Evans rules Safari as Toyota extend dominance

Carl ‘Flash’ Tundo and navigator Tim Jessop /HANDOUT

TOYOTA Gazoo Racing’s Elfyn Evans, navigated by Scott Martin, delivered a master class in precision and resilience, conquering the gruelling terrain of the WRC Safari Rally to claim his first victory in one of the world’s most punishing rallies.

The Welshman stamped his authority on the championship battle, extending his lead at the top of the 2025 WRC standings in emphatic fashion.

Evans tamed Kenya’s legendary rough roads with a commanding cumulative time of 4:20:03.8, finishing ahead of Hyundai’s Ott Tanak (4:21:13.7) and reigning world champion Thierry Neuville (4:23:35.8). Young Finn Sami Pajari impressed with a fourth-place finish (4:27:22.5) while Japan’s Takamoto Katsuta rounded out the top five (4:28:19.5).

With his triumph in Naivasha, Evans now leads the 2025 WRC standings with 88 points, a staggering 36-point cushion—the largest championship lead recorded after just three rounds of a WRC season. Neuville (52 points) and Tanak (49 points) are in pursuit of second and third place.

This was Evans’s second rally win in the WRC calendar following their triumph in Sweden. The Safari Rally has been a tough nut to crack for Evans, who had endured four previous attempts without tasting victory.

In 2021, he finished in position 10 (4:07:34.0) which he bettered the following year to finish as runners-up (3:41:17.7).

In 2023, he placed third (3:30:49.2) while last year, he narrowly missed the podium, finishing fourth (3:40:24.2).

Reflecting on his breakthrough, Evans credited a strong start and a measured approach on the final day.

 “We had a big lead coming into this day. I believe it was impossible to lose it with a clean run, so it’s nice to achieve it and a big thank you to the team,” Evans said.

He, however, admitted luck played a role. “We used our best judgment and, in a rally, you also need lots of luck and I am happy how the weekend went and happy with the result,” he noted.

Evans further lauded Hankook, the new tyre supplier, for their reliability in one of the WRC’s most brutal tests.

 “So far, I am happy with the new tyre (Hankook). In all the rallies, we have had a pretty good reliability. We have seen a few punctures, but it’s normal. Safari is an iconic event, definitely, it should remain in the calendar.”

Beyond the competition, the Welshman was full of praise for Kenya’s warm welcome and the rally’s top-tier organisation.

“I want to say thank you to everyone in Kenya for a very warm welcome. It was an amazing rally, I have to say. Huge well done to the team, they did an amazing job and I am proud to be a very small part of Toyota’s history in this incredible rally.”

Evans’ victory cemented Toyota’s supremacy in the Safari Rally, marking their fifth consecutive win since the rally’s return to the WRC in 2021. Sebastien Ogier won the 2021 (3:18:11.3) and 2023 (3:30:42.5) editions, while Rovanpera secured the 2022 (3:40:24.9) and 2024 crowns (3:36:04.0).

During Sunday’s stages Tanak displayed grit, storming to victory in SS17 Mzabibu 2 (8.27km) with a time of 6:43.4, while Katsuta snatched SS18 Oserengoni 1 (18.33km) in 11:11.1.

But the day’s heartbreak belonged to Kalle Rovanpera, the defending Safari champion, whose rally ended in SS17 due to electrical failure. “We had some electrical issues after the first stage of the morning and tried to fix it by the roadside.

“Unfortunately, we could not make it and we then ran out of battery,” Rovanpera said. Adrien Fourmaux of Hyundai then took the honours in SS19 Hell’s Gate 1, setting a blistering 5:34.8.

Katsuta then claimed SS20 Oserengoni 2 in a time of 11:00.5, 0.6 seconds ahead of Fourmaux and 4.5 seconds ahead of Neuville.

Katsuta faced disappointment during the Wolf stage after his car rolled 0.2km into the stage.

He was, however, back and running after help from spectators which was not enough to secure the podium. The Japanese was sorry for the Toyota after not making the podium.

“I don’t know what happened. I am sorry for the team, nothing else.” Meanwhile, second-placed Tanak noted that the Safari terrain was very demanding. “All days were super demanding with varied weather conditions, from wet, rough and slippery in some places. Mostly, Friday was going well for us. But then before the end of the day, we got some trouble, so we dropped some couple of minutes, but in the next two days we kept it together,” he noted.

Tanak put up a fight throughout the rally, dominating Friday’s leg with blistering stage wins in SS3 Camp Moran (31.4km) and SS4 Loldia (19.11km).