Safari Rally inches a step closer to regaining WRC status

As the push to return Safari Rally to the World Rally Championship (WRC) calendar gathers momentum, international federation FIA president Jean Todt threw his support behind the bid during his visit to the country.

At a media briefing on Monday, Todt was assured by the Government represented by Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Sport, Culture and the Arts Dr. Richard Ekai that measures have been put in place to ensure the 2018 Safari Rally was a test-event to resume WRC status the next year.

The Government has already committed Ksh100m towards the event next year being a round of the Africa Rally Championship (ARC).

“Proper financial, material and logistical support will be discussed at an inter-ministerial level through laid down protocol,” Ekai told Todt in regards to the financial undertaking required by the FIA in listing an event in the WRC circuit.

Todt, a former Safari Rally co-driver and later team principal of Peugeot World Rally Team, said he would like to see the Safari back in the global circuit for the first time since it was pulled out in 2003 when Government funding dried up.

He stressed that WRC status is determined by the WRC Promoter, who are the commercial rights holders of this global event with a cumulative global television reach of 755 million people in over 300 stations in 150 countries.

Todt was concerned on the number of road accidents experienced in the country pointing out that FIA would like to use the Safari Rally to sensitize people about road safety in Africa as part of its mobility responsibility.

“It is unacceptable to have over 17,000 road accidents including 3000 deaths in Kenya annually,” said Todt who was attending a global seminar at the United Nations headquarters in Gigiri in his capacity as the special envoy on road safety on Tuesday.

“I had a thought that an African country should hold a WRC event and it would be a pleasure for Kenya. First Kenya will host the East African Safari Rally and in 2018 it will also hold candidate events with Japan, France and other countries before embarking on the WRC in 2019,” he added.

The FIA boss also announced the international body has restored financial grants to the KMSF to a tune of Ksh17 million annually for training of technical officials and purchase of WRC standard communication system.

Kenya Motor Sport Federation (KMSF) President Phineas Kimathi enumerated the progress the federation has achieved since June this year when he attended the FIA Sports Conference in Turin, Italy.

He said the KMSF is awaiting allocation of a frequency from Communication Authority of Kenya that will be required in sustaining the FIA system.

While Automobile Association of Kenya (AAK) chairman, Jinaro Kibet gave a green light on working with the KMSF to promote road safety through rallying.

“It is very important to have auto mobile movement in this event and I think AAK has done what it entails to make this event a success,” Todt emphasised.