WRC’s biggest park shaping up
World Rally Championship (WRC) Safari Rally Event Director Jim Kahumbura (in hat) briefs journalists during a media familiarisation tour of the Service Park in Naivasha on March 2, 2021.
What you need to know:
- Full steam ahead as over 60 containers from competing teams expected at service park next week
- Race CEO Kimathi says facility at KWS capable of accommodating 50 rally cars
- The team has taken over 14 months to erect the new service park within the vicinity of the Kenya Wildlife Training Centre in Naivasha
The Kenya Wildlife Training Centre will be in the nerve centre of this year’s Safari Rally, which will be returning to the World Rally Championship series after 19 years.
Phineas Kimathi, the CEO of the WRC Safari Rally, led a team of personnel from the Media Team that visited the rally’s Service Park at the KWS venue in Naivasha on Friday.
The Safari Rally will run from June 24 to 27.
“Media plays a very important role in promoting a sport like the Safari Rally, which is an iconic sport in the eyes of the sport lovers across the world. I am very happy to invite you here to see the development achieved by my team with the help of the arms of the Government,” said Kimathi.
Kimathi added: “We have built one of the biggest Service Parks in the history of the World Rally Championship series. It is the biggest service from the 14 WRC events this year. The 220 x 90 meters area is fully cemented and should accommodate more than 50 world rally cars. The Kenya Power Lighting has agreed to connect the whole of the Service Park, while a special borehole is being drilled to make sure there is adequate water.”
World Rally Championship (WRC) Safari Rally Service Park Manager Anthony Gatei (left) fields questions from journalists during a media familiarisation tour of the Service Park in Naivasha on March 2, 2021.
The team has taken over 14 months to erect the new service park within the vicinity of the Kenya Wildlife Training Centre in Naivasha.
Additionally, there will be a special Presidential pavilion and special quarters for the media team that will cover the Safari Rally.
According to Kimathi, he visited over 26 countries across the world and gathered support from the members of the African Continent to help him convince FIA to reinstate Kenya in the World Rally Championship calendar.
He also thanked the President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta and CS Amina Mohamed for the big support.
The Service Park will host some of the most important functions of the Safari Rally beginning with the arrival of about 64 containers next week from the teams that will participate in the Safari Rally.
The entire team members will be based in Naivasha during the period covering the Safari Rally occasion.
The first real action will be the Equator Rally in a couple of weeks’ time.
The Safari Rally set up will be used in the African Rally Championship event to make sure everything is in the right place before the Safari Rally returns to action in June.
Scrutineering of the rally cars will be performed at the Service Park in Naivasha.
The cars will then be transported to Safari Park for an overnight stay before the main event starts from the Kenyatta International Convention Centre the following day.
Cars will be lined up at the KICC for the start, then proceed to Moi International Centre, Kasarani for the Super Spectator Stage.
