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Toyota Gazoo Racing and double Safari podium finisher Takamoto Katsuta replaced teammate Oliver Solberg at the apex yesterday.
It was a day that Safari Rally lived up to its billing as the toughest leg on the World Rally Championship calendar.
Takamoto clocked 2:41:00.2 to open a massive 1 minute 25.5 seconds lead at the top as Safari Rally heads to the grand finale in Naivasha today.
The Japanese saved face for champions Toyota as top four world beaters, including three from Toyota’s stable, retired yesterday following heavy punishment from the unforgiving Soysambu, Elmenteita, and Sleeping Warriors stages that were tackled on the day.
The speedsters found it hard to maneuver the rain soaked, mud filled and rocky surfaced Soysambu (24km), Elmenteita (18km), and Sleeping Warriors (18km) stages, whose loops were also repeated in the afternoon.
The situation was so bad that the world motorsports governing body, FIA, had to cancel the sixth and last stage of the day, Sleeping Warrior 2, after heavy rains pounded the lakeside town in the afternoon.
Toyota casualties who fell by the wayside included Solberg, who had commanded the Safari leaderboard for the last three days.
His teammates, world champion Sebastien Ogier, who was out for a third victory in Kenya, and Elfyn Evans, who was defending the Safari title, were also forced to retire from the third leg of the 2026 World Rally Championship series after their vehicles suffered serious mechanical damage in the volatile sections run in the morning.
Ogier and Solberg suffered transmission and alternator problems, while Evans suffered a broken rear right suspension.
Bad luck too revisited Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville, who has battled torrid seasons in the Safari Rally, in the afternoon loop, as he too was forced to retire after suffering double punctures with a lack of a spare wheel in the wild. Ford Puma’s Josh McErlean was also forced to retire.
All the vehicles were towed back to the Service Park at the Wildlife Research and Training Institute by flatbed trucks for repair.
Despite the setback, Toyota confirmed that their trio will rejoin the contest today on Super Rally penalty, where they will each be docked 10 minutes for every stage missed.
“Yes, we have decided to retire them (the drivers) for today. We are seeing how to fix the cars tonight so they return for the Super Rally showdown on Sunday.
“We are confident that our drivers can still reap the 10 points normally associated with the final day at the Wolf Power Stage,” Toyota legend and Japanese manufacturer Deputy Team Principal Juha Kankunnen, who spoke on behalf of the drivers, told Standard Sports.
“I promise the fans that they will see speed at the Power Stage on Sunday that probably has never been experienced in the Safari in the last ten years.
“I want to warn that Safari is still not yet over for us, as we have Katsuta in the lead. He is fighting for the Safari title, but we know it’s still a very long way in the championship; anything can still happen,” Kankkunen said.
Takamoto noted that the Safari conditions in Naivasha are quite tough, with rain on sections that need high-level concentration and tact to tackle.
“There is lots of mud in the rally. Yes, it’s that bad. This is a very tricky rally because you never know where a rock is hiding in the mud, and everyone is getting punctures at random,” he said.
Meanwhile, at the 24km Soysambu stretch, Bhogal Sing of Kenya, Davide Giacarlo of Rwanda, and Duncan Mubiru of Uganda were all slapped with penalties for lateness as Sameer Nanji of Kenya and Christian Kanangire of Rwanda developed mechanical issues.
At Elmenteita, Toyota’s Sami Pajari stopped after his rear right tyre exploded on a straight, forcing him to change a tyre at the 16.5km mark. Talamoto had a half spin, which saw him stop in a very muddy section. Esapekka Lappi (Hyundai) also saw his front left tyre go off the rim just like Jon Armstrong of Ford Puma.
At Sleeping Warrior, Kenya’s Pauline Shegu, Ford Fiesta duo of George Vasilakis and Bruun Nataniel were all slapped with lateness penalties.
Adrien Fourmaux (Hyundai) had a massive overheat on his vehicle as he suffered a front right puncture.
Five stages will be tackled on the final day, totaling 285.45 km. The sections include SS17 Oserengoni (18.22km) and SS18 Hell’s Gate (10.48km) with a similar repeat before the famous Wolf Power Stage run (10.48km) at Hell’s Gate 2, where President William Ruto is expected to crown the winner in the afternoon.