Inside Details of Safari Rally 2023 As World Rally Championship Heads to Naivasha

Martin Moses

updated at June 23, 2023 at 5:47 AM

Safari Rally is expected to take centre stage in Naivasha from June 22 to June 25th
Kalle Rovanpera will lead other high-profile drivers in arguably the most difficult leg of the championship
The 355 kilometres route is expected to offer high-octane action and intriguing spectacles
The unique Safari Rally is arguably the biggest motorsport event in Africa

It is almost that time of the month again. That time when motorsport, and fun lovers, head to Naivasha for the annual Safari Rally.

As the Kenyan cliche goes, it is time for Subaru boys to shine, get full tanks, one or two for the road for the damsels as they make a beeline to Naivasha - a dusty town about 90 kilometres from Kenya's capital, Nairobi.

Safari Rally 2023, Naivasha — Belgian drivers Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe of Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally team compete in the World Rally Championship' (WRC) round 6 stage 19 in Naivasha, Kenya on June 26, 2022. Photo by Brian Otieno.
Source: Getty Images

This year's event promises more fun and excitement. This will be the third successive year Safari Rally will take place since its return to the calendar in 2021.

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More than 35, including 10 of the creme de la creme in the world, will grace this year's event, which kicks off on Wednesday with the shake-down at Loldia before the flag-off at Uhuru Park on Thursday and the special stage at Kasarani.

Defending champion Kalle Rovanpera and 2021 winner Sebastian Ogier are expected to headline what has often been termed the toughest and wildest leg of the series. Citizen Digital adds that Ott Tänak, Evans Elfyn, Thierry Neuville, Esapekka Lappi, Dani Sordo, Katsuta Takamoto, and Solberg Olive will also be the other big games.

Rovanpera, who races for Toyota Gazoo, leads the standings ahead of the Kenya meet. The Finnish driver has 118 points, 25 better than Hyundai's Neuville.

Why is Safari Rally the hardest?

Drivers often look forward to competing on the expansive roads in Naivasha due to its unpredictable nature. The dusty roads could easily turn muddy and impassable in the event of rainfall, which is always a possibility.

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Fesh fesh, is a term you will probably hear a lot from motorsports enthusiasts. It refers to the fine dust on the roads that looks like solid ground. On rocky terrains, it is extremely slippery, and it usually sticks to the engines of the cars, thereby causing major performance issues.

It also lingers in the air, which causes major visibility issues for drivers. Teams often struggle to deal with it. Last year, Toyota did the unthinkable by sweeping all the podium places.

2021 Champion and the second most successful driver in WRC history, Ogier, previously shared his thoughts on Safari Rally's terrain.

"The challenge of Safari, it’s unique. It’s not like anywhere else on Earth. But we don’t forget: the roads also can be super-tough. You can go from the big, big rocks where you take only first gear into places where you struggle like hell to come through the fesh-fesh, with your face full of the dust." said the French driver, as quoted by KBC.

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Safari Rally Sponsorship

The government slashed the sponsorship of the event to 1.4 Billion Kenya shillings, down from the 2.6 Billion it pumped in last year. However, as Nation Sports reports, a number of sponsors, namely Safaricom, Kenya Commercial Bank, Cfao Motors and Wildlife Research and Training Institute, have come on board.

Safari Rally 2023 route and spectator stages

The four-day event will take the drivers through a 355-kilometre route with different spectator stages after the flag-off. President William Ruto is expected to oversee the start at Uhuru Park.