Kenya has big plans for next year's rally after the success of the 2025 event. President William Ruto announced these plans as he closed the 72nd WRC Safari Rally. He promised the country would build on what it learned this year to improve the experience for competitors and fans alike.
"We invite everyone to join us again for the 73rd WRC Safari Rally in 2026," said President Ruto. He wants to create more chances for growth next time around. The president talked about money matters during his speech in Nairobi. He praised businesses that helped fund the rally through sponsorship deals.
President Ruto asked more companies to team up with the government. He believes private business support matters a lot for the future of racing in Kenya. Money issues came up during his talk. The rally cost taxpayers 2.1 billion shillings back in 2023. Ruto explained he ordered that number to decrease.
The bill fell by 800 million to 1.3 billion shillings in 2024 and then dropped another 300 million this year, which made the president happy. This latest Safari Rally started on March 20th. Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin grabbed the top spot. Their team, Toyota Gazoo, pushed their lead to 36 points after three rally events.
Evans won two races straight for the first time. He finished more than sixty seconds ahead of Hyundai driver Ott Tanak from Estonia. Tanak actually led early until his car had problems Friday. Thierry Neuville from Hyundai, who won last year, ended up in third place this time around.
Finnish driver Sami Pajari took fourth place, with Japanese racer Takamoto Katsuta right behind him in fifth. Both drove for Toyota. Luxembourg driver Gregoire Munster crossed the line sixth in his Ford. Irish driver McErlean also drove a Ford car and finished seventh overall.
"We invite everyone to join us again for the 73rd WRC Safari Rally in 2026," said President Ruto. He wants to create more chances for growth next time around. The president talked about money matters during his speech in Nairobi. He praised businesses that helped fund the rally through sponsorship deals.
President Ruto asked more companies to team up with the government. He believes private business support matters a lot for the future of racing in Kenya. Money issues came up during his talk. The rally cost taxpayers 2.1 billion shillings back in 2023. Ruto explained he ordered that number to decrease.
The bill fell by 800 million to 1.3 billion shillings in 2024 and then dropped another 300 million this year, which made the president happy. This latest Safari Rally started on March 20th. Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin grabbed the top spot. Their team, Toyota Gazoo, pushed their lead to 36 points after three rally events.
Evans won two races straight for the first time. He finished more than sixty seconds ahead of Hyundai driver Ott Tanak from Estonia. Tanak actually led early until his car had problems Friday. Thierry Neuville from Hyundai, who won last year, ended up in third place this time around.
Finnish driver Sami Pajari took fourth place, with Japanese racer Takamoto Katsuta right behind him in fifth. Both drove for Toyota. Luxembourg driver Gregoire Munster crossed the line sixth in his Ford. Irish driver McErlean also drove a Ford car and finished seventh overall.
