Safaricom has extended its Rally Star programme support to Hamza Anwar, the lone driver in the Rally 3 category with a Sh5 million sponsorship package and stepped in as the official technology service provider for the Safari Rally.
Safaricom, through its M-PESA global international money transfer service, has also joined forces with the M-Sport Ford team to support French rally driver Adrien Fourmaux who will fly M-PESA livery on his Ford Puma Hybrid for the rest of the year, effectively offering brand visibility to M-PESA, one of the most recognisable Kenyan brands in the world.
At the same time, Safaricom will provide seamless and speedy 4G network connectivity through the provision of five Cell on Wheels (COW) on the ground for seamless internet connectivity during the four-day rally event. Two COWs will be set up at Hell’s Gate which is the venue of the finish of the 2024 WRC Safari Rally, two at Soysambu and one at the Kedong spectator stages.
"This will enhance network strength in areas where thousands of Kenyans will be sharing content and communicating with friends for better social media networking," said Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa during the sponsorship launch at the telco’s headquarters.
High traffic has been consistently noted at the Ndulele Shakedown stage through short videos sharing in the past.
Safaricom has also set up and installed a high speed internet network at the main Wildlife Research and Training Centre (RWTI) media centre, the service park and Hell's Gate stage satellite media area.
The WRC TV+ will use Safaricom internet to transmit footage from the filming helicopter to the ground personnel for onward transmission to its editing studios in London before being transferred to the world feed in real time in 150 TV stations spread across 150 countries.
Additionally, the WRC TV+ has installed an app which Kenyans can use upon payment to follow the action on TV, computers and hand-held gadgets with more than 100 million watching the Safari on WRC TV+, terrestrial and linear Tv stations in 150 countries.
This makes WRC Safari Rally Kenya one of the most viewed rallies in the 13 rounds WRC with a global media commercial value in excess of Sh4 billion, according to figures released by the championship’s commercial rights holder, WRC Promoter in 2021 report.
“For the past four years, Safaricom has consistently shown unwavering support for the WRC Safari Rally. This year we are thrilled to be part of the event and will be coming on board as a technology partner,” said Ndegwa.
“As part of our commitment to nurturing talent, we will sponsor the Kenyan driver Hamza Anwar as he has demonstrated remarkable passion and resilience in his motorsport career for years.”
Anwar will compete in the Rally 3 category in absence of his regular teammates Jeremiah Wahome and McRae Kimathi, driving a Rally 3 Ford Fiesta.
The sponsorship deal will also see Hamza’s rally car installed with a telematic gadget, a Smart Vehicle Tracking System, to help Safaricom showcase its IoT (Internet of Things) powered Telematics solution which is available to Safaricom’s enterprise customers for fleet management.
This solution integrates with the vehicle’s onboard computer, collects information on several parameters that are accumulated and recorded at the end and start of each trip. This provides insights into journey duration, vehicle speed, route information, fuel consumption and driver behaviour.
“As we ignite the passion of the Safari Rally, I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to Safaricom, a longstanding and crucial partner and supporter of the WRC Safari Rally over the years. Our journey with them has been remarkable, embodying the true essence of sportsmanship and the nurturing of talent,” said WRC Safari Rally CEO Charles Gacheru.
