Toyota's Evans dominates to win first ever Safari Rally
After a number of disappointment it can finally be announced: Congratulations to Elfyn Evans, the 2025 Safari Rally Winner.
After finishing 2nd in 2022, third in 2023, and fourth in 2024, Elfyn Evans finally joined the Safari Rally winner's circle on Sunday at Hells Gate National Park Naivasha.
The Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 driver, co-driven by Scott Martin, beat Hyundai rival Ott Tänak by 1 minute 9.9 seconds to secure his second win of the season.
In doing so, he opened up the largest championship lead ever recorded after three rounds of a WRC campaign.
Evans arrived in Kenya riding a wave of momentum following victory in Sweden and a runner-up finish at Rallye Monte-Carlo.
Now, with a commanding 36-point advantage at the top of the drivers’ standings, the Welshman has carved out clear daylight between himself and his title rivals after the third of 14 rounds.
His latest success was built across a punishing four-day route that began in Nairobi on Thursday and ventured deep into Kenya’s unforgiving Great Rift Valley.
And as ever, the Safari’s raw spectacle drew huge crowds - with police estimating over 250,000 fans lined the stages this year, up from 188,000 in 2024.
Evans moved into the lead late on Friday when early pacesetter Tänak was delayed by a broken driveshaft on his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 - and from there, he never looked back.
It was far from a trouble-free run, however.
He overcame tyre deflations and spins earlier in the rally, then carefully managed an electrical issue throughout Sunday’s final leg.
Tänak chipped away at the deficit across the closing stages, but Evans held firm to become only the third British driver to win the Safari - joining legends Colin McRae and Richard Burns.
"I want to say thank you to everyone in Kenya for a very warm welcome. An amazing rally, I have to say. Huge well done to the team - they did an amazing job, and I’m proud to be a very small part of Toyota’s history on this incredible rally, he said.
"It's an amazing feeling winning this monster of a rally. I have had to be cautious and sometimes I got lucky not to get any punctures but I'm delighted, he told reporters Sunday in Naivasha.
The win cements Toyota's status as the kings of the Safari as this is their fourth win in a row since the race returned to Kenya in 2021.
Tänak was joined on the podium by team-mate and reigning world champion Thierry Neuville, who finished 2 minutes 22.1 seconds behind after a drama-filled weekend.
The Belgian’s troubles began on Friday with a one-minute time penalty after a delayed gearbox change, followed by further penalties for a jump start and a late arrival as he worked to repair damage to his car’s cooling package on Saturday.
Despite the setbacks, Hyundai’s double podium marked its best-ever result on the Safari.
In contrast, despite Evans’ victory, this was the first edition of the rally in which Toyota GAZOO Racing failed to place more than one car on the podium.
A Toyota 1-2 had looked likely until two-time world champion Kalle Rovanperä plummeted from second to fifth on Saturday afternoon with rear suspension damage.
His misfortune continued into Sunday when he retired due to an electrical issue - leaving him trailing team-mate Evans by 57 points in the championship fight.
(Excerpts of article thanks to WRC).