The famous Safari Rally, the third round of the FIA World Rally Championship, will take place from March 28 to 31. This highly anticipated event has attracted a total of 29 participants, including five local teams competing in their National Rally Championship.
The challenging race course consists of 19 stages, covering a distance of 367.7km. Among the participants, there will be a total of nine Rally1 cars, with each factory team contributing three cars.
Toyota Gazoo Racing, the current Safari Rally champion, will be showcasing their powerful GR Yaris Rally1s. Leading their quest for the title will be Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin, accompanied by Takamoto Katsuta and Aaron Johnston. Additionally, the team’s prodigal son and two-time WRC champion, Kalle Rovanpera, will make his second appearance of the season, partnering with Jonne Haltunen.
Hyundai Shell Mobis will be represented by Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe, who currently hold the top spot in the championship standings. They will be piloting their i30 N model alongside Ott Tanak and Martin Jarveoja. Esapekka Lappi and Janne Ferm, winners of the Rally Sweden, will also be returning in their i30 N.
M-Sport Ford will rely on their young talents, Adrien Fourmaux and Alex Coria, as well as Gregoire Munster and Louis Louka. Joining them will be Greek privateer driver Jourdan Serderidis and co-driver Frédéric Miclotte.
In the WRC2 category, the competition is fierce. The main contenders are Oliver Solberg and Gus Greensmith, both driving Skoda Fabia RSs for the Toksport team. Nicolas Ciamin has also entered the race with his Hyundai i20N WRC2.
It is worth noting that none of the Toyota WRC2 teams will be participating in this African rally.
