This year’s Safari Rally will be staged in its traditional Easter weekend. At the same time, plans are under way to transform the rally into a world class race as organisers prepare for the 2015 edition.Major changes were announced by the Kenya Motor Sports Federation during the official launch of the premier event of the KMSF calendar in Nairobi on Tuesday.
Phineas Kimathi, the Executive Director of the Safari Rally, said he was happy that the KMSF board had agreed to withdraw the Safari Rally from the FIA African Rally Championship after years of discomfort and with no signs of seeing Kenya reclaim the glory days of the World Rally Championship.
MERU ASK SHOWGROUND
“We are giving ourselves a maximum of three years to transform the rally into a major race with ideas from the golden years when it was staged over the Easter period.
“Stages are also going to be of endurance and not sprint, hoping there will be heavy rains to bring back the good old memories,’’ said Kimathi, who won the Formula Two Class in 1992 Safari Rally when it was part of the World Rally Championship.
“Other innovations include the new timing system, which will be operated through satellite technology, thus results will be transmitted as soon as the car crosses the main bean.
“It will be the first of its kind in Africa. A helicopter will also do route-opening as part safety plans. Our aim is to make the Safari Rally a world class event in the next three years, where we expect FIA to be knocking our door.”
CUSTOMARY LOCATION
The Service Park, which had become a customary location for the competitors and their service crews, will no longer be part of the full plan where roadside servicing like the olden days, will apply.
The Service Park will be seen only once at the Meru Teachers Training Institute at the end of Day Two action. The rally will start on April 3 at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre, before heading for the first of the spectator stages at the Portland Cement.
It will be followed by more stages around the Machakos area before returning to Nairobi for an overnight rest at the KICC. The second day will start at 7am and head for Nanyuki through Lengetia and Loldaiga, then to Lewa by the outskirts of Isiolo. The final action will end in Meru with ASK Showground and Nkunga as part of the Day Two itinerary.
Day Three will commence at 8am from Meru before repeating all the stages from the previous day. Cars will revisit, Lengetia, Loldaiga, Lewa, Nkunga and ASK grounds before the rally ends in the centre of Meru, where the first car is expected at just about 2pm.
KMSF Chairman, JS Vohra, said he was happy with the work the team has done under Supi Soin, the Chairman of the Rallies Commission.
Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) Director of Logistics, James Asiko, presented KMSF with a cheque of Sh45 million as part of the sponsorship deal for the 2015 KNRC.
Editor’s note: The organisers of the Ivory Coast Rally, the first round of the ARC, also announced after the rally this year, that they were withdrawing from the ARC due to a lack of Government interest.