Karan Patel navigated by Tauseef Khan racing on a Ford Fiesta R2 during Day One of ARC Equator Rally in Voi, Taita Taveta county on March 18, 2023.
The Equator Rally has been struck off the Africa Rally Championship (ARC) series, dealing a blow to the Kenya National Rally Championship event that has in the past been hit with low entries.
The changes announced on Thursday night during 2024 FIA World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) Annual General Assembly in Kigali, Rwanda, will also see the World Rally Championship Safari Rally double up as one of the competitions in the African Rally Championship series. The WMSC Annual General Assembly will conclude tonight with the awards ceremony.
The Safari Rally will now count towards the World Rally Championship (WRC), ARC and the Kenya National Rally Championship as one way of lifting the fledgling profile of the ARC series, which is faced with dwindling entries even as more countries in southern and west Africa withdraw.
Kenya Motor Sports Federation General Manager Mwaura Njunguna said the decision to make Safari Rally part of ARC was made by KMSC board on August 28 a bid to increase the number of competitors in the Safari Rally, which has been declining in the last two years.
WMSC also confirmed the March 20-23 WRC Safari Rally as the third round of the WRC series, and as the opening event in the ARC series. The WMSC also announced that the 2025 ARC series will have only four events instead of the usual number of between six and eight after Tanzania, Zambia, South Africa, and Core d’Ivoire failed to submit their applications this year.
The ARC will open on March 20 to 23 with the WRC Safari Rally, followed by Uganda pearl of Africa (May 9-11), Rallye International du Burundi (August 15-17), and will conclude with Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally (September 12 -14).
The demise of the Equator Rally, which was revived in 2021 to serve as a dry run for the WRC Safari Rally which was returning to the WRC after 19 years, is a major blow to the KNRC.
First run in 1980, the Equator Rally always served as the testing ground for teams before the WRC Safari Rally. At some point , it rivalled the Safari Rally in terms of entries.
The event was discontinued in 2003 when Safari Rally, which had been kicked out of the WRC series, was relegated to an ARC event.
However, the 2021/22 Equator Rally was a resounding success, enjoying government funding from the Safari Rally kitty until last year.
