The Safari without a headliner

Confirmed on the IRC calendar, the Safari Rally begins tomorrow without any headliners. Peugeot, Abarth and Skoda skipped the African rally which will have to make do with Subaru (excluding IRC) and Mitsubishi driven by locals.

Published on 02/04/2009 à 10:16

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The legendary event no longer has all its splendor. If the course remains exceptionally technical and photogenic, the entry list is a far cry from the great years of the Safari, when the best pilots in the world came to compete on a rally " apart ".

This 57th edition will begin with a special show in Nairobi before taking the crews to Lake Elementaita on Saturday then to Athi River on Sunday.

Only one Super 2000 is registered: the South African sisters Megan and Lola Verlaque enter a Volkswagen. In IRC, they will face a few Mitsubishis including that of Kenyan Lee Rose. Only drivers holding an African license will be able to score points in the driver rankings.

In an additional class, open to older cars, the 1994 winner (against Shinozuka, Auriol, Burns and Kankkunen) Ian Duncan will start with a Nissan Patrol.

The reconnaissance began in pouring rain but the organizers have already announced their intention not to change the route.