Organisers of the ongoing WRC Safari Rally have announced the cancellation of SS3 Camp Moran 2, which was earlier scheduled as the first stage of Day Two of the competition.

In a statement, the organisers said the stage has been cancelled due to heavy rains that have rendered the route impassable and unusable.

"SS3 Camp Moran 2 has been cancelled due to deteriorating road conditions. Today's action will begin with SS4 at 09:11 (local)," the WRC said.

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It was always expected to be a wet and muddy Safari Rally even as the weatherman predicted the skies to open up unabated and pour down in its entirety.

Competitors came face-to-face with the world's 'toughest rally' on a Day One in which they had to battle wet and slippery conditions in most of the stages.

Frenchman Sebastien Ogier admitted he was mighty relieved to finish third, considering the unforgiving wet conditions.

"You've seen the heavy rain in stage one and it was very difficult for us. It was just about surviving, so we are happy we went through. Of course, it cost us a lot of time, but it's like this. When the timing of the rain comes at the wrong moment, if you start 15 minutes after the leader, you have to accept that you're going to lose time," the Toyota Gazoo Racing driver said.

Ogier further said that the tough conditions on the opening day are just the tip of the iceberg, a preview of what lies ahead over the weekend.

"The weekend is still super long, so I'm sure many things will still happen. I'm sure we will see some more rain during the weekend," the 2021 Safari Rally champion said.

At the time of going to press, the drivers were maneuvering through SS5 (KenGen Geothermal 1), with overnight leader Oliver Solberg maintaining his lead.

Defending champion Elfyn Evans and Ogier sit in second and third -- as they were on Thursday night -- in what is thus far a profitable outing for Toyota Gazoo Racing.