Why rain is not blessing for drivers in Naivasha

Belgian driver Thierry Neuville and his co‑driver Martijn Wydaeghe splash through a muddy section at the Nawisa shakedown stage during the WRC Safari Rally Kenya 2026 in Naivasha. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

The 2026 Safari Rally is once again why the Kenyan leg is the most challenging yet most exciting race of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC). 

After two days of gruelling through the dust and mud, drivers, from local entrants to leading elites, have one thing in common, or rather, one problem in common…rain. 

Naivasha has been experiencing rapidly changing weather lately, with heavy, treacherous, and unpredictable conditions, leaving drivers to contend with sudden heavy downpour that has seriously changed stage conditions. Crews have been forced to adapt quickly as rainfall continues to affect sections around the rally route. 

On Thursday, the Kenya Meteorological Department issued a warning of moderate to heavy rainfall over the next 24 hours in Nairobi and surrounding counties, urging residents to prepare for showers and thunderstorms that could disrupt normal activities. They warned the rainfall would mainly affect the highland areas of the Rift Valley from 9pm.  

As floods continue wreaking havoc throughout parts of the country, rally drivers in Naivasha aren’t having the best times of their lives either. 

News from the weatherman will sound rough on their ears, as the sudden rain and unpredictable nature of the weather have been a nightmare.

Most of the top drivers had nothing to smile about after SS1 Camp Moran 1 and SS2 Mzabibu, falling victim to mostly temperature issues and overheating. 

2024 champion Thierry Neuville was visibly distressed after SS2, as he could not successfully get rid of the mud inside his Hyundai’s engine bay.

All three i20 N Rally1 cars experienced overheating issues and slowed down towards the end of the stage with temperatures climbing within the bay. 

Speaking to Standard Sports, the Belgian hopes to “survive” and endure a punishing third round of the rally championship. 

“It’s hard to describe what we are experiencing out there; you need to live it once and understand how challenging it is. We hope to carry on, survive, and bring the car back,” he said, hours after setting the pace on the new shakedown stage.

Solberg, on the other hand, ended day one on top after clocking 30:18.6 to gain a 33.3-second lead over teammates Elfyn Evans (30:51.9) and Sebastien Ogier (31:23.7), but could not escape the heavy downpour just before SS1.

“It’s an adventure. We were driving to the stage, and it was dry. When we almost started the stage, it was raining a little bit and just when we were at the start line, everything came down,” the Toyota Gazoo Racing driver explained. 

Defending champion Elfyn Evans, navigated by Scott Martin, described the conditions as “exceptionally bad”, saying they lacked clear visibility for a big chunk of the race.

“Mud and water everywhere! We were not able to see half the time. Second stage, we had a bit more grip and more consistent, we know it’s going to be tough throughout the event,” said Evans. 

Nine-time champion Ogier also hoped to have a less-troublesome weekend, admitting they did “everything they could” to push through the wet conditions. 

122.98 kilometres will be the total competitive distance on Saturday.