Oliver Solberg takes early lead at Safari Rally Kenya

Oliver Solberg established a commanding lead during the opening stages of Safari Rally Kenya, successfully navigating extremely unpredictable weather that left the competition struggling. Heavy rainfall transformed the terrain into a muddy environment, with the 24.35km Camp Moran test proving particularly challenging. By the end of the day, Solberg held a significant advantage of nearly 30 seconds over Toyota team-mate Elfyn Evans.

Evans encountered visibility difficulties when his washer fluid ran out, though a late downpour eventually helped clear his windscreen. Meanwhile, Sébastien Ogier sits in third place, over a minute behind the leader. Despite experiencing intercom failure during the opener, Takamoto Katsuta holds fourth, while Toyota team-mate Sami Pajari follows behind.

Hyundai Motorsport faced a difficult start as mud clogged radiators, causing overheating issues for all three of their entries. Thierry Neuville, currently sixth, noted the extreme difficulty of the conditions. Elsewhere, Jon Armstrong delivered a strong performance on his Rally1 debut to hold seventh, while Gus Greensmith currently leads the WRC2 category in his maiden outing with the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2.