Naivasha is expected to witness a grueling battle as the World Rally Championship begins on Friday, June 23, 2023.

The Naivasha action is set to begin on Friday morning with the first of the day’s six stages, with the biggest challenge being the 30.62km Kedong stage, which makes up the finale of the morning and afternoon loops.

Tanak’s quickest time

The seventh leg of the World Rally Championship (WRC), the Safari Rally, officially started on Thursday with the 2019 World Rally Champion (WRC) Ott Tanak setting the stage with the quickest time through the 4.84km super special, going 0.1 sec quicker than 2021 Safari winner Sebastien Ogier in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1.

Toyota Gazoo’s Oiger, the eight-time world champion,  finished second in 3:14.4 in the ceremonial opening of the competition. Oiger is looking for a double in the Safari Rally, while Tanak is determined to break Toyota’s dominance in the seventh leg of the series.

The 2022 Safari winner, Kalle Rovanpera, completed the top three, while the winner last time out on Sardinia, Thierry Neuville, was the best of the Hyundai Motorsport drivers and completed the stage fourth overall.

After the ceremonial kickoff in Nairobi, the real action begins in Naivasha and will run for three days. This 2023 edition marks the 70th anniversary since the rally first happened in the country.

The rally drivers have been in the country for days now, and M-Sport Ford driver Pierre-Louis Loubet, who is set to make his first World SafariRally appearance, and Tanak and co-driver Martin Jarveola had an opportunity to visit Eliud Kipchoge at Kaptagat before they shifted their focus on the Naivasha action.

“[Safari Rally Kenya is] a demanding one. Let’s see after Saturday. I would say this day will tell us a lot,” Tanak told the WRC website ahead of the real action.

During the shakedown on Wednesday, Loubet was the designated driver who drove President William Ruto on a flying cruise in his Ford Puma at the Loldia.

After the shakedown, the driver said the head of state “was not too comfortable” with the fast drive.

“My week here is going well. It was a very nice moment (driving President Ruto), and it was not stressful at the beginning, but when the security guard came to see me, he told me I had to drive at 50 kph. I said maybe he would not want to do that, so I drove fast out, so I felt a bit of responsibility,” he told the media after the experience.

Debutants

Meanwhile, Esapekka Lappi and Loubet, the 2023 Rally1 debutants, have revealed the challenges they experienced in the shakedown and what they expect.

“I guess it is more beautiful than what my expectations were.” I guess the rain has made a difference to the colour of the nature: it’s really green, and the scenery is amazing, together with the wildlife as well. It is a very exotic and unique experience for me,” Lappi told the WRC website.

“In terms of landscape and travel, it was nice, and with regards to the roads, it looks very demanding. It is something very special here and very different from the rest of the championship. It is difficult, but it is also a proper rally.

“For sure, there has been a lot of work on the videos to see the cuts, and we have taken a lot of time with the video this time, much more than we usually do. When you come here for the first time, it is a big job,” Loubet said.

Lappi experienced a challenge when his i20 N suffered a broken prop shaft, but he is ready for the different challenge that Naivasha will present.

“You should do the pace note, check the pace note, check the corner angle, and cut at the same time, which is impossible. Then you have some cuts that are not so clear where to go, there are many options.”

“On the long straights, there is a straight that is 1.6 km, and to find the braking point at a 90-degree junction can be tricky. It is a different kind of challenge, especially when you are here for the first time,” he added.

Fans are expected to line up along vantage view points to witness the historic car competition for three days.