Organisers prioritise safety of drivers in rally
President Uhuru Kenyatta flags off McRae Kimathi at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi on June 23, 2022 during the official flag-off ceremony for the 2022 Word Rally Championship (WRC) Safari Rally.
What you need to know:
- Overtaking or overlapping of any other competing car during a Safety Car intervention is forbidden.
- Overtaking of a Safety Car is forbidden unless the particular competitor is signalled to overtake the Safety Car by the observer in the Safety Car.
Organisers of the 2023 World Rally Championship Safari Rally have prioritised safety of all participants as days draw closer to the June 22-25 event which will be run in Naivasha.
Safety is a key concern for all in rallying because both drivers and spectators face same risk of accidents.
The need to guarantee the safety of all participants is even greater, considering that it is a sport in which cars travel at very high speeds.
So far, no drivers have been identified to drive the Safety Cars.
A zero Car (or route opening car) is a car used in rallying to open the road for the competing cars.
The Zero Car is meant to warn the public not to be surprised by the first car. Its driver can also warn organisers if there is a problem on the stage.
Originally, only one Zero Car (number zero) was used in rallying.
Today, it is not unusual for a rallying competition to have two or three zero cars (numbered 000, 00 and 0). The drivers are usually retired rally drivers.
The cars can be ordinary production sport cars, old rally cars (which have lost homologation or are simply no longer competitive) or even new models (which the manufacturer wants to test before the homologation).
The driver and co-driver wear normal safety equipment (helmets and racing suits). The zero car is usually driven at almost rally pace. Zero cars should not be confused with the organization car or the FIA inspection car, which also passes through the special stage before the rally cars, but are driven much slower.
Before the race can be resumed, three things must happen. The cars between the Safety Car and the leader must first be let through.
Lapped cars need to be allowed to overtake the Safety Car, then the Safety Car must return to the pits at the end of the following lap.
Overtaking or overlapping of any other competing car during a Safety Car intervention is forbidden.
Overtaking of a Safety Car is forbidden unless the particular competitor is signalled to overtake the Safety Car by the observer in the Safety Car.
