The annual Safari Rally competition is here with us again. It is always one of the most epic adventures to grace the FIA World Rally Championship.

Now, in its 70th edition, the excitement and expectations are on another level, coming as its does three years after it resumed following FIA’s suspension of the Kenyan leg in 2002 owing to persistent security challenges.

Rally enthusiasts in Nairobi yesterday had a sneak preview of what to be expected after Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua flagged off the event at Uhuru Park, before the drivers proceeded to Kasarani for the Super Special Stage.

The entry list for the legendary gravel event, billed as the toughest round on WRC calendar, features 10 top-level Rally1 cars, 11 WRC2 runners plus a five-strong WRC3 line-up, including some of the top local drivers who will be seeking top honours as the event also counts as a leg in the Kenya National Rally Championships.

Kalle Rovanperä and Sébastien Ogier – winners of the previous two editions – both field Toyota GR Yaris cars along with Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta, the Japanese star twice a podium finisher in Kenya.

Hyundai Motorsport has entered a trio of i20 Ns for Esapekka Lappi, Thierry Neuville and Dani Sordo, while Ott Tänak, Pierre-Louis Loubet and privateer Jourdan Serderidis will pilot M-Sport Ford Pumas.

Kajetan Kajetanowicz tops the WRC2 entry in a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, while other entrants in the premier support category include Grégoire Munster (Ford Fiesta Rally2) and Karan Patel (Ford Fiesta R5).

This is, without doubt, going to be an event to remember, but as we celebrate the milestones achieved by the event in the last 70 years, fans must remember to remain cautious and avoid any incidences both at the spectator sections, the competitive stages and even on the public roads, to and from the rally stages.
Unbecoming fan beaviour was one of the reasons FIA had slapped a ban on Safari Rally.

There is certainly going to be booming business for the hotel and transport industries, not to mention the hawkers who throng the venues for business. They should, however, do business without exploiting fans by hiking prices to unreasonable figures. Come one, come all. Let ‘Vasha sparkle.