WRC 2026 result after Round 3: Safari Rally Kenya

Toyota Gazoo Racing continued its 2026 FIA World Rally Championship campaign in resounding fashion with its third victory in as many rounds. Japanese driver Takamoto Katsuta achieved his first-ever win in Africa and increased Toyota’s unbeaten run in this epic event. How did this 2026 WRC result play out? Read on as we review each day’s activities.

Takamoto Katsuta and co-driver Aaron Johnston have achieved their first FIA World Rally Championship victory at Safari Rally Kenya, continuing TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team’s unbeaten run on the epic African event.

WRC 2026 result: Safari Rally Kenya

As the only African round of the championship, Safari Rally Kenya provided a stark contrast to the winter weather of the previous two events. The rally is always a tough challenge, ranging from stages that are extremely rough and rocky, to others that in one downpour turn soft sand into deep, slippery mud. Teams make modifications to the cars to cope with this demanding terrain, including the fitment of snorkel-type breathing systems to prevent the engines being starved of air when crossing deep water or soft sand.

Day 1

Heavy rain in the lead-up to the event made the Kenyan roads rougher and more rutted than any other time since the event’s return in 2021. And with further rain forecast for race week, it was more important than ever for the teams to complete their reconnaissance and pre-event shakedown routines in anticipation of dealing with even more extreme conditions.

Day one was illustrative of that demanding nature, with rain, mud, limited visibility and, for Takamoto Katsuta, a comms failure between himself and co-driver Aaron Johnston, to contend with. Of the Toyota drivers, it was Oliver Solberg who settled into the best rhythm and stormed to the first stage win of the rally by a margin of 30 seconds over team-mate Elfyn Evans.

Fortunately, the second stage was shorter and, more importantly, drier. Here, Sébastien Ogier set the fastest time, but not enough to unsettle Solberg from the lead. The day concluded with all five GR Yaris Rally1 cars locking out the top five.

Day 2

The original plan for the start of day two was to re-run the first stage of day one. However, the already treacherous conditions had further deteriorated, leading the organisers to cancel the opening stage and move directly to stage two.

Ogier began the day third overall and 65 seconds from overnight leader Solberg (above), but the Frenchman capitalised on a small overshoot by his colleague and won the first stage. By the end of the morning, Ogier (below) had reduced his deficit to 38.2 seconds; and then by posting the fastest time in the first stage of the afternoon he slimmed down the difference to just one second and leapfrogged team-mate Evans into second place.

After a cautious start on day one, Sami Pajari showed strong pace. In winning stage five, six, eight and ten he ensured a clean sweep of stage wins for the GR Yaris Rally1. However, an unexpected issue on Pajari’s car stalled his afternoon entry and he incurred a 20-second penalty that unfortunately dropped him to fourth place. Meanwhile, Katsuta sustained damage to both front tyres in the first stage of the afternoon and had to manage the remaining three stages without a spare tyre.

WRC 2026 result: Day 3

Day three proved to be incredibly eventful for all participants. Solberg and Ogier began the day separated by just one second, but within minutes of starting Ogier had to stop and change a wheel. In stage two Ogier and Evans succumbed to sharp rocks hidden in the mud and suffered punctures. Then Evans (below) had to stop early in the third stage after sustaining damage to the rear suspension – his first retirement from the leg of a rally since 2024.

While Solberg and Ogier reached the end of the third and final stage of the loop in first and second respectively, their cars had to be retired on the road section prior to mid-day service. The caked-on mud was causing technical issues across the board, so the team was forced to pull out all the stops to repair three cars ahead of their restart on the final day.

Little did he realise it but Katsuta’s (above) problem-avoidance strategy in the morning and the unexpected retirements of three colleagues meant that he began the afternoon as the rally leader. He further capitalised on this promotion and increased his margin to a little over 85 seconds before the final stage was cancelled on safety grounds due to the deteriorated conditions.

Day 4

Coming into the final day with an 85-second advantage, Katsuta was careful to manage that buffer through the last four stages. It had been 34 years since a Japanese driver had won a WRC round in Africa, so he was hyper-vigilant looking out for any rocks that could potentially damage the car and thwart his overall win. By the end of the day he secured that well-deserved victory by 27.4 seconds.

Katsuta’s win represented Toyota’s sixth consecutive Safari triumph since its return to the world stage in 2021, and our 14th win on the event overall. Adding to the result for 2026, Solberg, Ogier and Evans all restarted on the final day to chase Super Sunday and Power Stage points. They each took a stage win across the first three tests before Solberg prevailed to top both classifications and secure the maximum ten bonus points. Ogier was second in the Power Stage and Super Sunday, while Evans came third.

Evans continues to lead the drivers’ championship, eight points ahead of Solberg and eleven in front of Katsuta. Maximum Sunday points kept Toyota at the top of the manufacturers’ standings by 43 points.

WRC 2026 result in Round 3: Safari Rally Kenya

WRC 2026 championship: drivers and co-drivers

WRC 2026 championship: manufacturers

WRC 2026: Where next?

Round four is the Croatia Rally, which returns to the WRC calendar after one year away and in a new home in the coastal city of Rijeka. The event takes place on 9-12 April and features challenging asphalt roads that deliver a mix of fast and more technical sections, as well as constant surface and grip changes.

Learn more: How did last year’s WRC end for Toyota?