Former Kenyan champion Leo Varese returns as WRC Safari Rally heads to Naivasha
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Reading Time: 2min | Sun. 01.02.26. | 21:55
This year's event is key as Kenya is looking to extend its contract with the World Rally Championship
Former multiple national Two Wheel (2WD) champion Leonardo Varese and his navigator Kigondu Kareithi have unveiled their new Toyota Yaris GR4 for this year's World Rally Championship (WRC) Safari Rally set for Nakuru County.
The duo will be competing for the points in the national championship during the third leg of this year’s WRC that will run from 12 to 15 March in Naivasha.
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“This is a year to anticipate. Competing in the national championship will be a highlight. I have a more powerful car and past championship's experience.
With this locally prepared machine, I believe we are in a strong position to contend for the podium in the national category,” Varese said.
Varese and Kigo who met at the height of the WRC Safari Rally fame in the 90s as classmates studying at Nairobi’s Brookhouse School, had the privilege of getting closer to the action more than most of their peers.
The compound at Brookhouse served as the last checkpoint of the iconic WRC Safari Rally before the event relocated to Kenya International Convention Centre (KICC) in later years.
"As schoolmates we already had the bug and did interact with top WRC drivers which was the penultimate checkpoint of the Safari back then.
I remember posing for pictures with top drivers like Mikki Biasson and WRC Lancia Team which was quite a rare experience,” Varese who has won the national 2WD title five times recalled in a previous interview.
The 2026 WRC Safari Rally will be held exclusively in Naivasha, with competitors racing for points in the main WRC 1 and its subsidiary WRC 2 and WRC 3 global competitions.
Other categories include the Africa Rally Championship (ARC) and Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC).
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