NAIROBI, Kenya, March 14, 2026 – Caution is the codeword that Japanese driver Takamoto Katsuta is living by ahead of the final day of the WRC Safari Rally in Naivasha.
The Toyota Gazoo Racing driver says the key to survive Day Three of the competition was by avoiding every rocky area, including the small ones.
“Honestly it’s much easier when you are fighting flatout everywhere. It’s very stressful, I am just trying to avoid every single rock, even the very small ones,” Katsuta said.
The Japanese heads into the final day of competition atop the overall standings after a dramatic day that saw the top three drivers fall by the wayside.
First came immediate former defending champion Elfyn Evans who saw his title defence hopes billow up in smoke — literally — after a damage to his right rear suspension at SS12 (Elementaita).
‘Comeback king’ Sebastien Ogier seemed destined to dominate the headlines for all the right reasons, not until a broken alternator put paid to his hopes enroute to the service park at the Kenya Wildlife Service Training Institute.
Until then, Ogier had done well to recover from a torrid 13th place finish at SS11 (Soysambu) to triumph at SS12 (Elementaita) and SS13 (Sleeping Warrior).
The Frenchman, who won the same competition in 2021, admitted this year’s edition is the toughest yet.
“This is the most extreme #SafariRallyKenya in recent years. We mentioned all week that Saturday would be a big, big test for the cars, and it has proven to be the case so far, even though our team has the reputation of having the strongest one. We’ll now focus on the final day to try to have a nice fight and save some points,” Ogier said.
So close, so far for Solberg
His Toyota teammate, Oliver Solberg, had endured a tough Day Three but had done well to hold on to the overall lead.
The Swede was on his way to the service park at the Kenya Wildlife Training Institute before slowing down and eventually bowing out of competition.
It was the culmination of a frustrating morning for Solberg who had had to endure a double puncture at SS12 (Elementaita) to finish fifth.
The Swede admitted it hurt to drop the ball at the business end of the rally.
“Of course, when you try to have such a clean and smart rally it hurts when you are in the lead and able to control things and potentially have a fantastic result. But that’s life,” Solberg said.
The afternoon loop was all about survival, striving to finish the day unscathed.
In the absence of the Toyota trio, the afternoon session was pretty much a battle between Katsuta and Frenchman Adrien Fourmaux for the overall lead.
Hyundai’s Fourmaux roared to victory at SS14 (Soysambu 2), stopping the clock at 15:12.8, 00.7 seconds faster than Katsuta.
For all their disappointment at losing their top three drivers, Toyota still had something to smile about as Finland’s Sami Pajari showcased nerves of still to finish first at SS15 (Elementaita 2), clocking 10:45.3.
The ultimate stage of the day, Sleeping Warrior 2, was subsequently cancelled due to unsuitable conditions occasioned by heavy rains.
“After assessment, conditions were deemed too challenging for rescue vehicles to access in the event of an emergency, with several sections affected by deep water-filled ruts following afternoon rain,” rally organisers, WRC, said.
Actions resumes tomorrow at 9 am at SS17 (Oresengoni 1).
