Elfyn Evans Tames The Safari To Extend World Rally Championship Lead

Elfyn Evans has extended his lead at the top of the FIA World Rally Championship to 36 points after winning the Safari Rally Kenya in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally 1. 

Having finished runner-up on the opening Monte Carlo Rally and winning Rally Sweden, this is Evans’ second win of 2025 – and a career first back-to-back WRC victory.

Co-driven by Scott Martin, the key to Evans’ success came on Saturday, when he turned a slender 7.7 sec advantage into a health 1min 57.4 sec lead.

Victory wasn’t in the bag yet, as Evans had to survive a gruelling final leg on Sunday.

Which he did without drama, taming the Safari for the first time to win by 1min 09.9 secs.

In what was widely acknowledged to be the roughest and toughest Safari Rally since it returned to the WRC in 2021, Evans gave the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team victory on its 100th event – and a magnicifent fifth successive victory in Kenya.

Evans also becomes the first Welsh driver to win the epic African event, and the first Welsh competitor to win since Nicky Grist (co-driving for Colin McRae) in 2002.

With just three out of 14 rounds of the WRC completed, it’s far too early to think of the world drivers’ title coming to Wales for the first time – but it’s by far the best start Evans has ever made to a WRC campaign.

“It’s amazing to have won this rally,” said Evans at the finish.

“It’s not quite sunk in fully yet, but the Safari Rally is a special event to win. 

“A huge well done to the team, who work very hard to give us an amazing car, and I’m proud to be a very small part of Toyota’s great history on this rally. 

“It’s been a massively demanding weekend, probably the most extreme Safari we’ve seen since we’ve been coming here, and the weather added an extra twist on Saturday. 

“It was not easy to manage the final day, having quite a big lead and needing to bring it home.”