- SportPesa Racing driver Leonardo Varese has explained why he will compete in the national category instead of Rally 1 or 2 at the WRC Safari Rally Kenya 2026.
- Varese revealed they missed the chance to compete in the Rally3 category this season after failing to meet the registration deadline.
- As he makes his debut in the event since it regained WRC status six year ago, Varese will team up with his long-time navigator Kigo Kareithi while also unveiling a brand-new machine – a locally built Toyota Yaris GR3.
SportPesa Racing driver Leonardo Varese has opened up on why they will be competing in the national category instead of Rally 1, 2, or 3 during the third leg of the World Rally Championship, the Safari Rally Kenya 2026.
Varese and his long-time navigator Kigo Kareithi are set to make their debut at the four-day Safari Rally, marking their first appearance since the event regained its WRC status six years ago.
Speaking to SportPesa Game Changer, Varese revealed they missed out on competing in the Rally 3 category this season after failing to meet the deadline.
He explained that although their car is built for that level, they opted for the national category instead.
“This year, because we got the car quite late, the timelines were impossible to meet. So we decided to go with the national category. The car is capable of competing in the Rally 3 championship, but unfortunately, we did not make the cut deadline-wise. Also, we wanted to first test the car properly without rushing into something too involving,” he explained.
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Why SportPesa Racing driver Leonardo Varese will compete in the national category
He added that despite going up against around 20 other national entries, their goal remains a top-five finish while using the event to thoroughly test the car, especially since they do not have any African championship program lined up.
“So we’ll be running in the national category. We have no Africa Championship program, and there are about 20 entries in our category. Our target is to finish in the top five,” Varese stated.
Varese is no stranger to success on the rally scene he is a six-time Kenya National Rally Championship 2WD Champion, with a dominance stretching over a decade. He clinched national titles in 2008, 2010, 2014, 2015, and 2017.
For their comeback, the duo will also debut a brand-new machine: a locally built Toyota Yaris GR3.
He describes it as a modified version essentially a prototype inspired by the WRC cars currently being used by leading Japanese constructor Toyota Cazoo
“People keep saying I’m in a completely different car, but it’s still a two-wheel drive just with modifications. They built us a prototype based on the car used in the World Rally Championship, and there’s a standard version of it, about 25,000 units removed from the Rally 1 car,” he explained.
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When they caught wind that Toyota was working on something along those lines, Varese said they did not need anything more or different they knew right away that was the route they wanted to take.
“When we heard Toyota was building a locally assembled Yaris with a four-wheel turbo, we said, ‘This is what we want.’ We never wanted a Mitsubishi or Subaru Kenya has seen enough of those. We wanted something fresh. Plus, we are keen on developing and refining it, and hopefully within a year, we’ll be ready to compete at a higher level.”
Varese and Kigo are back on track with solid backing from leading online gaming firm SportPesa, who have come on board with a massive KSh 40 million sponsorship.
