Ott Tänak draws first blood as WRC Safari Rally revs off
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Reading Time: 3min | Thu. 20.03.25. | 20:00
Friday will rev off with a new stage, Camp Moran that combines narrow, technical tracks, fast dips, jumps, and rocky outcrops
Ott Tänak, the 2019 championship winner posted an impressive start to the 2025 World Rally Championship (WRC) Safari Rally, as he finished the opening day at the summit of the embryonic standings.
The much-anticipated rally, which reverted back to its traditional Easter calendar, was flagged off by President William Ruto at City Hall in Nairobi’s Central Business District.
Dubbed the toughest rally in the WRC series, cars braced themselves up with visible body modifications such as raised suspension to battle the treacherous roads, and a snorkel added to aid the engines' air intake during deep water crossings.
The flag-off gave way to the super special in Kasarani overlooking the iconic Kasarani Stadium, as two cars raced side by side on the soft gravel in front of a multitude of fans.
Sitting at the top of the driver’s standings, Welshman Elfyn Evans was eager to set an early pace in his Toyota to possess an advantage in the longest rally of the series.
Just that is what the Briton did as he took an early lead following a clean drive as the drives quickly dashed to Naivasha for the all-new stage, Mzabibu which stretched 8.15km, offering fans in the town a clear vantage view.
The stage however was conquered by Tänak who catapulted from fourth to take control of the rally standings in his older version of the Hyundai i20 that was more sturdy for the Safari.
Speaking after the race, the Estonian was quick to shrug off his early lead noting that Friday’s first stage, Camp Moran, another new addition, will put his skills to test.
“For me, it was all fine. I think the first stage tomorrow will show quite a lot. It’s super tricky, very demanding and long at the same time. I think the whole day will be quite a big show,” said Tänak in an interview with WRC.
Three-time podium finisher, Takamoto Katsuta in his fifth Safari Rally start survived a scare after negotiating a tricky corner in his Toyota, finishing second just 2.4 seconds off Tänak.
M-Sport Ford Puma driver Grégoire Munster rounded up the Day 1 podium with the Toyota boys, Kalle Rovanperä and Evans completing the top five.
Polish driver Kajetan Kajetanowicz who has an unbeaten record in the Safari Rally with three victories from three starts looks on course for extending his perfect run as he leads Rally 2 and is currently ninth overall.
The Pole was followed by fellow Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 driver Oliver Solberg who finished the day 10th overall.
Local Drivers
Two-time African Rally Championship (ARC) Karan Patel was also off to the perfect start in his Skoda Fabia Rally2 as he ended Day 1 in 16th overall and seventh in the Rally 2 category.
Patel acknowledged that Friday will present the real challenge as he chose to focus on his competitors in the African Rally Championship.
“So far so good, the car is behaving well. We don’t have service tonight, so we are taking care of it, so we go straight out tomorrow with a 15-minute service.
The stages are good but tomorrow is the real deal. The approach is to race against those who have entered the African Rally Championship, so the aim is staying ahead of them,” he told Safari Rally Kenya.
Jeremiah Wahome finished second in the local drivers' category and 18th overall, with experienced driver Carl “Flash” Tundo and Samman Vohra completing the top 20 in the rally respectively.
Hamza Anwar finished inside the top five bracket of the local driver.
