Kalle Rovanpera has thrown down the gauntlet as he chases another Kenya Safari Rally win.
The Safari rally comes as the third round of the 2025 World Rally Championship.
The African round revved off with a 5.16km shakedown stage on Wednesday.
The two-time WRC champion Rovanpera, having had a disappointing start to the season asserted his intent for the weekend by registering the fastest time. He was 1.6 seconds quicker than Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville.
Hyundai’s Ott Tanak completed the top three followed by Adrian Fourmaux while Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta completed the top five.
Having fine-tuned their cars, the crew will start the rally proper on Thursday with the ceremonial start at the Kenyan International Convention Center in the Kenyan capital Nairobi. The crews will head to the Kasarani grounds for the Super Special.
Toyota Gazoo remains the favourite to win the Safari rally yet again. The team has won all the previous editions since Safari regained the WRC status in 2021.
Hyundai and M-Sport will be searching for their first victory ever.