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FIA safety delegate Michele Mouton yesterday inspected the Kasarani Super Special Stage and gave it a  thumbs up ahead of tomorrow’s World Rally Championship.

Final touches were being put in place yesterday afternoon on the 4.8km circuit with deputy clerk of the course George Mwangi confident of a great show.

Competitors will be flagged off during the ceremonial start at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre  by President Uhuru Kenyatta on Thursday morning before proceeding to the Super Special Stage.

Mwangi says crews will tackle the Super Stage for two laps of side-by-side action on a custom-built circuit track before negotiating over 300km of grueling stages over the following three days.

“For the first time in the history of racing in Africa, a WRC car will be used to recce a stage on Safari Rally Kenya. We are doing a stage set up for Thursday.

The FIA delegate Michele came through the stage this morning, she is happy with what we have done. So we are ready to go,” said Mwangi.

At the same time, multiple Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC) winner Carl ‘Flash’ Tundo says the stakes are high for local drivers during the WRC Safari Rally.

 The ARC Equator Rally champion is set to renew his long standing rivalry with KNRC defending champion Baldev Singh Chager at the Safari that will also serve as the third leg of the KNRC series.

Local drivers will amass points from the event which follows the KNRC opening leg in Nakuru in January which was won by Chager.

Tundo, whose main focus is to lift the Safari title, says amassing points in the local series remains his other agenda during the rally set for the rough Naivasha terrains.

“For local drivers it’s more than just a race. I’m not sure the Kenyan drivers stands to gain by how much, but their experience with the tough Naivasha terrains will definitely stand out,”  noted Tundo who added that besides the blistering pace, characteristic of WRC contraptions, the local drivers will thrill fans at the various spectators stages as they fight for the national points.

“We are going out to do our best and enjoy the whole experience of competing in a WRC event again,” added Tundo who believes local knowledge of the rough Naivasha terrains will give Kenyan drivers an advantage over their international counterparts.