Thierry Neuville aims to break his Safari Rally Kenya curse, battling past misfortune and reliability woes to challenge Toyota’s dominance in Africa.
Thierry Neuville has battled the world’s toughest rally stages, conquered daunting terrain, and claimed the World Rally Championship (WRC) title.
But when it comes to Safari Rally Kenya, the Belgian star has yet to taste real success. As the third round of the WRC season looms, Neuville is eager to break his African curse and finally claim a podium – or better yet, a victory – on one of the sport’s most grueling events.
The numbers don not make for pretty reading. In four previous starts at Safari Rally Kenya, Neuville has never finished inside the top four. His best results? A pair of fifth-place finishes in 2022 and 2024.
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Mechanical issues in 2021 and a disqualification in 2023 further add to his frustrations. And yet, despite these setbacks, Neuville insists he has the speed to win.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” he told DirtFish ahead of the event.
“But every time something slowed us down. I mean, we know how to go fast there. We know what needs to be the approach. Now we need to have a bit the lucky hand as well.”
Neuville’s struggles in Kenya are not for a lack of pace. On WRC’s return to the country in 2021, he dominated much of the event, leading by almost a minute before his Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC’s suspension collapsed on the final morning.
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It was a heartbreaking end to what could have been a historic win. That year, reliability issues plagued Hyundai, and the Safari was no exception.
Since then, Toyota has asserted its dominance in Kenya, winning every edition of the rally since its return to the WRC calendar.
Hyundai, despite flashes of brilliance, has yet to claim the top step of the podium. But Neuville believes this year could finally be different.
“I mean, Kenya overall, in terms of speed, we have been good,” he said.
“In terms of reliability, I mean, we had some issues over there, which are solved obviously with the propshaft. But still… yeah, for me it didn’t work well over the last years, electronic issues, fuel-pump issues. Hopefully, those are solved and I can have a clean run.”
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A clean run is exactly what Neuville needs, especially as he fights to defend his WRC crown.
After a difficult start to the season in Monte Carlo, where he salvaged points despite struggles, he bounced back with a podium finish in Sweden. That result helped him climb to fourth in the standings, but he knows that in a championship as competitive as this one, he can’t afford another disappointing outing.
His rivals, however, will not make it easy. Toyota has been the team to beat in Kenya, with reigning Safari Rally champion Kalle Rovanpera, Elfyn Evans, and Sebastien Ogier all eager to extend the team’s dominance.
But Hyundai has been working tirelessly to improve reliability, and if Neuville’s confidence is anything to go by, this could be the year where fate finally swings in his favor.
The Safari Rally is no ordinary WRC round. It is a brutal test of endurance, where extreme conditions, rough terrain, and unpredictable weather play as much of a role as sheer speed.
