Thousands of Kenyans have already begun gathering in Naivasha for the highly anticipated World Rally Championships.
Hoteliers in the town have told the media that their facilities are now fully booked as more Kenyans pitch tents to sleep in during the weekend-long event.
Despite the Safari Rally being a highly publicised event, many still don’t know how to find their way around the many activities that will be going down.
Pulse Live has obtained a program of events for the WRC and a list of the places where most of the action will be happening, to help you plan better and get the most out of the rally action.
Thursday, June 24
After the flag-off from the KICC at 11 am, the cars will head to Kasarani Stadium for a side-by-side race on a purpose-built spectator grandstand from 2 pm.
Nairobians who feel left out in the Naivasha craze can find their way to Kasarani.
Friday, June 25
Race cars will officially kick off at the main Service Park at the KWS Training Institute in Naivasha along the Nairobi–Nakuru highway.
The opening leg of the Safari Rally covers routes along the southern shore of Lake Naivasha, Chui Lodge and Oserien.
This is part of the longest stage of the rally at 32.68km. After service, all three stages will be repeated, bringing the total to 129.78km.
Saturday, June 26
This leg of the race will cover the area around Lake Elmentetia and host 132.08km of action.
This will be followed by Soysambu and Sleeping Warrior areas. The rally drivers will repeat this round after servicing their cars.
Sunday, June 27
The finale will cover the route around Lake Naivasha and Hells Gate, and repeated
before finally finishing at the Fishers Tower.
Which is the best spectator stage?
Saturday’s spectator stage has been regarded as the best among the chosen routes.
It is a classic Safari with a little bit of everything that makes this event so legendary.
Drivers will go through a couple of river crossings near the finish with steep entries and exits.
The organisers have put mud trucks on standby to pull any rally car which gets stuck.
The route also has long straight roads where drivers can put the pedal to the metal as Kenyans watch.
The spectators will also get a chance to watch the drivers negotiate flowing corners, rough compressions, and hard lava roads.
However, the government has warned that Covid-19 safety measures will be enforced and curfew time should still be observed.
“All the COVID-19 protocols remain in place: nothing has been suspended. The rally takes place during the day, and We don’t expect multitudes of people congregating in Naivasha at night,” Sports CS Amina Mohammed reiterated.
Principal Administrative Secretary for Interior, Moffat Kangi, announced that the Inspector General of Police has put in place adequate measures to ensure the safety and security of the spectators. This includes the deployment of uniformed and plain-cloth police officers at strategic places along the circuit.