Thierry Neuville leads shakedown as Safari Rally Kenya gets underway

Thierry Neuville signaled his intent at the start of Safari Rally Kenya, recording the quickest time during Thursday morning’s shakedown session. Clocking a 4min 33.1sec effort on the 6.31km Nawisa stage, the Belgian finished 1.8 seconds ahead of Oliver Solberg. This event marks a milestone for Neuville, who now holds the record for the most WRC starts, surpassing Sébastien Loeb.

Conditions proved difficult for the field as crews navigated a rocky quarry followed by narrow, rutted tracks compounded by recent rainfall. Neuville noted the unpredictability of the weekend, emphasizing the necessity of balancing speed against the severe terrain. Among the challengers, Toyota’s Sami Pajari and Elfyn Evans secured third and fourth, while veteran Sébastien Ogier rounded out the top five. M-Sport Ford’s Joshua McErlean and Jon Armstrong also showed pace, finishing within five seconds of the leader.

Competitive action is scheduled to commence this afternoon with the opening stage, SS1 Camp Moran.