Toyota Dominates Shakedown As Rovenpera Eyes Third Safari Rally Victory
By Mwambazi Lawrence
The dust has barely settled on the Wednesday shakedown stage, but one thing is already clear,Toyota didn’t just come to Kenya with a mission, they came with a VIP pass to the winner’s lounge! Since the Safari Rally’s grand comeback to the WRC calendar in 2021, Toyota has been treating the podium like their personal parking spot no tickets, no tows, just pure dominance. It’s like they put a “Reserved for Toyota” sign at the finish line! And guess what? Kalle Rovanperä, the flying Finn with a need for speed and an apparent allergy to losing, is back for another round! At this rate, the other teams might as well start applying for spectator passes because Toyota is making sure the best views of the podium are strictly for their drivers.
“It’s always great to be back here in Kenya, and I’m really looking forward to an epic rally!” said Rovanperä, casually flexing his shakedown stage dominance like a guy who just aced an exam without studying. He clocked the fastest time, but, of course, we all know the real chaos begins when the actual rally kicks off.
Meanwhile, Championship Leader Evans Was… Seventhhhhh?!? Elfyn Evans rolled into Kenya sitting pretty at the top of the championship standings after serving a rallying masterclass in Sweden. But his shakedown performance? Well… let’s just say the Welshman might have taken the phrase “pole, pole” (Swahili for “slowly, slowly”) a little too seriously. Seventh place?! Perhaps he got distracted by Kenya’s breathtaking landscapes, took a scenic detour, and accidentally started a wildlife safari mid-stage. Or maybe -just maybe he was still recovering from an extra-spicy plate of nyama choma that hit harder than a tight hairpin corner. Either way, rallying isn’t a sprint; it’s a marathon, and if there’s one thing Toyota knows, it’s how to turn a slow start into a champagne shower at the finish line.
If there’s one thing that has eluded Hyundai since the Safari’s return, it’s the top step of the podium like a sneaky mosquito that just won’t let them sleep at night. But Thierry Neuville, reigning world champion and full-time rally daredevil, is determined to change that. He’s ready to fight, but let’s be honest, the Safari Rally isn’t just about speed it’s about survival. “The most important thing is to bring the car home in one piece,” he probably whispered to his Hyundai i20, tucking it in with a gentle pat on the dashboard and a bedtime story about past rallies gone wrong. Whether the car listens or decides to throw a mechanical tantrum halfway through well, that’s a different story.
Hyundai’s best-ever Safari result? Ott Tänak’s third-place finish in 2021 basically a polite “May I have a podium, please?” compared to Toyota’s full-blown parking-lot takeover. But now that the Estonian is back , he’s got one thing on his mind: upgrading that bronze to gold. Of course, that all depends on whether his car feels like cooperating or decides to throw a diva fit halfway through.
Sitting fifth in the championship, Tänak needs a big result, and what better way to make a statement than by taming the wild beast that is the Safari Rally? After all, this is a rally where survival skills matter just as much as speed where drivers wrestle with the terrain, cars develop trust issues, and mechanics age 10 years overnight. If Tänak can pull this off, Hyundai might finally get that elusive Safari win… and his i20 might just get an extra loving tap instead of the usual frustrated smack on the dashboard.
Ah, M-Sport Ford the team that always brings hope, heart, and just the right amount of unpredictability, like a plot twist in a telenovela. One minute, they’re flying high; the next, they’re knee-deep in drama with a suspension failure and a prayer.
Leading the charge is Grégoire Munster, who was the fastest among the Ford squad in shakedown a title that probably comes with a firm pat on the back and a gentle reminder that shakedown speed means nothing if your car decides to self-destruct mid-rally.
Meanwhile, Josh McErLean is making his WRC debut on the Safari, which is basically like learning to swim by being thrown into a shark-infested ocean… during a hurricane… while wearing a steak-scented wetsuit. No pressure, Josh! If he makes it to the finish, he deserves a trophy, a safari hat, and possibly a support group for first-time Safari survivors.
Kalle Rovanperä once again reminded everyone that he is, in fact, very fast, clocking the best shakedown time.
- Kalle Rovanperä (Toyota) – Fastest
- Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) – 1.6 seconds slower
- Ott Tänak (Hyundai) – 1.9 seconds off the pace
- Adrien Fourmaux (Ford) – 2.2 seconds back
- Takamoto Katsuta (Toyota) – proving his Safari expertise
- Grégoire Munster (Ford) – fastest of the M-Sport boys
Meanwhile, the local heroes were not about to let the WRC big shots steal all the thunder. Karan Patel, reigning FIA African Rally Champion and certified speed merchant, made sure to remind everyone whose backyard they were racing in clocking the fastest time among the Kenyans in his Skoda Rally3. Right behind him was reigning Kenyan national champ Samman Vohra, proving that the homegrown talent isn’t here just to make up the numbers.
And then there’s Carl Tundo the Safari legend, the man who probably knows every rock, rut, and rogue zebra on this rally. Yet somehow, he found himself down in 18th. Maybe he was just taking his time, enjoying the scenery, or maybe he figured, “Let’s give the visitors a head start… for now.” Either way, don’t count him out because if there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that Safari legends always have a trick up their sleeve
The official rally kicks off on Thursday with the ceremonial flag-off at City Hall Way in Nairobi before heading straight to the fan-favorite Kasarani Super Special Stage. Then, it’s off to the Rift Valley, where Friday will see drivers tackle eight brutal tests, including the all-new 32km Camp Moran stage because nothing says “welcome to Kenya” like a fresh challenge!
Saturday? More pain. Three morning stages will be repeated in the afternoon, and just for fun, the drivers get to tackle the infamous 27km Sleeping Warrior stage twice. A perfect mix of breathtaking landscapes and bone-rattling terrain.
Sunday may be the shortest day of the rally at 65km, but with five power-stage bonus points on the line, don’t expect anyone to take it easy. The final challenge? Hells Gate. Run twice, with the second pass doubling as the event’s Power Stage. Whoever survives that will have truly earned their place in Safari Rally history.
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