)
Reigning world champion Kalle Rovanperä, Elfyn Evans, Sébastien Ogier, and Takamoto Katsuta will be the drivers representing the Toyota Gazoo team.
Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team (TGR-WRT) will return to the legendary Safari Rally Kenya on June 22-25, with an aim to continue its proud record of success in the event.
Marking its 70th anniversary this year, the Safari is known as one of rallying’s toughest challenges and made a welcome comeback to the FIA World Rally Championship calendar in 2021.
TGR-WRT has won both editions held since, doing so in style last year with an incredible 1-2-3-4 finish that also secured a record-extending 10th victory for Toyota on the event.
)
05:00 - 16.06.2023
MOTORSPORTS Kenyan champion Karan Patel charged up ahead of Safari Rally return
Patel returns to the Safari Rally after a disappointing outing in 2021.
All four drivers who played a part in that historic result will return to Naivasha this year. Reigning world champion Kalle Rovanperä (who leads the current standings by 25 points) took victory last year ahead of Elfyn Evans, and they are joined by 2021 winner Sébastien Ogier to form the team’s manufacturer line-up.
Takamoto Katsuta, who claimed his first WRC podium finishes in Kenya in 2021 and 2022, drives an additional GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID with the support of the TGR WRC Challenge Program.
The rally route is similar to last year, with shakedown taking place on Wednesday before the event begins from the Kenyan capital.
Jari-Matti Latvala, the TGR-WRT Team Principal, noted that they will be looking to extend the winning streak but is aware of the tough competition that awaits them.
He revealed that at the moment, they are busy preparing and adapting the cars for the changing conditions.
“The Safari Rally has been a really exciting event for us in the last two years and of course, we hope we can achieve another good result this time around, but we know it will not be easy.
)
19:00 - 15.06.2023
MOTORSPORTS: Toughest rallies in the world
Most of the toughest rallies in the world push competitors to their limits, demanding exceptional skill, endurance, and adaptability.
For our engineers and mechanics, it’s a busy week, preparing and adapting the cars for the changing conditions.
And for the drivers, patience is crucial to be able to push hard in the right moments, and not when it’s too rough. All four of our drivers have shown they have what it takes to succeed in Kenya and are ready for the challenge,” he said.
)
05:00 - 15.06.2023
MOTORSPORTS Frenchman Pierre-Louis Loubet delighted to be making Safari Rally debut
Loubet heads to Naivasha confident in the knowledge that his best results have come on rough gravel rallies.
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)