Will the future of the Safari Rally be decided this Sunday, March 15th?

It hasn't escaped anyone's notice that this 2026 edition of the Safari Rally, the third round of the World Rally Championship, is atypical in many respects. If the rally While the race is usually difficult and particularly demanding, the weather conditions encountered since the start of the event have made the adventure even more challenging than usual. On Saturday, four top drivers were forced to retire, including, in chronological order, Elfyn Evans, Sébastien OgierOliver Solberg and Thierry Neuvillewho will, however, have the opportunity to restart for Super Sunday this Sunday. A day that will be important in many respects: firstly for the crews involved, in order to limit the damage to the championship, but also for the future of the Safari Rally itself, as indicated by Simon Larkin, Director of Events at WRC Promote.

Safari Rally: A previously public organization

Since its return to the calendar, the Safari Rally has been organized in conjunction with the Kenyan Ministry of Sport. This is a situation that both WRC Promoter and Kenyan President William Ruto now wish to avoid. This year, private partners such as Sportpesa, already seen in Formula 1 In the past, Racing Point, Safaricom, and KCB Bank have joined the venture, thus making it possible to have more private funding instead of the public budget used until now. The President knows this and shares this view: if this transition hadn't already begun, we wouldn't have returned because, in my opinion, a government shouldn't be organizing such events. “,” said Simon Larkin. With the contract between WRC Promoter, even though the German company is expected to quickly relinquish control of the championship, and the Kenyan government coming to an end, a meeting of the utmost importance is to take place this Sunday, March 15, between all parties involved, in the presence of President Ruto, regarding the continuation or not of this collaboration.

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There are no other options than the Safari Rally in Africa next year.

The unfolding of the 2026 Safari Rally raises some questions, particularly whether the event is still suitable for modern cars: the various breakdowns encountered since Thursday logically fuel this discussion. The championship's promotional team's intention is clear, however. We want to continue with Kenya because the event has brought as much to the WRC as the WRC has brought to the country, but this must be done with an organization similar to this year's, with government support and private partners providing funding. "This is still proof, however, that Kenya's presence on the WRC calendar is not yet a done deal," Larkin stated. Could other solutions exist? We are in discussions with other African countries, but in any case, it will not be for 2027. thus closing the door on a short-term alternative. However, there should be no announcement tomorrow: according to Simon Larkin, This will likely happen in the coming weeks; we have been working with the relevant stakeholders for several months and will be making a proposal to this effect to President Ruto tomorrow. To be continued.