Safari shows its unforgiving claws as Vohra rolls in the opening Kasarani stage

The World Rally Championship (WRC) Safari Rally served its usual punishment early on as Kenya’s Sammam Singh Vohra rolled in the opening Kasarani Super Special stage in the outskirts of Nairobi.

Safari is renowned as the toughest test to man and machine and it didn’t take long before it served its coldest reminder yet of what lies ahead in the next four days.

The Kasarani Super Special Stage is one of a kind in the world where two drivers go head to head in a 4.84KM stretch where drivers directly test themselves against their rivals.

Aakif Viran had survived early scare after spinning off a few metres from the start as he went head to head with Vohra, but it was Vohra who would pay the ultimate test as he rolled and could not complete the stage after he was timed out.

“We took it fast but when we pulled the handbrake the front wheel went into the ditch and took us over; but it was a smooth roll not so bad we fixed it.”

African Rally champion Karan Patel had a scare of his own as he raced Carl flash Tundo in the opening round but survived to finish moments behind the five-time Safari Rally winner in the WRC 2 Category.

And with rain expected in the coming days, rally enthusiasts in the country and around the world can only expect more drama and excitement in this year’s WRC Safari Rally.

M-Sport Ford’s Jourdan Serderidis cautioned it would be a proper nightmare for all drivers in the rally if the heavens were to open this weekend in Naivasha.

“If it rains anything can happen, it would not excite any driver. It’s really important to attack when you can attack and to be very cool and very soft when needed and of course driving skills are very important in those conditions; because you don’t have any grip at all.

"Sometimes you have to go to the stones because they have some grip there; everything is possible and if the weather forecast is that then you would have a lot of surprises and upsets.”

Majority of the drivers have expressed caution ahead of the three day run in the breathtaking landscapes of Naivasha hoping to complete the rally unscathed.

Safari is dreaded for its combination of dusty, rocky, muddy and untamed terrain and rally lovers here in Naivasha will for sure be in for a proper treat as the rally makes its comeback to the Easter weekend.