Safari Rally 2026 opens shakedown to fans as event shifts to Naivasha

Spectators will, for the first time since the Safari Rally’s return to the World Rally Championship (WRC), be allowed to watch the official shakedown during the 2026 edition.

The move is among the major changes announced for the third round of the 2026 WRC season, scheduled for March 12–15 in Naivasha, about 90 kilometres northwest of Nairobi.

While rolling out the 2026 programme, Safari Rally Kenya Chief Executive Officer, Charles Gacheru also outlined the reasons why next year’s rally proper will not start in Nairobi as has been the norm since it’s return to the WRC in 2021.

“The FIA, WRC sporting regulations (for 2026) Article 10.2 says the rally must start on Thursday and end on Sunday with a power stage.

“So, we've been forced to run the rally exclusively in Naivasha. So, Tuesday and Wednesday (March 10-11), the rally cars will be in Naivasha and they will go through all the routes. It's a mandatory recce,” Gacheru explained.

According to the CEO, the cars will be subjected to administrative checks and scrutineering at the Service Park to ensure everything is okay with the machines.

“Then we will do the shakedown on Thursday (March 19) morning and we have changed the shakedown location.

“It's now in Nawisa, which is owned by the Wildlife Research and Training Institute, just across the Service Park,” Gacheru disclosed.

He added: “That's actually a very big improvement for us because it means the cars--- between the shakedown runs--- they do about three runs, come back to Service Park, which means they don't need a remote service park.

“It's just off the highway. So if you're driving up to Nakuru and you're coming from Nairobi, Naivasha Town is on your left and Nawisa is on your right. We will actually start the shakedown at the entry of the GK Prisons.”

The CEO noted organisers are expecting huge crowds to take advantage of the opening of the shakedown to spectators.

 “We will have a shakedown this year that will be very, very much public. And you you've got to remember the shakedown is actually televised live globally.

“We expect, the residents of Naivasha to really enjoy themselves for the first time because they don't need, a 4x4 to go to the shakedown,” he enthused.

Gacheru admitted the 2026 WRC Safari Rally will be impacted by moving the Ceremonial Start and opening Special Spectator Stage from the Kenyan capital.

“I would like to tell rally fans in Nairobi, please make your way down to Naivasha, and watch the rally from there.

“The impact is huge. Not being in Nairobi is significant. Not flagging off all the way at KICC or outside City Hall is a big change, and it's not something we take lightly. But if we were to try and force it into the itinerary, we would then fall foul of the FIA WRC sporting regulations for 2026,” he explained.

Other factors organisers considered in moving the rally from Nairobi was the inability to run a 300km event in the four days allowed as well as meeting the requirements for working hours of the crew.

At the same time, Gacheru announced that Kenya is on schedule to host the 2026 Safari Rally and that organisers have so far met all the set deadlines.

“We started the work in June this year because we have various deadlines given to us by both the FIA and the WRC Promoter.

“The deadlines that we have met so far are for example, the Itinerary (IT), the first draft IT has to go in five and a half months before the rally. So we've done that.

“We've done the Rally Guide and Draft Safety Plan, which has to be uploaded on an app that we use called Eventos. We have done all this new mapping and KMZ flights and GPX files that the rally drivers need to the teams need to actually start surveying the routes before they come to Nairobi,” the CEO underscored.

Among some of the changes to the route for 2026 WRC Safari Rally is running the Camp Moran Stage in reverse.

The 2026 WRC Safari Rally will be the sixth edition since Kenya was admitted back to host Africa’s round of the global championship in 2021.