WRC official: Shorter Safari will retain unique challenges
Portugal's Miguel Fonseca (left), the International Press Officer seconded by the WRC Promoter to the WRC Safari Rally, has a word with the WRC Safari Rally Media Centre manager Fondo Nzovu during construction of the Media Centre at the Kenya Wildlife Training Institute in Naivasha on June 14, 2021.
What you need to know:
- Meanwhile, the first WRC cars are expected to land at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport tomorrow.
- However, the supporting equipment has already been shipped to Mombasa and transferred to Kenya Ports Authority inland container terminals in Nairobi and Naivasha, awaiting final transfers to the Service Park at the Kenya Wildlife Service Training Institute in Naivasha.
Despite having shorter stages than the competition of old, this year’s World Rally Championship (WRC Safari Rally) will nonetheless retain the traditional challenges that earned it the “world’s toughest rally” tag.
Miguel Fonseca, who has been seconded to the Safari Rally by the WRC Promoter, the World Rally Championship’s marketing arm, is currently on a recce of the entire rally route.
And yesterday, the Portuguese national, who also heads Rally Portugal media operations, said he was impressed by what he has seen so far.
“Things are going according to plan,” he told Nation Sport.
“The stages are interesting and it’s actually a compact version of the old Safari Rally World Rally Championship event.
“It will be an interesting rally for everyone, and we are waiting to see how the drivers will cope.”
The Safari Rally was struck off the WRC calendar in 2002 owing to various concerns, including safety and declining sponsorship.
With the competition of old covering a total of about 5,000 kilometres, next week’s Safari Rally, which is making a comeback to the WRC after a 19-year absence, will cover a cumulative distance of about 1,133.94 kilometres.
Of these, 320.19 kilometres will be competitive with 813.75 being liaison distance.
Meanwhile, the first WRC cars are expected to land at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport tomorrow.
However, the supporting equipment has already been shipped to Mombasa and transferred to Kenya Ports Authority inland container terminals in Nairobi and Naivasha, awaiting final transfers to the Service Park at the Kenya Wildlife Service Training Institute in Naivasha.
