From the legendary Shekhar Mehta to defending champion Rovanperä; here are the WRC Safari multiple titlists

The FIA World Rally Championship returns to one of its most punishing and iconic battlegrounds, Safari Rally, from Thursday 20 to Sunday 23 March, as Kenya hosts round three of the 2025 season.

Whether in the old open-road marathon days or today’s shorter but still brutal format, only the toughest have won here.

As the current crop of WRC stars prepare to take on Africa’s ultimate challenge, we look back at some of those who managed to crack the Safari code more than once.

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Shekhar Mehta (5 Victories)

No driver has ruled the Safari Rally quite like Mehta. The Kenyan remains the undisputed king of Africa’s most famous rally, with a record-breaking five victories spanning a decade.

His first triumph came in 1973 aboard a Datsun 240Z, but it was in the late 1970s and early 1980s that he cemented his legendary status. Between 1979 and 1982, Mehta dominated, securing four consecutive wins with Datsun.

In an era when simply reaching the finish line was an achievement, Mehta found the balance between aggression and mechanical sympathy better than anyone.

Björn Waldegård (Victories: 4)

Waldegård’s love affair with the Safari Rally spanned three decades. The 1979 world champion was a master of endurance events, first conquering the rally in 1977 with Ford before becoming Toyota’s go-to Safari specialist.

He added three more victories in 1984, 1986, and 1990, all with Toyota. His final triumph at 46 years old made him the oldest driver to win a WRC round - until Sébastien Loeb rewrote history at Rallye Monte-Carlo in 2022. 

Juha Kankkunen (Victories: 3)

Kankkunen thrived on rough gravel, making him a natural force in Kenya. His first Safari victory came in 1985 with Toyota - becoming the first driver to win the event on the first attempt.

He returned to the top step twice more in 1991 with Lancia, and in 1993 upon his return to Toyota. 

Colin McRae (Victories: 3)

McRae was known for his raw speed and fearless driving, but the Safari Rally demanded more. In Kenya, he proved he could combine his trademark flamboyancy with the patience and mechanical sympathy needed to win.

McRae’s first Safari victory came in 1997 with Subaru. By 1999, he had switched to Ford and mastered the quirks of the new Focus WRC to take win number two.

His final Safari triumph in 2002 was historic - it marked the last edition of the rally before its long hiatus from the WRC calendar.

Miki Biasion (Victories: 2)

Lancia’s golden era wasn’t limited to Europe. In the late 1980s, the Italian marque conquered Africa, and Biasion led the charge.

Back-to-back wins in 1988 and 1989 with the Delta Integrale delivered two of the team’s most significant victories outside Europe.

Tommi Mäkinen (Victories: 2)

Mäkinen dominated the WRC in the late 1990s, and his success extended to the Safari. By then, the Safari was evolving into a more traditional WRC event, but it remained as brutal as ever.

Mäkinen started seven Safaris in total but finished only two. Driving a Mitsubishi, he won on both of those occasions in 1996 and 200. 

Sébastien Ogier (Victories: 2)

Eight-time world champion Ogier wasted no time adding the Safari Rally to his long list of conquests. When the event returned to the WRC in 2021, he fought back from a damaged rear shock absorber to take victory in Toyota’s Yaris WRC.

Two years later, he did it again - this time in the GR Yaris Rally1 - leading a stunning Toyota 1-2-3-4 in 2023.

Kalle Rovanperä (Victories: 2)

Rovanperä might just be the next Safari Rally great. At 21, he claimed his first win in Kenya in 2022.

After finishing runner-up the following year, he returned to the top step of the podium in 2024, and is out to make it four podiums when he takes on a loaded field this weekend.

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Additional reporting by WRC.com