The team looks to build momentum at the first gravel rally of the season

Following a challenging start to the year, Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team is focused on delivering a podium finish with a strong performance at the third round of the 2025 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) season, Safari Rally Kenya.

This notoriously challenging event is a gravel rally like no other. The breathtaking landscape of the African plains is juxtaposed with the ever-present risk of damage or retirement. Whether it be the fesh fesh sand, enormous rocks and deep ruts, or huge pools of water, crews are constantly on a knife’s edge as they navigate this most enduring outing. Weather can also change in an instant – as can the fortunes of the competing crews.

Adrien Fourmaux will be looking to replicate his fantastic finish from last year, while Ott Tänak and Thierry Neuville will aim to utilise their extensive experience of the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 car to balance risk and reward. Both drivers have been competitive in previous visits to Kenya: Tänak scored Hyundai Motorsport’s sole podium at the event in 2021, which had been led by Neuville until a heart-breaking retirement on the final day.

Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team is focused on a strong recovery drive in Naivasha to gain momentum in the championship fight.  As this is a rally where a strong car will be a key factor in a podium finish, the team decided that the latest 2024-spec Hyundai i20 N Rally1, with its upgraded reliability and proven robustness, would offer the best advantage to score maximum points at this event.

The 2025 edition of Safari Rally Kenya will cover 383.10km over four days of competition. Several iconic stages remain on the itinerary, such as Sleeping Warrior (SS11/14, 26.97km), Soysambu (SS13/16, 28.97) and Hell’s Gate (SS18/21, 10.53km). Alongside these staples are Camp Moran (SS3/7, 31.40km), now the longest stage of the event, and Mzabibu (SS2/17, 8.27km), which will appear on the first and last day of the rally.

Competition begins on Thursday afternoon with two tests, followed by a bumper Friday with an extended itinerary of eight stages – an extra 30km of competitive distance compared to 2024. Saturday’s itinerary is unchanged from 12 months ago, while Sunday’s five-stage itinerary has had a small refresh.

Hyundai Motorsport President and Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul said:

“Our goal for Safari Rally Kenya is clear and simple: we need to have a strong weekend to build momentum in the championship fight. We haven’t had the easiest start to this season, but we feel confident we can begin to close the gap in the standings beginning with Kenya. We then have a run of gravel events, where we know we are strong, but Kenya is a test of reliability and stability, as well as of survival. It is a rally of attrition, so even though we may face setbacks during the weekend, there is always the chance of a great result so it is important to never give up. We are focused, determined and calm – ready to meet the challenges that Safari Rally Kenya will throw at us.”

Crew Notes: Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (#1 Hyundai i20 N Rally1) 

• Crew looking to replicate Sweden podium finish
• Belgians aim to build on pace shown at the two opening rounds of the season

Neuville said: “Safari Rally Kenya is very different from any other rally. Despite being rough like Greece, Kenya’s conditions, weather and surface can change very quickly. It’s rainy season over there, so if there’s precipitation, it’s very demanding both for the cars and for our visibility. The roughness of the terrain changes year on year; in addition to that, there are a couple of new stages as well as others that are run in the opposite direction to last time. Nevertheless, we need to have a clever drive. Taking care of the car and staying away from trouble will be key to that. Obviously, you need a bit of luck, but hopefully it’s going to work this year. While we expected more from Monte Carlo, the pace was definitely there, and that was shown in our performance in Sweden. We want to take it one step further in Kenya and finish on the podium steps.”

Crew Notes: Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja (#8 Hyundai i20 N Rally1) 

• Estonians claimed Hyundai Motorsport’s only Safari podium in 2021
• Experienced duo look to target a win at the WRC’s most momentous challenge

Tänak said: “Safari Rally Kenya is the most testing rally we have on the calendar. Generally, the roads are very demanding and rough, but super fast at the same time. As we discovered last year, stones can appear from anywhere, so it’s a rally where we need to expect everything. The key is to find the perfect balance of risk and reward, but it is never easy. We need trust in our car to be reliable so we could push ourselves, as well as the places in the rough sections where we can carry as much speed as possible. The speeds are high and often we are competing on open sections where there is not much around us other than zebras and giraffes. This makes it quite tricky to perfect the pacenotes. We want to leave Kenya having had a trouble-free event and with a big trophy.”

Crew Notes: Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (#16 Hyundai i20 N Rally1) 

• Frenchmen target a renewal of their 2024 podium finish
• Crew’s gravel results put them in good stead for first contention on the surface of 2025

Fourmaux said: “Finishing on the podium in Kenya last year, I learned that it’s a very different rally than the others: it’s all about endurance and managing both the car and the tyres. It’s a really long event and it’s very rough, so the fastest crew is not guaranteed to be on top every time – we need to be smart to get to the end. This is now my third different surface in three events with a new team, which is great as I can learn quickly the car in all the type of conditions. The car is prepared differently for Kenya: the suspension is really high to protect the car as much as possible, as well as us as a crew. My goal for the weekend would be to return to the podium, but I know it’s a big challenge. Anything can happen, so we will do our best to get the best result.”

Weekend at a Glance 

• Two short stages signal the start of Safari Rally Kenya on Thursday: Super Special Kasarani (SSS1, 4.76km) and Mzabibu (SS2/17, 8.27km)
• The longest day of the event is Friday, which features eight stages covering a distance of 157.58km, split by mid-day service
• A familiar Saturday sees two loops of some of the most challenging stages of the season: Sleeping Warrior, Elmenteita and Soysambu
• Five stages totalling 65.99km complete the final day of competition on Sunday, with the iconic Hell’s Gate (SS18/21, 10.53km) acting as the weekend’s Power Stage.