Major management changes as WRC Safari Rally plans in top gear
From left to right: Rally officials Jim Kahumbura, Gurvir Bhabra, Anwar Sidi, Surinder Thatthi, George Mwangi and Nazir Yakub planning for a previous WRC Safari Rally. Kahumbura has been named Event Director for the 2024 WRC Safari Rally with Bhabra, Sidi, Mwangi and Yakub also retained in the event’s senior management team.
What you need to know:
- Besides confirming the key management team, publication of the Supplementary Regulations also opens up the entries for the March 28 to 31 third round of the 2024 World Rally Championship
- Jim Kahumbura, the Chairman of the Kenya Motor Sports Club, has been named as the Event Director, one of the key officials in the set-up, maintaining his position from last year
- Nation Media Group’s Lead Editor (Sports and Integration Projects), Elias Makori will maintain his post as the National Press Officer with the media accreditation window opening on January 28 and closing on March 7 for the national media and March 13 for international media
Activities have hit the crucial final stretch to the 2024 Easter World Rally Championship Safari Rally with the publication of the competition’s Supplementary Regulations.
Besides confirming the key management team, publication of the Supplementary Regulations also opens up the entries for the March 28 to 31 third round of the 2024 World Rally Championship.
The senior officials mandated to run the Easter showpiece event have also been named in the regulations released to the general public with major changes from the team the delivered last year’s rally.
However, Jim Kahumbura, the Chairman of the Kenya Motor Sports Club, has been named as the Event Director, one of the key officials in the set-up, maintaining his position from last year.
“I am very happy to have been given the role of working with the rest of the team in the Safari Rally to be run over the Easter period this time round. The work has already started and I must congratulate Gurvir Bhabra (Clerk of the Course) and Anwar Sidi (Route liaison/ Media Safety Officer for the job of having set up the route plans. They know their jobs and we all have to work together,” Kahumbura said on Tuesday.
Bhabra will also maintain his post as the Clerk of the Course for the competition whose nerve centre will be at the Wildlife Research Training Institute in Naivasha.
“It is a big honour to be Clerk of the Course for the Safari Rally. I am prepared and I look forward to working again with the rest of the team. I will be going out with the team this weekend to check the condition of the stages,” Bhabra told Nation Sport.
Bhabra added: “Apart from minor changes to the Sleeping Warrior and Kedong stages, the rest of the route will remain the same as last year’s competition.”
The new faces in the event management team include Chris Kirwa (Assistant Event Director), Hudson Ojiambo, Vincent Kaduki (Assistant Clerks of the Course), Tabitha Nashipae (Assistant to Route Liaison), Jenny Dance, Douglas Makhuko (Competitor Relations Officers) and Mark Linus Makhulo (Deputy Service Park Co-ordinator).
Nation Media Group’s Lead Editor (Sports and Integration Projects), Elias Makori will maintain his post as the National Press Officer with the media accreditation window opening on January 28 and closing on March 7 for the national media and March 13 for international media.
The media accreditation process signifies the importance of the Safari Rally to the leading media houses which have played a very important role in supporting the last two editions of the world famous rally.
“I'm excited to once again be part of media operations at the WRC Safari Rally which is a Kenyan heritage event. We have learnt a lot over the years in the modern World Rally Championship and such experience makes our work better,” Makori said.
Makori will be assisted by Mary Wavinya of the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation and Vincent Voiyo of Mediamax Limited.
Musa Locho will be in charge of scrutineering while Nazir Yakub will head the team of the Assistant Clerks of the Course which also includes George Mwangi, Hudson Ojiambo and Vincent Kaduki.
Among the other top officials of the rally named on Monday evening are Norris Ongalo (Safety Officer), Raj Jutley (Chief Medical Officer), Joe Muchiri (Service Park Manager), Harjit Sagoo (Chief Controller) and Darash Patel (Chief Timekeeper).
The total competitive distance for the rally will be 355.92 kilometres with the total rally distance being 1,299.22 kilometres.
The official reconnaissance of the route will be done on March 25 and 26 which will also coincide with the scrutineering of the rally cars.
The Shakedown for the top registered WRC drivers will be done at the the Loldia Stage on March 27.
The world famous rally will officially start at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC).
The Safari will be the third round of this year’s World Rally Championship and will follow this month’s season-opening Monte Carlo Rally (January 25-28) and Rally Sweden (February 15-18).
The 13 rounds of 2024 World Rally Championship:
Round One - Monte Carlo 27/28 January,
Round Two - Sweden Rally 17/18 February,
Round Three - Safari Rally 30/31 March,
Round Four - Croatia Rally 20/21 April,
Round Five - Portugal Rally 11/12 May,
Round Six - Italy Rally 1/2 June,
Round Seven - Poland Rally 29/30 June,
Round Eight - Latvia Rally 20/21 July,
Round Nine - Finland Rally 3/4 August,
Round 10 - Acropolis Rally 7/8 September,
Round 11 - Chile Rally 28/29 September,
Round 12 - Central European Rally 2/3 November,
Round 13 - Japan Rally 23/24 November.
