Oliver Solberg and co-driver Elliott Edmondson have delivered a thunderous opening salvo at the 2026 WRC Safari Rally Kenya, rocketing into a commanding 33.3-second lead after Day 1’s rain-lashed stages. Toyota Gazoo Racing’s GR Yaris Rally1 armada locked out the entire top five – a jaw-dropping display of dominance in conditions so brutal they turned gravel into a slippery quagmire.
Heavy downpours transformed Thursday’s 24.35km Camp Moran opener into a muddy nightmare. Standing water, deep ruts and zero visibility forced crews to improvise as pace notes went out the window. Solberg, starting his WRC campaign on fire after a Monte Carlo win, sliced through the chaos to win SS1 by a staggering 30 seconds over team-mate Elfyn Evans.
“The conditions were so tricky, switching from dry to full mud and standing water,” Solberg grinned at service. “We had a good rhythm and a clean stage – I gained much more time than I expected. I’m very happy for now, but we know it’s a very long rally.”
SS2’s shorter 8.86km Mzabibu run dried out slightly, allowing Sébastien Ogier to snatch the stage win by a razor-thin 0.4s. But Solberg’s pace was relentless – he added another 3.3s to his buffer, stretching the gap to Evans to 33.3s overall. The official times tell the story:
1. Oliver Solberg / Elliott Edmondson (Toyota) – 30m 18.6s
2. Elfyn Evans / Scott Martin (Toyota) +33.3s
3. Sébastien Ogier / Vincent Landais (Toyota) +1m 05.1s
4. Takamoto Katsuta / Aaron Johnston (Toyota) +1m 15.3s
5. Sami Pajari / Marko Salminen (Toyota) +2m 06.4s
Toyota’s clean sweep left rivals reeling. All three Hyundai i20 N Rally1 cars overheated on SS2 after radiators clogged with thick Kenyan mud. Reigning champion Thierry Neuville, sixth overall, admitted: “We needed a boat, not a rally car. Everything was cold, visibility zero – this rally is long and anything can happen.”
Evans battled mud-caked windscreens and lost washer fluid, while Katsuta drove SS1 entirely without intercom, relying on frantic hand signals from co-driver Aaron Johnston. Nine-time champion Ogier summed it up: “With the rain we faced, being only a minute from the lead is decent. Many things will still happen this weekend.”
Local fans had plenty to cheer. Karan Patel and Tauseef Khan steered their Škoda Fabia to 16th overall – the highest-placed Kenyan crew, just 9m 13.4s off the lead. Samman Vohra, Aakif Virani and Jasmeet Chana rounded out the early Kenyan charge, proving home talent can tame the Safari’s fury.
With Toyota Gazoo Racing hunting a historic sixth straight Safari victory, Friday promises more drama. Crews face Kedong, Ol Karia Geothermal and a brutal second pass over Camp Moran – exactly the same quagmire that already separated the field by minutes.
Solberg knows the job is far from done: “We’ll have to do this crazy stage again first thing tomorrow. Just stay smart, keep the rhythm and see what’s possible.”
The 2026 WRC Safari Rally Kenya has only just begun – and if Day 1’s muddy mayhem is any guide, expect four days of pure African rally theatre. Toyota leads the charge, but in these conditions, the real winner could be anyone brave enough to survive.
Stay tuned to Siaya Today for live updates, full stage times and exclusive driver reactions as the Safari roars on!
