New Zealand, Safari, Japan: a long desert crossing rewarded

Three events will return in the World Rally Championship (WRC) in 2020 : New Zealand, Safari in Kenya and Japan. However, these three destinations had disappeared from the radar screens for many years, even decades for some. 

New Zealand

This is one of the most idyllic landscapes in the history of rallying. Drivers and fans hold New Zealand's fine dirt tracks in high esteem. Legendary special stages like Motu or Whaanga Coast are synonymous with Pacific Ocean shores and corner turns as smooth as polished bodywork. 

New Zealand has little commercial interest in brands engaged in WRC. The population does not reach 5 million inhabitants. No, what makes the World Cup happy with the idea of ​​returning to “NZ” is indeed the sporting aspect.

“New Zealand has a real affinity with the WRC and is featured in the top ten countries having most often hosted the championship, recalls Oliver Ciesla, Managing Director of WRC Promoter. 

Indeed, the WRC went to this Antipodean country to 32 covers since 1977. Sebastian Loeb was the last driver to bring back the trophy in the shape of… a kiwi in 2012. Since then, nothing, for financial reasons. 

The reason then was the lack of benefits linked to the alternation of different countries on the calendar. “The problem is that it just doesn’t work,” explained in 2012 Peter Johnston, the promoter of rally. “The lack of continuity has greatly affected our commercial impact and our ability to employ qualified personnel in this world-class event. »

Since then, the nation of All-Blacks has continued to push, by requesting in particular a withdrawal from Australia so as not to duplicate in this area of ​​the globe. Finally, everything will be back to normal in September 2020. “People say that Finland is the best rally in the world, but I must admit that New Zealand is very close, reconnait Jari-Matti Latvala (Toyota).

Sébastien Ogier (Citroën) remembers the routes “with great rhythm between the turns. The scenery is awesome, it's one of the most beautiful places in the world, I even spent a vacation there. »

“It’s a rally that everyone wants to do, admit Thierry Neuville (Hyundai). The curvature of the roads makes driving very pleasant. We drive there quickly. » 

On these places, Marcus Grönholm is the record holder for the event, with five wins in very 2000 and 2007. This last edition went down in the annals for the intensity of the fight with Sébastien Loeb. On arrival, the two men were only separated by three hundredths of a second, a record at the time! 

Safari

The Kenya Rally is part of the elite of rallying. The reason is simple: in the last century it benefited from a nickname, the Safari, like other legendary rounds (1 Lakes for Finland, the RAC in Great Britain, the 000 Turns Rally in Corsica, among others). others). This name has survived, despite an 18-year hiatus! 

The Safari is synonymous with extremely rough courses, bull bars and helicopters accompanying competitors to warn them of the presence of herds of cows or locals on the roads. In 2020, the rally will regain security worthy of the XNUMXst century, and too bad for the local color.

The Safari has effectively built its legend on its arduous nature, as explained by Jean-Claude Lefebvre, winner of the 1978 edition with Jean-Pierre Nicolas, in the Carpooling from AUTOhebdo n°2235 (available in digital version). “In Safari, we went from one CP to another in a time limit that was impossible to achieve. The teammate jumped out of the car to clock in, and as soon as he got back in, the driver shifted into first gear and we immediately had to go back to the notes. » This photo is proof:

Jean Todt confirms this, “if this inheritance (from the difficulty of the rally. Ed.) will be discussed, it is at the same time a modern Safari alongside our thirteen other events. This does not mean that the challenge will be less and we can be sure that this 2020 edition will fully test our drivers, teams and cars. »

The African event is distinguished by the official support of the Kenyan ministry, which contributes through its Sports Department. The return of the World Cup to this country has also been the subject of several reports on national television. Can you imagine if TF1 or France 2 dedicated a subject from the 20 Hours to the Tour de Corsica? 

Yes, motorsport is still appreciated by politicians, as confirmed by the wishes of the President of Kenya: “Before taking office in 2013, I made a promise to the people of Kenya that the Safari would return to the WRC family, launched Uhuru Kenyatta. This road took us seven years. »

Bonus info : the rally was founded in 1953 to celebrate the coronation of Elizabeth II. The Queen of the United Kingdom learned of the death of her father George VI while she was… in Kenya! 

Japan

“I am the unloved”. Claude François could have dedicated this song to the Japan Rally if it had existed during its existence. Since the 2020 calendar was made official, the Asian round has received a flood of negative criticism. 

It is particularly criticized for its lack of history. In fact, the event only dates back to 2002 within the Asia-Pacific Championship and has only entered the World Cup six times between 2004 and 2010.

However, Japan played a crucial role in the 2007 season. After Marcus Grönholm's crash, Sébastien Loeb had a priceless chance to regain the championship lead, but a slight mistake in Daniel Elena's diction went wrong. send the Citroën into the scene! An extremely rare image in the career of the nine-time world champions:

If Japan is returning to the WRC, it is also thanks to the presence of Toyota in the service park. The world's leading automobile manufacturer has hosted the WRC since 2017 and is banking on its performances to attract a large audience on the asphalt roads of the Nagoya region. 

Because this is the major change of this return. Exit the narrow paths of the island of Hokkaido in the north of Japan, make way for a road course on the main island of Honshu. Enough to increase the influence of this trip in the face of the championship? 

#WRC #RallyJapan 2020 will be amazing #RallyFans #Japan #rally https://t.co/oSmfWqycGx pic.twitter.com/gEFe5TomQD

- World Rally Championship (@OfficialWRC) September 29, 2019

To get a more precise idea of ​​the route, a test edition, called “Central Rally Aichi / Gifu” will be held on November 9 and 10, 2019, one week before the WRC final in Australia. She will take the special stages which will welcome the WRC cars a year later. 

Conclusion:

The purpose of the return of these three countries is obviously economic. Japan constitutes a significant market for manufacturers (2 of the 4 brands involved are Asian), while the Ministries of Sports and Tourism of New Zealand and Kenya will use the rally as a vector of promotion abroad.

Let's not forget that an FIA World Championship is supposed to take place in as many continents as possible. For the WRC, it is a total success, with six continents visited, a first since its creation. Finally, on the sporting side, only New Zealand can provide guarantees at this stage.

Kenya 2020 will undoubtedly be compared to its ancestral version, much more epic, while Japan must prove that its roads are technical enough to offer a challenge to the best drivers in the world.