Forecast: It’s expected to be a wet Safari Rally

Mau Summit

Trucks parked at Mau Summit on the Eldoret-Nakuru highway on June 25, 2021, after the road was closed for heavy commercial vehicles due to the World Rally Championships Safari Rally Kenya, in Naivasha.

Photo credit: File

What you need to know:

  • It will be tough for the drivers but there’s entertainment galore for spectators who have never seen world rally cars in action under wet conditions.
  • Nairobi will also experience rainfall at the start of the Safari on Thursday, June 23, thereby dampening dust at the Kasarani Super Special stage where cars will race side by side.

If the weatherman is to be believed, next weekend’s WRC Safari Rally will be gloriously wet in Naivasha with the week-long rains expected from Friday until the end of the rally on June 26.

All-weather forecast site Google’s handles show the same pattern of mild warm daylight with either intermittent light or heavy showers, peaking on Wednesday afternoon at the Ndulele Conservancy venue of the Shakedown which will give top drivers an opportunity to reset their machines to adapt to wet and slippery conditions.

Freezing cold nights, similar to what was witnessed in the 2018 Africa Championship Safari Rally in the same routes, awaits party animals from Nairobi as temperatures will dip to 11 degrees Celsius.

The tricky parts will be Soysambu and Kedong sections and with hidden ruts which can destroy even the strongest car. The other area is Elementaita lakeside section.

The Safari Rally has always been relatively dry, a common denominator which has seen the number of survivors remain high.

The Narasha stage in the highlands, where rain is prevalent, will also be tricky as the road was recently graded.

It will be tough for the drivers but there’s entertainment galore for spectators who have never seen world rally cars in action under wet conditions.

Nairobi will also experience rainfall at the start of the Safari on Thursday, June 23, thereby dampening dust at the Kasarani Super Special stage where cars will race side by side.