Ott Tanak hoping for top finish in 2025 WRC Safari Rally

Estonian speedster Ott Tanak is hoping for a top finish in the Safari Rally and he will be happy if the dream is realised this season.

The closest the 2019 World Champion has ever come nearer to the Kenyan showpiece gong was a third-place finish on Kenyan soil in 2021, when the global motorsports returned to the country after a 19-year hiatus.

To show his intention to bag this year's title, Tanak finished third in the grueling shakedown held at Sleeping Warrior in Naivasha on Wednesday.

On Day 1 of the 2025 World Rally Safari Rally in Naivasha, Ott Tanak set the pace by clocking a swift time of 9:52.3, establishing a 2.4-second lead over the competition. The 2019 world champion's strong performance has fueled optimism for his Hyundai team as they vie for the coveted Safari title in their fifth attempt.

Following closely behind was Takamoto Katsuta of Toyota, who finished in second place with a time of 9:54.7. Not far behind, Ford Puma Rally 1's lead driver Gregoire Munster secured third place with a time of 9:54.9, demonstrating tight competition among the top drivers.

Tanak rose to the challenge in the second stage, an 8.3km stretch along the Nairobi-Naivasha-Nakuru highway, solidifying his lead for the day. As the rally progresses, Tanak's strong start has given his team renewed hope of clinching the championship in this thrilling edition of the Safari Rally.

"It looks like this year's Safari will be a bit demanding compared to the previous editions. The roads are rough, and a bit longer," he said after the adrenaline filled shakedown.

"The roads are not so well prepared, but that's the essence of the rally, it's the roughness and challenging difficulties that makes the Safari thrilling. It's more of what you feel than what you see," he added.

Long time co-driver Martin Jarveoja will navigate the 37-year-old speed merchant.

Ahead of the Safari Rally, Tanak had a fifth-place finish in the opening leg in Monte Carlo and ended Rally Sweden fourth, placing fifth overall on the standings on 26 points.

With previous Safari Rally winners being determined by fine margins, Tanak gave no guarantees about his performance this season even though his dream is to bag the Safari title.

"Safari Rally in Kenya is always difficult to predict. I guess we can only see that at the end of the rally," he said.

Even though he might have wanted to produce a little bit more in the Shakedown, Tanak seemed fairly pleased with the tuning of his car, which was enough for him to hit the ground running as the event revved off yesterday.

"The system check on the car was good, everything is working out well, so we are all positive as we start the contest," he said. [Robert Abong'o]