Safari Rally stand a roaring hit at Nairobi Fair
Winners of the 2023 WRC Safari Rally, Sebastien Ogier and Vincent Landais celebrate on June 25, 2023 in Naivasha.
What you need to know:
- The date of September 27 and any year ending with the digit seven has become the icing on the cake in the Kenyan sports scene.
- The Pamoja bid of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania was declared the one to host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations on September 27.
As Kenya marked the Safari Rally’s return to the FIA World Rally Championship last Wednesday, the day was to assume a symbolic significance.
The date of September 27 and any year ending with the digit seven has become the icing on the cake in the Kenyan sports scene.
The Pamoja bid of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania was declared the one to host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations on September 27.
The Nations Cup is the biggest single sports event in the continent that is held every two years.
It is the single most important public auction of African football to the rest of the world.
It is imperative to note that the President talked of the Pamoja winning bid at the Nairobi International Trade Fair on the same day a sports exhibition stand returned to the Jamhuri Park after 29 years.
The WRC Safari Rally occupied pride of place at the State Department of Sports' stand where Kenyans of all ages congregated to admire rally cars, up close and personal, catch up with recordings of this year’s Safari Rally on giant screens.
School kids engaged with the drivers Jeremiah Wahome, McRae Kimathi and Munene Gitau, 12, at the stand which earned the State Department of Sports a bronze medal amongst best government agencies stands at the trade fair. Winners were KDF followed by Kenya Ports Authority (KPA).
The stand which displayed master Gitau’s home-made buggy, FIA Rally stars’ Ford Fiesta and the Talanta Hela Subaru Impreza of Pauline Sheghu were the fair’s show stopper daily.
It was a scene reminiscence of Sportsman Rally Team Subaru Impreza of Patrick Njiru and Ian Duncan’s Toyota Celica GT4 Safari Rally winnings cars in 1994.
Njiru became very popular among show-goers in selected towns, earning the British American Tobacco free publicity and Sportsman brand customers loyalty through high-octane rally stunts.
He always brought down the curtains at the trade fair with a display of high-speed driving display aboard a Subaru Impreza WRC STi-tuned rally car inside the arena before the trooping of the colours by the KDF closed the day’s activities.
This year marked this piece of history, a rare occasion when Kenyans could glimpse rally cars at close range. People asked many technical questions on car preparations and technical specs which were explained in minute detail by WRC Safari Rally petrol-headed young media staff Ted Martin, Lawrence and Ali Hashim.
These are the next generation of journalists trained by the WRC Safari Rally and public universities to meet the aspirations of Social Media for Media of the 21st century liberalised media landscape.
Young people also wanted to know more about the proposed Talanta Hela Rally School which could jump-start their dreams of becoming rally drivers.
Pupils and students left their contacts to be sent images as they are not allowed to carry mobile phones. This is certainly a very innovative interactive way of creating and developing a fan base for sporting disciplines in a very populated sports world driven by digital television.
The well-heeled middle-aged farmers and business people were more interested in the limited edition Toyota Hilux double cabin Safari Rally spec.
Toyota may have earned more trade publicity by their association with the WRC Safari's stand than any other public forum as the Safari Rally staff experts explained the technology under the bonnet, like Dakar Rally shocks and suspensions.
