The Great Rift Valley is one of the toughest terrains that World Rally drivers have to encounter in the rally calendar. The routes are filled with rocks and dust and raining only makes them more challenging though in an exciting way to drivers as the routes turn into muddy blockbusters. On the flip side though, the Rift Valley routes boast exotic wildlife including lions, leopards, giraffes, zebras, and hippos. The Safari Rally 2022 will narrow down to a two-horse race between 9 times champion Sebastien Loeb pitted against 8 times champion Sebastien Ogier. 

Loeb became the first rally driver to win a World Rally Championship (WRC) event when he won the Rally Monte-Carlo in an M-Sport Ford Puma. Ogier on the other side will be defending his Safari Rally crown after winning last year's event with his Toyota Gazoo Racing. This will be the first Kenyan clash between the two motor racing superstars. Thunderstorms are predicted during the four-day encounter which will only add to the excitement that is already being experienced within the country as motor racing enthusiasts gear up for the adventurers weekend that will kick off on Thursday at the KICC and Kasarani and end on Sunday at the Hell's Gate which will server as the Wolf Power Stage. 

Ogier had this to say ahead of the rally; “Last year we had a really nice welcome and a great atmosphere. To win was the cherry on the cake and it will be great to try to repeat that this year with a bit of knowledge of what to expect from the stages. t’s definitely a rally where you have to never give up, and this year with the cars still being so new, we might have to be even more clever than before.” Kall Rovanpera the WRC champion in the GR Yaris cars as well as Elfyn Evans, and Takamoto Katsuta who was the 2021 runner-up. Rovanpera has 3 wins in 5 starts and is enjoying incredible form this season. He is at the top of the standings with 55 points but may be disadvantaged by opening the gravel roads. 

Loeb, in the M-Sport Ford cars, is joined by Craig Breen who is 4th in points, Gus Greensmith, Adrien Fourmaux, and Jourdan Serderidis. Thierry Neuville, the Hyundai star will also be very much in the race as he is seeking to redeem himself from the setback he suffered in the 2021 Safari Rally as he was headed for victory before his car broke down.