Oliver Solberg led the Safari Rally in Kenya after the first day, holding a 33.3-second advantage over Elfyn Evans after two stages. However, his promising run ended when he retired from the event after suffering a double puncture and transmission problems. According to Toyota's deputy team principal Juha Kankkunen, mud damaging the alternator and transmission issues forced the retirement. Solberg was involved in an accident after 4.8 kilometers on the first stage of the day, according to official sources.
Conditions in the Safari Rally were extremely difficult due to heavy rain, washed-out roads, stones, deep water-filled holes, and risks of wildlife. The third stage, Camp Moran 2, was canceled due to poor road conditions, according to multiple reports. Overnight heavy rain forced organizers to cancel the day's opening stage, a second pass through Camp Moran, research indicates. The stage was canceled due to deteriorating road conditions that left sections inaccessible to technical and medical vehicles, but by the time crews were back under way, blue skies and dry stages greeted the drivers, according to research.
Other top drivers also fell victim to the challenging event. Elfyn Evans retired from the Safari Rally due to suspension damage, multiple reports confirm, and he also crashed today, going off on the third stage, according to official sources. Sebastien Ogier retired from the Safari Rally as well, major media outlets report. Evans had previously retired on the third stage of the Croatia Rally, according to multiple reports.
With the top contenders out, Takamoto Katsuta took the lead in the Safari Rally after the retirements of Solberg, Evans, and Ogier, major media report. Katsuta, 33, took his first victory in the World Championship series by winning the Safari Rally a month ago, after ten years on the tour, according to official sources. His recent form includes winning the Croatia Rally and leading the championship with 81 points, multiple reports indicate.
I live and breathe this every day, it's all I know in life. When it doesn't go according to plan, it's tough.
The championship standings have tightened significantly after the Croatia Rally. Elfyn Evans is second in the championship with 74 points, while Oliver Solberg is third with 68 points, according to multiple reports. Before the rally, Oliver Solberg was second in the World Championship series with 58 points, eight behind leader Elfyn Evans, official sources state. However, Solberg can restart tomorrow but will have difficulty scoring points in the World Championship title fight, where he will now fall behind, according to official sources. He now aims to win the power stage on Sunday, which gives ten points, official sources add.
Oliver Solberg's recent performances have been a mix of highs and lows. He crashed and retired on the first stage of the Croatia Rally, multiple reports confirm, but won ten special stages during the Saturday and Sunday of that event, according to major media. Before the start of the Safari Rally, Oliver Solberg reported that he had slept poorly, according to his own comments. Despite this, he showed top form by being fastest on the shakedown yesterday, official sources state.
Sebastien Ogier ignited a charge to haul himself into the victory fight, research indicates. Solberg started Friday with a margin of more than a minute over reigning world champion Ogier, according to research. By the end of the loop, Solberg's lead had been cut to 28.8s, and Ogier was only 38.2s adrift, research shows. Ogier lost more than a minute to the unfortunate timing of a heavy rain shower on Thursday, but he quickly set about trying to make up the lost time, research adds. He blitzed stage four, winning the test by 2.5s from Sami Pajari, with his time 16.2s faster than rally leader Solberg, according to research.
Sami Pajari was fifth in the Safari Rally after the first day, over two minutes behind the leader, multiple reports state. The remaining two stages of the loop were claimed by Sami Pajari, research indicates. Pajari had already been fortunate to avoid rolling his Toyota in stage four, and he continued to take risks that were rewarded with stage wins, research adds. However, his aggressive driving came at a cost, as he did end stage five with a tyre coming off the rim, according to research.
This morning was the first time I drove hard tires with this car and I really struggled with the feeling. I had a bit of understeer and we just hit a stone wall with the rear wheel. It's a shame.
Elfyn Evans battled a brake issue with his GR Yaris that left the Welshman clearly unhappy, research shows. Ogier continued to take time away from Evans, closing the gap to his second placed team-mate to 9.4s after stage six, research indicates. Evans had cut the gap to the lead to 27.2s before the final stage, but his retirement ended his efforts.
Oliver Solberg's performance included minor errors, such as overshooting a corner that the Swede felt cost 10 seconds, research indicates. He emerged from the final stage of the loop with a time 0.1s quicker than Ogier and was 1.6s faster than Evans in that stage, according to research.
Esapekka Lappi was ninth in the Safari Rally after the first day and reported very difficult conditions, multiple reports state. He collided with a zebra and several birds during the 2024 Safari Rally, according to major media.
Toyota maintained its top-five lockout with Takamoto Katsuta in fourth, 1 minute 04.2 seconds behind, and 27.7 seconds ahead of the next driver, research shows.
I was way too careful this morning with the rocks. I just want to keep it clean and as long as I keep around where Evans is, then I'm happy, but Ogier is very quick. There is so much cleaning behind. It has been a decent morning and I'm just trying to enjoy, learn and not have any punctures.
According to new FIA rules, drivers cannot stop on the road to change tires, which could be problematic in the Safari Rally, given the puncture risks and challenging conditions.
Fans streamed out from their places in the forest and tried to push Solberg's car back onto the road after his accident, but it was stuck on the slope, according to official sources.
The exact sequence and causes of Oliver Solberg's retirement remain unclear, with conflicting reports about whether it resulted from an early accident or later mechanical failures.
With Solberg finished for the day, according to official sources, the implications for the championship are significant, as he may struggle to regain ground in the remaining rally stages.