Oliver Solberg during the 2026 WRC Safari Rally/ WRC

Oliver Solberg of Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT kicked off the 2026 Safari Rally Kenya on a flying note on Thursday afternoon, heading into Day Two (Friday) as the overnight leader after posting the fastest times across the opening two stages of the rally.

‎‎At the opening test in Camp Moran, Solberg stamped his authority early, stopping the clock at 22:56.2 to take charge of the rally standings.

‎‎His teammate Elfyn Evans clocked 23:26.2 to slot into second place, while eight-time world champion Sébastien Ogier completed the top three with a time of 24:05.5.

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‎The script remained largely unchanged in SS2 Mzabibu, as Solberg once again laid down a blistering run to extend his advantage at the top.

‎‎The Swedish clocked an accumulative time of 30:18.6, over the two legs, leading teammates Evans (30:51.9) and Ogier (31:23.7).

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‎‎Solberg was pleased with his opening day display.

‎‎"The feeling is good and apparently the time is good, so I am very happy," he said.

‎‎He is, however, cautious of day two, which will be longer.

‎‎"Tomorrow is going to be tough. We start with Camp Moran in the morning. I hope it doesn't rain overnight."

‎‎Meanwhile, Evans noted that conditions proved tough on the opening day.

‎‎"In the opening stage, the conditions were exceptionally bad, mad and water everywhere, and we couldn't see half the time. The second stage was more straightforward, better grip, but all in all, a tough start to the rally," he said.

‎‎He expects a tough day two, especially with the opening stage being the long Camp Moran.

‎‎"It's going to be tough going back to Camp Moran in the first stage and then the full loop after that, it's going to be a tough day.

‎‎Ogier was pleased to have survived the first day of rally action unscathed.

‎‎"We are happy we survived the first day. With the rains, the timing was really."

‎‎He hopes to stick to his game plan on day two and stay out of any major incidents.

‎‎"Keep doing the same, stay out of trouble and drive clean," he added.