WRC, Sportrik Media - Oliver Solberg saw his comfortable advantage dramatically reduced during the Safari Rally Kenya 2026 after suffering a puncture on the second pass of the Geothermal stage, reopening the battle for the rally lead.
The Toyota Gazoo Racing driver had built a lead of nearly 30 seconds earlier in the rally. However, a right-rear puncture on SS8 cut that margin sharply, leaving Solberg with only a 1.0-second advantage over teammate Sébastien Ogier. Meanwhile, the Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 of Elfyn Evans remains in close contention, just 4.7 seconds behind the rally leader.
Solberg reached the stage finish with the right-rear tire delaminated and visible bodywork damage on the car. He explained that the puncture developed slowly over several kilometers before worsening near the end of the stage.
“I felt something, but I didn’t see anything. It was just a slow puncture for about six kilometres. I tried to keep it under control and avoid delamination, and it only delaminated about 200 metres before the finish,” Solberg said.
Behind him, Ogier set the second-fastest time on the stage, only beaten by Sami Pajari. The result brought the French driver within striking distance of the rally lead after he had already moved ahead of Evans on the previous stage.
“It’s a nice stage. I was really trying to navigate between the stones and stay out of trouble,” Ogier explained.
The nine-time world champion also stressed the unpredictability that continues to define the Kenyan event.
“Tomorrow is a massive day, but first we need to finish today. Rain can still come and you can lose a minute very quickly. It’s Safari… anything can happen,” Ogier added.
Further down the order, Pajari moved ahead of Takamoto Katsuta after the Japanese driver suffered two front punctures during the afternoon re-run of the Kedong stage. With no spare tire left in the Yaris, Katsuta was forced to slow dramatically through Geothermal.
That situation allowed Thierry Neuville of Hyundai Motorsport to close the gap to just 1.6 seconds behind the #18 Toyota. Teammate Adrien Fourmaux also remained within range after maintaining a consistent pace with the Hyundai i20 N Rally1.
In eighth place, Esapekka Lappi appeared more comfortable after significant suspension and transmission setup changes were implemented during the midday service.
The afternoon proved more challenging for M-Sport Ford. Both Ford Puma Rally1 entries suffered punctures. Jon Armstrong continued in ninth position, while Josh McErlean was forced to retire after damaging the gearbox casing of his car.
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Sebastien Ogier lost two minutes with a puncture at Safari Rally Kenya 2026, allowing Oliver Solberg to extend his lead in the WRC event.
Jon Armstrong impressed M-Sport at Safari Rally Kenya 2026 despite suspension damage, showing strong pace in only his third rally with the Ford Puma Rally1.
Oliver Solberg leads Sébastien Ogier by one second after Friday’s stages at Safari Rally Kenya 2026.
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