Solberg maintains lead as Toyota dominates again
Motorsport
By
Ochieng Oyugi
| Mar 14, 2026
Oliver Solberg from Sweden navigated by Elliot Edmondson during the 2026 WRC Safari rally Kenya in Naivasha on March 13, 2026. [Stafford Ondego, Standard]
Toyota Gazoo Racing superstar Oliver Solberg clocked 1:33:50.2 to maintain a one-second lead at the top on Day 2 of the ongoing 2026 WRC Safari Rally in Naivasha yesterday.
Champions Toyota still maintained top four places on the leaderboard after world champion Sebastien Ogier (1:33:51.2), Safari Rally defending champion Elfyn Evans (1:34.10.7) and young Finn Sami Pajari (1:35:00.7) closed the day in that order.
Blazing Solberg had opened a big margin heading to the afternoon loop; however, his lead was massively reduced at SS8 Kengen Geothermal 2 stage after he was slowed down with a rear right puncture.
“So far so good, I’m just trying to find rhythm and balance with the car. We are trying to see how hard we can push it. We will try to keep on with the same rhythm as we progress, which I think is the most important thing for now. We are really trying our best in this rally, let’s see what happens in it,” Solberg told Standard Sports.
His sentiments were echoed by Evans, who said: “Today was a bit straightforward for us, but again it was still not easy as we had to tackle brake fluid issues. We also tried to avoid big jumps on the rocky surfaces of Kedong.”
Eight stages were tackled yesterday, totaling 385.39km. Cars snaked through Camp Moran, Loldia, Kengen Geothermal and Mzabibu with a similar loop repeated in the afternoon.
Solberg cruises through Kedong ranch during the 2026 WRC Safari rally Kenya in Naivasha on March 13, 2026. [Stafford Ondego, Standard]
At the 24.35km SS3 Camp Moran 2, Kenyan drivers Evans Nzioka, Ishmael Azeli, Aakif Virani and Vohra Singh were all slapped with lateness penalties.
Solberg went off-road in 25.04km Loldia 1 after overshooting a junction. Josh McErlean of Ford Puma had a water temperature alert in the same section, which saw him drive slowly.
Apart from Solberg, the 13.16km Kengen Geothermal stage had the greatest casualty of the day, with Kenya’s Lisa Christoffersen slapped with a lateness penalty. Esapekka Lappi of Hyundai also lost a few seconds while dodging, hitting two cows on the road.
Spectators follow action at Kedong ranch during the 2026 WRC Safari rally Kenya in Naivasha on March 13, 2026. [Stafford Ondego, Standard]
Pajari had a puncture as Thierry Neuville of Hyundai met the same catastrophe on his rear left. Takamoto Katsuta of Toyota also avoided hitting some wild animals crossing the road in the stretch.
At the 13.79km Kedong stretch, Toyota’s Gus Greensmith suffered a front right puncture, the same as Ogier. Katsuta suffered another double puncture on the left and right in the Kedong 2.
Six stages will be tackled today totaling 417.02km. They will include SS11 Soysambu 1, SS12 – Elmenteita 1 and SS13 Sleeping Warrior 1 with a similar loop repeated in the afternoon.
The 24.94km Soysambu will be run in the reverse direction from last year. Spectators will enjoy a picturesque view of the rally in this location.
The 18.01km Elmenteita is an open grassland that will also run in reverse to last year’s direction. The section has artificial jumps and a sharp hairpin left with Lake Elmenteita in the background.
Sleeping Warrior will be an 18.41km stretch located in the shadow of the Sleeping Warrior Hill. Good news for the drivers is that the fesh fesh that was associated with this section has been removed.
The stage will see cars tackle the cliffs of the Great Rift Valley as they race through narrow and tricky tracks and ultimately face what could be the most technically demanding stretch.
Sleeping Warrior also has varying road surfaces, fast dips and jumps and unforgiving rocky shoulders and outcrops, which will generally force the drivers to concentrate as they dial down on aggression.