Toyota's Takamoto Katsuta leads the Safari Rally after a chaotic Saturday in Kenya, holding a 1 minute 25.5 second advantage over Hyundai's Adrien Fourmaux with four stages remaining.
Katsuta, starting seventh, climbed to the lead by afternoon, aided by the cancellation of the 31km Sleeping Warrior stage for safety. Toyota’s Sami Pajari finished third but nearly five and a half minutes behind due to a tyre explosion.
Hyundai’s Esapekka Lappi placed fourth. Top contenders including Sebastien Ogier, Elfyn Evans, and Oliver Solberg all retired-Evans suffering his first rally leg retirement since 2024 from rear suspension damage.
Toyota team boss Juha Kankkunen confirmed all three will restart Sunday. Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville also withdrew after three punctures and no spare tyres available.