Toyota Gazoo Racing's Elfyn Evans during an interview/ TEDDY MULEICurrent World Rally Championship (WRC) leader Elfyn Evans of Britain is optimistic of defending his Safari Rally crown this weekend as he accelerates his quest for a maiden world title.
Evans rolls into the iconic classic in scintillating form after a commanding start to the 2026 WRC campaign across the opening two rounds in Monaco and Sweden.
At the Rally Monte-Carlo in Monaco, Evans clocked a cumulative 4:25:50.8 to secure second place as Toyota Gazoo Racing locked out the podium. Oliver Solberg stormed to victory with a time of 4:24:59.0, while Sébastien Ogier completed the Toyota sweep in 4:27:01.2.
Evans then stepped up a gear in the second round in Sweden, clinching victory in 2:35:53.1 to orchestrate yet another dominant Toyota podium. Takamoto Katsuta finished second in 2:36:07.4, while rising star Sami Pajari sealed third place in 2:36:39.1.
Those performances have propelled Evans to the summit of the 2026 WRC standings with 60 points, ahead of Solberg on 47, while Katsuta sits third on 30.
As the WRC caravan pitches camp in Kenya for the third round of the championship, Evans is keen to tame the unforgiving Safari terrain once again to strengthen his title credentials. “The championship is the ultimate goal. All we really need over the weekend is to have a strong performance,” Evans said.
Last year, Evans delivered a masterclass on the punishing Kenyan stages, clinching his maiden Safari Rally crown with a winning time of 4:20:03.8.
He finished comfortably ahead of Hyundai’s Ott Tänak, who clocked 4:21:13.7 and Thierry Neuville, who completed the podium in 4:23:35.8.
However, Evans remains wary of the unpredictable nature of one of the toughest rounds on the WRC calendar. “You can never be too confident, but of course we are here to aim as high as we can and deliver our best performance,” he added.
Elfyn Evans in last year's Safari Rally action/HANDOUT
The Welshman also pointed to the brutal and unpredictable character that makes the Safari Rally one of motorsport’s ultimate endurance tests. “Safari Rally is one of those events that is widely open. Many things can happen within the week,” he said.
“You also need a little bit of luck to go through the Safari Rally week with no issues.”
Winning last year’s edition, he admits, remains one of the defining milestones of his career. “The Safari is one of the most iconic events on the calendar, and being able to win it is quite special.”
As he builds momentum in his pursuit of the global crown, Evans emphasised the importance of consistency throughout the season. “Last year we were quite strong in the end, but the weak point was the mid-season,” he noted.
“We are definitely looking to improve in those areas. It’s a long championship, and we need to keep a similar level of performance while also targeting key events.”
In the 2025 campaign, Evans finished second overall with 289 points from 14 rounds, narrowly missing out on the title to Toyota teammate Sébastien Ogier, who topped the standings with 293 points.
Meanwhile, Toyota Gazoo Racing deputy team principal and four-time world champion Juha Kankkunen expressed confidence in the Japanese manufacturer’s dominance on Kenyan soil. “We have always had very good results here in Kenya for the past five years,” said Kankkunen.
“It’s going to be definitely hard this year because of the rains, but I am sure our boys will do well anyway.”
Kankkunen, however, admitted the team had faced logistical challenges ahead of the rally. “We were struggling a bit before the rally to get our team spare parts and recce cars here on time, but now everything is fine.”
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