Safari Rally Kenya’s return to the World Rally Championship is marked by a very different opening day. Thursday means a return to country’s capital Nairobi for one of the event’s most famous backdrops.
The Kenyatta International Convention Center is where Colin McRae celebrated what would be the last WRC success in Africa 19 years ago. After being transported the 60 miles south from Naivasha to Nairobi for the ceremonial start, world championship rallying is now officially back on a continent starved of the sport’s top flight for almost two decades.
Here’s what to expect from the single stage on offer on Thursday.
SS1 Super Special Kasarani (3.0 miles)
Picking their way through the city, a single superspecial stage sits in wait 12 miles north-east of the center in Kasarani.
This is a purpose-built gravel stage which was first used at the candidate event in 2019. The three-mile test is definitely one of the WRC’s more interesting superspecials and includes a jump, watersplash and crossover.
