By Husna Muhdhar,
The Safari Rally Kenya is the biggest and most highly anticipated challenge in the World Rally Championship.
The sixth round of the series, held in the picturesque Great Rift Valley, features a third meeting between the FIA World Rally Championship veterans this year.
As crews navigate the torturous, fast-moving, and merciless gravel roads strewn over Kenya’s renowned, wildlife-filled savannah, the Safari Rally presents one of the sport’s most difficult challenges.
Given its difficulty to win and its distinctive stages, the event has long taken pleasure in being one of the WRC’s crowning achievements.
Before making a comeback this year after a 19-year absence, the Safari Rally was a regular event on the WRC schedule from 1973 to 2002.
Along the journey, fans and participants will encounter some of Kenya’s wildlife including some of the Big 5, as well as other exotic animals.
Long, straight motorways with top speeds of 200 km/h contrast with rugged, rutted roads that slow down moving vehicles to little more than a strolling pace.
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Additionally, thunderstorms are expected during the four-day event, which should heighten the drama.
If the forecast is accurate, rain will turn the dry areas into dangerous mud bogs in a matter of minutes.
The significant weather query appears with the cloud. Although the actual rainy season is still a few months away, last year’s event proved that when it rains in Kenya, it truly rains. In comparison to rain in the midst of Africa, European rain is not even close. Roads quickly turn into rivers.
As a result, if the going gets tough, expect the unexpected.
Could we be in for more scenes like this at @wrcsafarirally? 👀🌧#WRC I #WRCLive | #SafariRallyKenya pic.twitter.com/SoZ3ioAkvB
— World Rally Championship (@OfficialWRC) June 22, 2022
According to numerous World Rally Championship drivers, this year’s Safari Rally Kenya stages would be much more difficult than those from last year.
The stages in Kenya have always been challenging, but this year’s changes to the schedule make it appear like the rally would be even more challenging.
That became immediately clear on Monday when some drivers encountered “rougher conditions” after returning from a reconnaissance mission.
“The feeling this year is maybe a bit better,” Kalle Rovanperä told DirtFish. “We know a bit better what’s coming.
“Of course, now it seems after the recce the stages look more rough than last year, more soft and also more fresh than last year.
“So that’s something that’s going to be more challenging than last year.”
It makes sense that drivers would worry about the more challenging conditions, but Adrien Fourmaux seemed to be a little less concerned.
Adrien is excited about the chance to take on the Kenyan challenges once more and believes that some of the challenges are more comparable to a typical gravel stage. But there are two particular stages that the M-Sport knows could catch a few out.
“There are some stages which are a little bit less difficult for the car I would say. A bit more like European stages,” he said.
“But there are still really tricky stages like Kedong or Sleeping Warrior, where many things can happen with the rain, with really rocky sections. These two stages will be really tricky also this year,” Adrien said.
On Thursday June 23, 2022 at noon, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta will flag off participants from the Nairobi start.
Before Sunday afternoon’s Naivasha finale, 19 grueling special stages totaling 363.44km are ahead around Lakes Naivasha and Elmenteita.
