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Kenya's Safari Rally retraces its roots

Xinhua, March 18, 2015 Adjust font size:

In an echo from the past, this year's 63rd KCB Safari Rally, Kenya's most famous motor sport event, will cover 9,000km across three days to rekindle the spirit that made it the toughest rally in the world.

Organizers announced Tuesday they had pulled it out of the Africa Rally Championships calendar to focus on efforts geared towards a return to the World Rally Championships (WRC) roster for 2017.

Kenya has one more edition of the annual showdown to lay measures before requesting world body, FIA, to consider next year' s as a test event for the global championship.

Among the changes made to the rally which was pulled out of the WRC calendar in 2003 over safety concerns is to return it to its tradition Easter Holiday slot from June.

From the flag-off in Nairobi on April 3, drivers will traverse four counties, namely, Nairobi, Machakos, Laikipia and Meru.

"This Safari is going to be different. It's going to be a combination of all Safari type roads and current day rally sections. The route is dry but if it rains, then Meru is going to be fun because that's where winners of the old edition were decided. Driving skill technique and energy must be taken on consideration by the drivers for them to succeed,"said Bimal Patel, Clerk of Course, explained during the Tuesday launch in Nairobi.

Also, Standard Required Timing Machine that is used in WRC will be introduced for the first time in Africa to record exact timings drivers post between stages. Endite