Naivasha Safari Rally entry list confirmed, event to take place between June 23-26

With only 13 days to go to the start of the Safari Rally, World Rally Championship (WRC) has released the official list of top-tier Rally 1 drivers as well as the WRC 2 and WRC 3 set to take part in one of if not the most difficult rally.

A total of 12 top-tier drivers will line up in their respective Rally 1 cars. Current championship leader Finnish driver Kalle Rovanperä is on a mission to improve his results from last year's rally.

At the 2021 competition in Naivasha, Rovanperä finished sixth on the grid at a time of 3:29:04.7, a gargantuan ten seconds from winner Frenchman Sébastien Ogier. Ogier is set to once again feature in Naivasha.

Ogier, an eight-time FIA World Rally champion currently ranks 10th on the Championship standings with 19 points, 101 points behind leader Rovanperä. Also on the list is Japanese driver Takamoto Katsuta, who finished behind Ogier last year.

PORTO, PORTUGAL - MAY 22: Sebastien Ogier of France and Benjamin Veillas of France compete with their Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 during Day Four of the FIA World Rally Championship Portugal on May 22, 2022 in Porto, Portugal. (Photo by Massimo Bettiol/Getty Images) Pulse Live Kenya

On the standings, Katsuta is currently fifth, 73 points behind leader Rovanperä. Rivalry between Katsuta and Belgian driver Thierry Neuville is set to continue for another season with the former set to line-up in a Toyota Yaris with the latter driving a Hyundai i20 Coupe.

Rally Italia Sardegna winner and Estonian driver Ott Tänak will be aiming to reduce the gap between him and second placed Neuville in the Championship standings. Tänak will also be on a mission to propel his Hyundai team who for the most part of the season have been playing catch-up.

Rally fans will also get a chance to see legend Sébastien Loeb once again. Loeb retired from full-time WRC participation at the end of 2012. However, he currently drives part-time in the WRC for M-Sport Ford World Rally Team.

The 48-year-old who missed out on last year's Safari Rally is the only driver on the grid to have participated in the Safari Rally before last year.

NAIROBI, KENYA: French driver of the Citroen Xsara, Sebastian Loeb, disembarks from his car after a drive test in Suswa, 84 km north of Nairobi, two days ahead of the 50th Safari Rally's start. (Photo by SIMON MAINA/AFP via Getty Images) Pulse Live Kenya

Loeb will be joined by four other M-Sport Ford drivers; Craig Breen, Gus Greensmith and Adrien Fourmaux in a fleet of hybrid-powered Puma Rally1 machines, while Greek driver Jourdan Serderidis will also pilot an additional car.

Aside from the 12 top-tier drivers, Naivasha will play host to 10 cars in the WRC 2 premier support category. WRC 3 cars are also well-represented, with five Rally 3-specification cars featured.