Prodrive nod Kenya’s quest for WRC status

Dave Richards, the owner of Prodrive, the UK-based tuning company which transformed Subaru from an ordinary street car to a fire spitting championship wining Blue Subaru Impreza has welcomed efforts Kenya is making for the Safari Rally to regain World Rallying Championship (WRC) status.

Richards met with the WRC Safari Rally Project CEO Phineas Kimathi and WRC Promoter Managing director Oliver Ciesla in Wales, Britain yesterday to discuss preparations for the FIA WRC 2019 Candidate Event Safari Rally and ultimately Safari’s return to the WRC from 2020.

Kimathi is in Wales for the WRC Rally accompanied by some technical officials working on the Safari project.

Richards has always been a strong supporter of the Safari Rally having fielded cars from 1996 to 2002 including winning the 1997 Safari through the late Colin McRae. Prodrive tuned the Morris Clubman which enters selected WRC events and the success story of the Blue Subaru remains his success signature.

Kimathi is in Wales for the WRC Rally GB accompanied with some technical officials working on the Safari project. Safari Rally is a candidate event for the World Rally Championship and by far the biggest sporting event in Africa with an international attention.

A WRC candidate event is a precursor of the main World Rally Championship and must be well organized like any of the 13-round championships. For Kenya, the International Automobile Federation (FIA) has appointed Mouton, third in 1983 Safari, as the Safety Observer and is expected in Nairobi in January to review all organizational aspects including the route concepts.