WRC Safari Rally 2024: All You Need to Know as World Championships Head to Naivasha for Easter

• The 2024 Safari Rally will take place in Naivasha from March 28 to March 31
• Last year's champion, Sebastien Ogier of Toyota, won't participate this year
• Sports Brief looks at all the route details and the entry list ahead of the race

Kenya will play host to the third leg of the 2024 World Rally Championships when local and international drivers troop to Naivasha for the annual Safari Rally.

This year's edition has been brought forward to coincide with the Easter holidays, as it was the norm in the past. The Safari Rally was reintroduced to the WRC calendar in 2021, but it was held on the last weekend of June.

The Kenyan government has pulled out all stops to ensure the competition, often considered the toughest due to the tricky terrain, is a success.

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Addressing journalists on March 22, Sports Cabinet Secretary, Ababu Namwamba, called on the fans to attend the rally in huge numbers.

This is the season's third event after stops in Monte Carlo and Sweden. After Kenya, the championships will head to Hungary and later France.

Inside details of the 2024 WRC Safari Rally

Sports Brief breaks down all you need to know about the 2024 Championships.

According to the official entry list published by WRC, 29 drivers led by Thierry Neuville and double world champion, Kalle Rovanperä, will participate in the race, with local driver, Carl Tundo of Ford, leading the Kenyan legion.

Eight-time world champion and the winner of last year's Safari Rally, Sebastien Ogier, was surprisingly omitted from Toyota's roster, which includes Rovanpera, Elfyn Evans, and Takamoto Katsuta.

The four-day event will see the drivers cover at least 360 kilometres daily, bringing the total distance at the end of Sunday to 1267.57 kilometres. The distance is spread over 19 spectator stages.

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The Kedong stage, which many drivers consider the toughest, will be run in the reverse direction this year, with the Sleeping Warrior further ahead. The rally will start at KICC on Wednesday for the ceremonial flag-off by Kenya's President, William Ruto, and conclude on Sunday at Hell's Gate.

WRC Safari Rally 2024 route and spectator stages

Thursday

SS1 - KICC - 1405hrs

Friday

SS2 - Loldia 1 -0830hrs

SS3 - Geothermal 1 - 0948hrs

SS4 - Kedong 1 - 1041hrs

SS5 - Loldia 2 - 1356hrs

SS6 - Geothermal 2 - 1514hrs

SS7 - Kedong 2 - 1607hrs

Saturday

SS8 -Soysambu 1 -0801hrs

SS9 - Elementaita 1 - 0905hrs

SS10 - Sleeping Warrior 1 -1003hrs

SS11 - Soysambu 2 - 1434hrs

SS12 - Elementaita 2 - 1535hrs

SS13 - Sleeping Warrior 2- 1633hrs

Sunday

SS14 - Malewa 1 - 0702hrs

SS15 -Oserian 1 - 0757hrs

SS16 - Hells Gate 1 - 0905hrs

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SS17 - Malewa 2 - 11230hrs

SS18 - Oserian 2 - 1210hrs

SS19 - Hells Gate 2 - 1415hrs

NB: The times indicated herein are the estimated time of when the first car will pass that stage. Each stage, save for the Thursday start, will be done twice daily.

Why is Safari Rally the hardest?

As Sports Brief reported last year, drivers often look forward to competing on the dusty roads in Naivasha due to the Safari Rally's unpredictable nature. The roads could easily turn muddy and impassable in the event of rainfall, which is always a possibility.

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. It is extremely slippery, and it usually sticks to the engines of the cars, thereby causing major performance issues.