Why WRC's Safari tour is more than just a rally

When a motorsport event has its own anthem, it’s a clear sign that this is a big deal. That was indeed the case for last weekend’s Safari Rally Kenya, one of motorsport’s last remaining great adventures. This anthem created for one event per year was belted out by a tuneful local choir to the masses gathered outside parliament buildings in Kenyan capital Nairobi, as the country’s president Uhuru Kenyatta greeted the World Rally Championship teams.

The reason for such fanfare is that the WRC’s trip to Kenya is the country’s largest sporting event and is deeply rooted in the nation’s culture. But the Safari isn’t just that, it’s currently Africa’s only opportunity to showcase itself to the motorsport world.

Held annually since 1953, the rally has been a staple of the country’s sporting sphere, and featured among WRC crown jewel events until 2002. It was a brutal marathon comprising more than 1000km (600 miles) of stages on rough gravel roads. Teams would test for months to ensure they could conquer it. After nearly two decades away, the WRC returned last year and, although more sanitised, the heavily revised 344km sprint format remains one of the toughest challenges in motorsport.

In Kenya, rallying is extremely popular and the Safari fills the front and back pages of the national newspapers. It is an unmissable and unavoidable event for the locals, and holidays are booked well in advance for fear of missing out. It’s not only popular with Kenyans – hordes of rally fans from neighbouring Uganda and Tanzania make the pilgrimage to see their rally heroes.

PLUS: How Rovanpera tamed a wild Safari Rally

Of course, there’s an elephant in the room, and not just the ones dotted across the stages. Kenya is a less economically developed country and, as you travel two hours north out of Nairobi through the stunning Great Rift Valley to Naivasha where the rally is now based, you can see the stark divide between the wealthy and the poor. It begs the question of whether the Kenyan government should be spending money on hosting an FIA-sanctioned event when it could be used elsewhere.

There are also moral implications of hosting a rally among Kenya’s stunning flora and fauna. These were all issues raised by drivers ahead of the event’s return last year. But the thought process changes upon witnessing the impact of this rally on the nation and its people. Thousands lined the streets of Nairobi and it’s easy to see what this event means to them. It’s a massive party as the WRC field drives past at road speed, let alone at full chat through Kenya’s savannah.

The challenge of competing in Kenya is unique for the WRC

Photo by: McKlein / Motorsport Images

When the rally disappeared from the WRC calendar, it hurt Kenya. It continued as part of the African Rally Championship and remained popular among its fanbase, but from an economic point of view it suffered a lack of exposure that in turn affected the tourism sector. President Kenyatta revealed at the ceremonial start that last year’s event injected up to six billion Kenyan shillings into the economy, equating to approximately £41million.

Rally CEO Phineas Kimathi, a former rally driver and father of Junior WRC driver McRae Kimathi, says last year’s event generated four times the amount invested by the government and is expecting an increase this year now COVID-19 restrictions are decreasing globally. A deal to ensure the event remains on the calendar until 2026 has already been signed, such is its importance to the nation.

“The WRC’s return is such a big thing, not just for Kenyans, but for the entire continent of Africa because everybody felt left out when a whole continent didn’t have an opportunity to participate in a world championship,” Kimathi told Autosport. “The rally is not just a sport for Kenya, it is part of our heritage. For it to be reduced to a national championship event was very traumatising.

“The rally is such an economic driver, it really brings the boost we are looking for. This is not just a rally to Kenyans. The feelgood factor generated cannot be quantified in economic terms. You always want your population to be proud of their country and the only way to do that is to run events where they feel the government is doing things that will translate into happiness.”

For the WRC, the Safari has again become a keystone of its calendar and one of its unique selling points in attracting a new audience, courtesy of its iconic images of cars kicking up plumes of red dust while blasting past giraffes and zebra.

But for African motorsport the platform is crucial. This year’s Safari Rally hammered home that Africa is an emerging motorsport entity that has the potential to create star drivers if given the opportunity on the world stage.

Perhaps the story of this year’s event was 26-year-old Kenyan Maxine Wahome, who became the first woman to win a WRC3 round. The remarkable victory came in Wahome’s first event in the new M-Sport Poland-built Ford Fiesta Rally3 and exactly a year after taking up rallying. A teacher by profession, Wahome headed an all-Kenyan WRC3 podium, so clearly there is potential there.

The Safari Rally’s impact is far reaching. It’s more than just a WRC event. Long may it continue in helping Kenya and establishing Africa on the global motorsport map.

The WRC's visit to Kenya is important not just for the nation of rally fans, but for the African continent too

Photo by: Toyota Racing