THE RETURN OF THE WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP TO AFRICA.
Sharon Tonui
The return of the World Rally Championship rally to Kenya in 2021, proves to be an exciting and thrilling event that will be nothing short of entertainment for both the spectators, local drivers, and the international drivers set to be part of the rally. The World Rally Championship rally returns to Kenya since it was last held in Kenya in 1992.
The return comes after a successful return to the WRC rally event held in 2019, that finally convinced the FIA(Federation Internationale de l’Automobile) that Kenya was worth holding the international rally championship again. The Safari rally in Kenya is marked to be the toughest endurance rally in the WRC calendar with drivers expected to tackle the tough and rocky terrains of the Rift valley in Kenya.
The Safari rally in Kenya was first held in 1953 in Honour of Queen Elizabeth ii. This attracted many international drivers to the thrilling adventure of the rough terrains of Kenya. The rally attracted many spectators, even the locals. The event brings back memories for so many Kenyans as they remember watching the rally cars pass through their villages and roads.
The rally’s toughness was attributed to the rocky roads and the competition between rally cars and the local means of transportation that also used the same route. Other challenges in the rally also included wildlife that occasionally crossed the road while the drivers tried to navigate the routes. The weather also played a big part in how tough the stages were.
The Safari rally has changed over the years, with racing done in private farms and closed areas due to safety reasons for both the drivers and the spectators.
The 2021 WRC Safari rally is set to take place from the 24th of June to the 27th of the same month.
The 2021 Safari rally is set to be a challenging and interesting rally with top international champions set to be part of the race. 7 times world rally champion Sebastian Ogier is confirmed to be part of the rally in his Toyota Yaris. Ott Tanak will be competing for Hyundai. Local champions carl Tundo navigated by Tim Jessop will be driving a vox wagen polo r5 while his rival Onkar rai of kabras sugar will be driving a similar car. Baldev charger will also be racing as well as Karan Patel. Macrae Kimathi who will be driving under the sponsorship of Kenya airways and Safaricom is also one of the young drivers who will be part of the WRC list.
The Hyundai Motorsport rally team made a change to its wrc2 rally team for the safari rally, replacing Pierre Louis Loubet with 19-year-old Oliver Solberg. This will be a dream come true for young Solberg’s family.
Betika a top sports betting company in Kenya recently unveiled the list of the 4 teams they will be sponsoring. The first team is lead by driver Hussein Malik and Linet Ayuko as his codriver. Linet Ayuko is an award-winning navigator who has worked with some drivers in the industry over the past 10 years.
The second team sponsored by Betika is an all-female team, of Maxine Wahome and Shantal young driving a Subaru Impreza N10. Andrew Wanyoike and Harshil Limbani are also part of the team.
Andrew Muiruri and Edward Njoroge are also part of the team.
The route for the rally is set to be in the rift valley part of Kenya, with the main stages being in Soysambu Conservancy, the sleeping warrior in Lake Elementaita, and Naivasha. The competing stages will be in Kedong, Oserian, Loldai, Chui lodge, Malewa, and Hell’s gate. The service park will be in Naivasha, this is where the cars will be washed, serviced and refueled, and scrutineered.
The rally will start from the 24th of June at the Kenyatta International Conference center stadium where they will be officially flagged off by President Uhuru Kenyatta then proceed to Kasarani Stadium, where they will tackle the super special stage for two side by side laps on the built-in track before the cars proceed to Naivasha’s Chui lodge for a session before retiring at the WRC headquarters in the Kenya wildlife service headquarters in Naivasha.
The second day will start with a session at the Elementaita area where the drivers will have to tackle three stages from 8 in the morning until 1 pm then return to the Naivasha service park to refuel and for servicing.
For the rally, Toyota Kenya officially unveiled the triple and double zero cars that will be used as opening cars for the safari rally. The two Toyota Hilux 2.8 liter GD 2021 series was officially handed over to the WRC safari rally CEO Phineas Kimathi at the kasarani stadium on Friday the 11th of June.
The WRC safari rally greening project planted trees outside the super special stage in kasarani stadium to mark world environmental day. The initiative targets planting 19 million seedlings in the next three years.
The return of the safari rally to the WRC calendar is largely attributed to the safari rally CEO Phineas Kimathi who at the onset of his job vowed to bring back the WRC rally. This came after the many trips he had to make and the many meetings he attended to make sure that the safari rally was back in the WRC calendar.
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