamoto Katsuta continued his steady run in fourth while fifth-placed Sami Pajari produced the standout pace of the morning. The Finn rebounded from a near-roll on SS4 to win both SS5 Geothermal and SS6 Kedong.
Hyundai Motorsport Technical director François-Xavier Demaison confirmed the team’s overheating problems from Thursday were caused by dried mud clogging the i20 N Rally1 radiators after the wet opening stage.
WRC Safari Rally Kenya 2026, Thierry Neuville / Martijn Wydaeghe
© WRC
Thierry Neuville leads the Hyundai contingent in sixth despite a troubled morning. The Belgian stalled under braking on SS4, then dropped further time with a rear-left puncture on SS5 while also reporting a loss of engine power. Adrien Fourmaux sits seventh overall, just 4.3sec behind his team-mate, while Esapekka Lappi holds ninth after reporting heavy understeer.
M-Sport Ford’s Jon Armstrong continued an impressive Rally1 gravel debut to run eighth despite persistent intercom issues, while team-mate Josh McErlean again lost time after receiving water-temperature warnings.
Gus Greensmith rounded out the top 10 and retained the WRC2 lead, although a front-right tyre deflation on Kedong allowed Robert Virves to slash the gap in the category fight to just 5.5sec.
