Welshman takes control of championship as Toyota team-mate rolls out of top four contention.
Elfyn Evans has claimed back-to-back World Rally Championship wins as he triumphed at the grueling 2025 Safari Rally Kenya, marking the first time in his career he has secured consecutive WRC victories.
The Toyota driver managed a controlled final day to seal the win by 1m09.9s over Hyundai’s Ott Tänak, while reigning champion Thierry Neuville rounded out the podium in third, delivering Hyundai its first-ever double podium in Africa.
Evans’ path to victory may have been smoother than most in Kenya’s punishing conditions, but he still had to manage tricky moments, including a 360-degree spin and a helmet swap due to an intercom issue on Friday.
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His cool-headed management throughout the rally ensured he extended his lead in the championship to 36 points over Neuville, with Tänak a further three points behind.
“I want to say thank you to everyone in Kenya for a very warm welcome, and an amazing rally,” Evans said as per DirtFish.
“A huge well done to the team, they did a great job and I’m proud to be a very small part of Toyota’s history at this special rally.”
Evans’ victory coincided with heartbreak for his Toyota team-mate Takamoto Katsuta, who had been on course for a solid fourth-place finish until disaster struck on the final powerstage.
Pushing for bonus points, Katsuta rolled his car in a dramatic incident. Spectators rushed to help, flipping the car back onto its wheels, but he lost three minutes in the process and dropped behind fellow Toyota driver Sami Pajari.
Pajari, driving for the separate Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT 2 team, equaled his best-ever WRC result with fourth. Ironically, his strong finish cost Toyota manufacturer points, as Pajari is not classified under the main team. Katsuta limped home in fifth, the car clearly ailing.
“I don’t know what’s happened,” said a disheartened Katsuta at the finish.
“Just sorry for the team, nothing else.”
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Evans was untroubled on the final day, taking no risks to secure Toyota’s latest victory in Africa. Tänak, who had led early on Friday before suffering a broken driveshaft, took second thanks to a strong Saturday recovery and problems for Kalle Rovanperä, who retired Sunday morning with an electrical failure.
Neuville had to dig deep after a rough Friday that included a late service departure, jump-start penalty, time loss due to air filter issues, and a stomach bug that left him sleep-deprived. Despite it all, he took third and vital bonus points.
M-Sport’s Grégoire Munster claimed sixth, despite a scare when his Ford Puma slowed on Sunday. He revealed post-rally that his grandfather passed away mid-week, making the finish all the more emotional.
WRC2 was won by Gus Greensmith for the second year running, after leader Oliver Solberg got stuck in deep fech-fech. Jan Solans rolled but still held onto second, with Fabrizio Zaldivar completing the podium.
Adrien Fourmaux topped both Super Sunday and the powerstage after Hyundai chose to only run him on Sunday, salvaging 10 points after a nightmare start to the rally.
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Toyota still leads the manufacturers’ standings by 36 points, though Hyundai outscored them in Kenya by 12 points.
