Motorsport: FIA President to make a day visit to Kenya - Return the Safari Rally to WRC

According to media reports,  Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) President Jean Todt is making a 1-day visit to the country. Seeing as we had in a previous post, the Kenya Motorsport Federation which seeks to build rallying as a sport in the country, shall hope to pitch the idea of a return of the Safari Rally back to the World Rally Championship circuit.
It's may seem like an easy call since the President himself is pushing for a 12-Rally calendar ( from the current 13) where rallies are proposed to go beyond the 12-hour day sessions that have been the standard nowadays. Developments are in place to have the rally cars fitted with devices to help with rallying at night.
There is also the sponsorship proposition that Rally organisers have to foot. This usually runs into 100s of millions which the host country's organisers are supposed to guarantee.The WRC -with its partners can then add the event to the calendar.
Mr. Todt  we make a passion appeal for the Safari Rally to make its comeback to the circuit and continue being Africa's jewel in rallying ( we lost this and the Paris-Dakar Rally too...). Welcome to Kenya though!

Tribute to Eric Cecil 'Bwana Safari' - 1920 -2010

Salute to the man who together with Neil Vincent are rumoured to have founded the Safari Rally. Initially christened the Coronation Rally as part of paying tribute to Her Majesty-Queen Elizabeth for being crowned in Kenya while on safari with her husband Prince Philip; the rally eventually became known as the 'toughest race between man and machine'. The East Africa Safari Rally covered the 3 countries - Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda - till the 1970s when the strained relations between the 3 countries restricted the rally to just Kenya
The Rally became one of the highlights of the World Rally Championship until 2002 when the organisers decided to throw it out of the circuit on the excuse of safety and logistical issues. 'Sir' Eric Cecil did come back again and thought of the idea of covering the original 3 countries in cars built for the former glory days. This Rally was started to mark the 50th anniversary of the original rally and continues to this day and attracts drivers from across the globe albeit on a smaller scale, after every 2 years.

East African Classic Safari Rally - Start Point 2009 Sarova Whitesands

We would urge the motoring world led by http://www.motorsportkenya.com/ to consider application to the World Rally Championship and put this rally where it belongs we remain Africa's pride in the rallying world, thanks to this man's heritage( apparently no Rally from Africa features in the WRC circuit presently). We should consider this hopefully to tie it in with the upcoming Diamond Jubilee of the Queen's Coronation in 2012. 

Rallying News:
Sebastien Loeb won his 7th WRC Driver's Championship over the weekend continuing with his record-breaking spree in the rallying world. He was the first to win 6 titles back-to-back and has now won 60 rallies on the ramp. I guess the one race that he has never won and should really test his mettle is ....guessed right! WRC right this wrong please!

Safari Rally : Low Key Start

Logo courtesy of Motorsport Kenya.

For an event which attracted thousands of fans, the sport is slowly drifting into international rallying obscurity. The event was flagged off and the rest of the city was almost unmoved.
What's even worse the cars will cover only about 700 kms ( approx 437 miles) and mainly feature runs in 'people's farms as a local driver put it in the Press today.The rally had also almost sunk due to the low interest by sponsors though the buzz came on thanks to KCB who are the title sponsors. The weather has also played its worst and a dusty rally with patches of rains dotting parts of the route.
The magic of the Safari Rally just seems gone. Even some of us were not so impressed by the spectator stage which has been a highlight for the last 4 years. Organisers had better come up with a better thing ( like 2 cars racing on the track) to make it more exciting.
They can also add a skills section just to showcase what some of the drivers can do (I remember Richard Burns doing some spins on the Argentine finishing ramp and it was worth watching)...
We also need to fully provide for the rally and let by-gones be by-gones, WRC has forgotten about us and the faster we forget them the better. We might as well have a section for our crazy matatu drivers and weekend speed-racing wannabes from well-to-do neighbourhoods. That makes more sense to us !

Off-season Preparations

With most leagues enjoying a break, the preparations are underway for most of sports associations and federations.
Rugby –locally will see one of the off-season tournaments the Bamburi Series next month which serves as a good curtain raiser and gauge for the various players wishing to make a mark in their respective teams. On the other hand the 7s team is well into its 3rd circuit which takes them into Wellington next month.
Basketball- most of the teams will be looking to recruit personnel for their teams. A consolation is that no team has dissolved yet, though this may happen given the decrepit conditions the game is showing in the last years. As if to add insult to injury, a number of fresh talents are being poached by American high schools and colleges. This can’t bode well since few of these ever make a contribution to the local game. After the flight, kwaheri is what we say!
KBF has not made any clear intentions of new changes in the League with the officials who were elected early last year still struggling to support the Federation in the measliest of ways.

Hockey- this is another sport having a see-saw of sorts. With elections held last yea, we can hope that the new office gives the league some stimulus. Indications are that the various tournaments ahead of the official season like the Vaisakhi tourney will making a comeback. We do hope no drama will be seen like the boycott and eventual suspension of the junior team to the continental challenge.
Football- the clubs have engaged various professionals and ‘quacks’ alike to prepare for the Kenya Premier League which starts in March. A couple have hired new coaches like the now renamed City Stars (formerly World Hope). The rivalry which existed between perennial opponents such as Leopards and Gor Mahia will be revived after promotion of the former.
Motor-rallying- the Kenya motorsport starts with concerns over sponsorships after the KCB package (worth KShs.130 million ended in 2008) and the collapse of Triton Petroleum which more or less provided fuel to most rallying teams. For an already struggling sport, this is bound to hurt more if no immediate sponsors come on board.
The Safari Rally is included in the International Rallying Championship. Kenya MotorSport Club had better be working overtime to secure the necessary support both financial and logistical.
Swimming- With the success enjoyed by our swimmers last year, swimming has quickly caught on in the country moreso in the City. Over the last few days, thanks to the favourable weather, swimming pools have been brimming with young Kenyans trying to emulate their local hero-Jason Dunford. If this can be sustained and the young talent offered specialized training the kind the Dunford brothers enjoy, we can be sure to produce continental if not world beaters. This is easily becoming one of the emerging sport in Kenya.