Estonia’s Ott Tänak, fueled by his Hyundai i20 Rally1 and what can only be described as a secret stash of turbocharged good luck, snatched the overnight lead in the WRC Safari Rally’s opening stages on Thursday.
With a gap of just 2.4 seconds, he managed to stay ahead of Japan’s Takamoto Katsuta and his Irish co-driver Aaron Johnson, who were apparently so eager to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day early that they took a slight detour into a vineyard to avoid a potentially damaging collision.
Hot on their heels, by just two-tenths of a second, was M-sport’s Gregoire Munster (Ford Puma Rally1). Meanwhile, Toyota’s Elfyn Evans, fresh from his icy conquest in Rally Sweden, set the fastest time on the first stage at Kasarani, a 4.75km stretch of mud and slippery gravel. Evans, however, was soon matched by Belgium’s Thierry Neuville, who had gone head-to-head with him like two gladiators in a chariot race. Tänak, ever the rally mischief maker, lurked just 0.7s behind
The second stage, Mzabibu, saw Tänak set the pace, while Katsuta, still seemingly impressed by the vineyard scenery, out braked himself and took a brief tour of the local produce before getting back on track. Despite his accidental agricultural detour, he finished just 1.1 seconds behind the flying Estonian. “I’m feeling very comfortable with the car,” Katsuta said, presumably while trying to shake off any stray grapevines still clinging to his bumper.
Not everyone had a smooth day, though. Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux had a mechanical nightmare and missed SS2, with his car needing a push start from enthusiastic Naivasha locals. Unfortunately, their goodwill couldn’t erase the brutal 10-minute penalty he received for not starting the stage. Fourmaux, already a key figure in the FIA’s recent “swearing ban” controversy, probably had a few choice words for his car, but we can only assume he whispered them under his breath to avoid further punishment.
Meanwhile, Polish rally king Kajetan Kajetanowicz, undefeated in the Safari Rally with three straight wins, was continuing his streak in Rally 2, sitting ninth overall. His Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 was trailed by Oliver Solberg in tenth. Kenya’s Karan Patel, gunning for African Rally Championship (ARC) glory, ended the day in 16th overall but was more focused on beating his regional rivals. “The car is behaving well. We don’t have service tonight, so we’re taking care of it like a good relationship,” he joked, though whether he was referring to the car or a co-driver turned marriage counsellor remains unclear.
Local rally stars also made their mark. Jeremiah Wahome secured second place among the Kenyan drivers and 18th overall, while Carl “Flash” Tundo, never one to shy away from a fast drive, completed the top 20. Hamza Anwar stormed into the top five among local drivers, showing that the homegrown talent isn’t just here to spectate.
Uganda’s Yassin Nasser, currently cruising in 25th place, seems to be treating the rally like a scenic game drive. “Taking it easy,” his team reported, though one wonders if he was secretly hoping to spot a zebra or two before getting serious in Friday’s gruelling longer stages.
The rally madness continues bright and early at 07:13 am EAT on Friday, with a fresh beast of a stage Camp Moran. This 31.4km monster will throw everything at the drivers; narrow technical sections, fast dips, jumps, and rocky outcrops.
