- The Safari Rally regained its legendary status in 2021, dramatically returning to the WRC after almost 20 years. Since then, Naivasha has grown to represent exhilarating speed competitions, fan-driven celebrations, and a distinctive fusion of Kenyan culture and motorsport.
After thundering through Naivasha, the 2025 Safari Rally left a trail of muck, dust, and priceless memories. Motorsport enthusiasts flocked to Naivasha, the epicentre of Kenyan rallying, to watch elite drivers compete in the perilous terrain.
Welshman and Toyota ace Elfyn Evans won the third leg of the 2025 World Rally Championship (WRC ). Evans clocked 4:20:03.8 to win the four-day gruelling journey.
The rally tested both man and machine, with Hyundai's Thierry Neuville trying to halt Toyota Gazoo Racing's winning streak and Toyota Gazoo Racing protecting its supremacy through tight turns and dense dust clouds.
But there is a rich history behind the heart-pounding show. The Safari Rally was initially staged in 1953.
One of the longest and most taxing races in motorsport history, the East African Safari Rally initially occurred in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. Because the rally was so difficult, finishing first was regarded as a win.
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It qualified for the 1973 World Rally Championship (WRC), which attracted top drivers worldwide.
The rally was known as the toughest in the world because of the African terrain, which is characterised by erratic weather, heavy mud, and fesh-fesh dust. But logistical problems and financial difficulties caused its withdrawal from the WRC schedule in 2002, thus it continued under the African Rally Championship (ARC).
The Safari Rally regained its legendary status in 2021, dramatically returning to the WRC after almost 20 years. Since then, Naivasha has grown to represent exhilarating speed competitions, fan-driven celebrations, and a distinctive fusion of Kenyan culture and motorsport.
