Safari Rally Kenya: Škoda comeback for double WRC2 champion Andreas Mikkelsen

› With the third round of the FIA World Rally Championship, former WRC2 title winner Andreas Mikkelsen from Norway returns to customer team Toksport WRT
› Taking the wheel of another Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, Estonian Robert Virves will be teaming up with Andreas Mikkelsen for the first time
› Škoda drivers Fabrizio Zaldivar from Paraguay and Daniel Chwist from Poland are among the competitors starting at Rally Kenya

Mladá Boleslav, 11 March 2026 – One of the most successful Škoda drivers returns to competition, when the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) hits the plains of East Africa. Safari Rally Kenya (12-15 March) will mark the comeback of two-time WRC2 champion Andreas Mikkelsen, who has been away from the series for over a year. The Norwegian will once again take the wheel of a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 run by Toksport WRT.

The third round of the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship, Safari Rally Kenya, drops its traditional Nairobi start and will instead focus entirely on the plains of the Great Rift Valley in the Lake Naivasha area. Varying from extremely soft “fesh-fesh” sand, typical of the Safari Rally Kenya, to high-speed passages and rocky sections, the stages are arguably some of the roughest of the series. Also, the March date makes the weather unpredictable. At this time of the year, heavy rains easily can turn the stages into a mud bath. To handle water crossings, muddy sections and soft sand, the rally cars can be fitted with so-called ‘snorkels’. These unique devices draw – relatively – clean air from the roof to the engine.

It’s in this setting that Andreas Mikkelsen is returning to the championship after the 2024 Rally Japan. The 36-year-old Norwegian won the WRC2 title in 2021 and again in 2023, both times at the wheel of a Škoda run by team Toksport WRT. While he can boast nearly two decades of experience in the world series, he literally is entering new territory, not least because he has a new co-driver, Jørn Listerud. “Although I can call myself very experienced, I am a rookie at the Safari Rally Kenya,” says Andreas Mikkelsen. “But I’m confident about my debut. Škoda rally cars have proven to be the right choice for the tough African stages in the past.” Indeed, since 2022, all the winners of the WRC2 category have competed with a Škoda Fabia.

Like Andreas Mikkelsen, Robert Virves is new to Safari Rally Kenya. The 25-year-old Estonian also kicks off his 2026 campaign in East Africa, again with a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 of team Toksport WRT and co-driver Jakko Viilo. “The key is to find the right speed while avoiding punctures and other issues,” says Robert Virves ahead of his debut.

Andreas Mikkelsen and Robert Virves are not the only competitors in the WRC2 category relying on a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2. Fabrizio Zaldivar from Paraguay and Italian co-driver Marcelo Der Ohannesian return after having finished third in the category last year. The Polish duo of Daniel Chwist and Kamil Heller are getting ready for their fourth participation. The Škoda Fabia is also very popular with local teams: Seven drivers from Kenya alone will be taking the wheel of the Rally2 car from Mladá Boleslav. In total, ten Škoda crews are entered into WRC2. Missing on the entry list are the top six of the current WRC2 overall classification: Safari Rally Kenya is not part of their individual programs.

The 2026 Safari Rally Kenya comprises 20 all-gravel stages. Between the start on Thursday (12 March) and the finish on Sunday (15 March), competitors will be driving 350 kilometres against the stopwatch. The podium ceremony will take place right after the finish of the iconic “Hell’s Gate” power stage around 2h15 pm local time.

Did you know, that…

...the event was first held in 1953 under the name “East African Coronation Rally” to celebrate the enthronement of Queen Elizabeth II?
...the event was also part of the inaugural season of the FIA World Rally Championship in 1973, running through Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda under the name East African Safari Rally?
...until 1995, there were no special stages on closed roads like there are today? Instead, the entire rally took place on open roads between numerous time controls. Lateness at these checkpoints resulted in penalties, which in turn made up the classification.
...the Safari Rally Kenya was not part of the championship from 2003 to 2020?
...German pairing of Armin Schwarz and co-driver Manfred Hiemer finished third overall in 2001 with a factory-run Škoda Octavia WRC Evo2, marking the best result for the Czech brand at this iconic rally?

Standings WRC2/Drivers (after 2 of 14 events)
1 Roope Korhonen (FIN), Toyota, 25 points
2 Léo Rossel (FRA), Citroën, 25 points
3 Roberto Daprà (ITA), Škoda, 17 points
4 Teemu Suninen (FIN), Toyota, 17 points
5 Lauri Joona (FIN), Škoda, 15 points
6 Arthur Pelamourgues (FRA), Hyundai, 15 points

2026 FIA World Rally Championship

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