World Rally Championship drivers believe Safari Rally Kenya deserves to remain on the World Rally Championship calendar as work to secure its future for 2027 and beyond continues.
The iconic African classic rejoined the calendar in 2021 after a 19-year hiatus, but the 2026 edition was the last of its current contract. However, a new deal is predicated by a significant change in how the rally will be organised.
The return of the Safari Rally, albeit in a shorter modern format, has been hailed as one of the WRC’s recent success stories. The rally has delivered a unique challenge to drivers and teams, and created a stunning spectacle to market the WRC across the world. It has also attracted a huge spectator following with thousands of fans coming from Kenya’s neighbouring Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda, which in turn has driven a significant return to the Kenyan economy.
It lived up to being the toughest challenge of the season, and drivers now wish to see it remain on the calendar as talks to secure a new contract have stepped up.
“[Kenya] clearly [deserves its place in the championship]. It’s something quite unique,” said two-time Safari winner Sebastien Ogier.
“I think the fans also enjoy seeing this kind of challenge. That’s what makes our sport so appealing, it’s the variety, so honestly yes, I hope it will continue to be on the calendar even though I don’t have many plans for the future, but for the sport itself.”
Elfyn Evans, Scott Martin, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
Photo by: Toyota Racing
Championship leader Elfyn Evans added: “I think it is a rally that offers something really unique and I always maintain that the main selling point of the world championship is that we can compete in Monte Carlo, Sweden, the tarmac of the Canary Islands and every extreme basically, and this is one of those unique challenges – so it should be [on the calendar].”
The very existence of the modern Safari Rally has been reliant solely on the Kenyan government in terms of funding and the event organisation, which is something that can no longer be sustained.
While there is a wish for Safari Rally Kenya to continue as a WRC event, the responsibility for promoting and financing the competition will have to be handed over entirely to the private sector in the future.
“This is the last Safari Rally where we will be spending public money to promote. From next year, this event will be fully funded and supported by the private sector,” said Kenya’s president William Ruto at the rally last weekend.
There have been moves already before this year’s event to turn the rally into a private sector funded and organised affair. WRC bosses met with Ruto to discuss a proposal to secure the future of the rally during the event.
Motorsport.com understands that discussions, for what would be a minimum new three-year deal, have been positive. A decision regarding the event’s future will be likely made within the next six to eight weeks.
A decision on Kenya’s place in the WRC calendar is expected in six to eight weeks
Photo by: M-Sport
“We are at the end of our contract. It is under discussion, there are opportunities to do it with options,” said Simon Larkin, WRC Promoter senior events director, prior to the meeting with Ruto.
“It is more that president Ruto himself has been quite clear about this that he wanted to take the organisation of the event out of the government itself. At the moment, this is organised actually by the sports ministry. And he would not be offended by me saying governments are not the sort of organisations that should be running events. They should be involved by providing police, the army, fire, ambulances, access to the land. But not actually being the organiser and the promoter of the event – not actually being the boots on the ground to do these things. That is the job of a proper company.
“He made the decision not so long ago to put this event back into the private sector, still with government money, but not with them actually doing the organisation. It’s a business model we’ve been talking about for two years. And we wouldn’t be coming back if it was run under the same, government-run model.
“So, it’s just taken a bit longer than we all would have liked. But now that separation has happened with partners like SportPesa, Safaricom, KCB Bank. They’re all willing to step up to be stakeholders, shareholders in a private sector-run event with the government still in the background providing money, providing support, providing material, that sort of thing.
“That’s the model that’s happening this year, and that’s being done deliberately to set it as the fundamental foundation for what could happen in the future.
“To be clear, I think this event has definitely added something to the World Rally Championship and I have no doubt that the World Rally Championship has brought something to Kenya and that is the relationship and partnership.”
Competition for places in the 2027 calendar is, however, heating up with Scotland joining the schedule next year, while the USA is also in contention to secure a spot.
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