2025 WRC Safari Rally preparations in top gear ahead of flag-off

World Rally Championship (WRC) Safari Rally Clerk of Course, George Mwangi, says final preparations are well underway ahead of the event’s rev off on Wednesday, March 19, 2025.

Speaking after overseeing Day 1 of reconnaissance for local and international drivers, Mwangi termed the session successful, with crews studying the route and adapting to new tweaks introduced in this year’s edition.

“We started at 7am, the first stage was Mzabibu, then Loldia, Oserian and Geothermal and finally to Kedong. Tomorrow, Tuesday, we will go to Kambi Moran, Shakedown and the Delamere stages. The weather is unpredictable. We have a 70% chance of experiencing rain on Friday and we believe the Safari (Rally) will live up to its expectations of being very unpredictable, as ever,” noted Mwangi.  

Mwangi also expressed satisfaction and optimism with the performance of Kenyan drivers at the event compared to their international counterparts.

“We are hoping that we can see a good fight between the foreigners and our local drivers. We are expecting a lot from Jeremy Wahome now that he has a Skoda, he was quite impressive in his event testing yesterday. He was posting very good times so we are expecting him to put up a good show. Not forgetting also Karan (Patel), Carl (Tundo), Hamza (Anwar) and Nasser (Yassin) from Uganda, so they should be putting on a good show and as I have said, in case it rains, the equation changes and maybe their local knowledge can kick in and get good results.”

He further urged fans to show up in large numbers over the weekend to witness the global motorsport spectacle that brings together the best of man and machine.

“We are urging all our spectators to come out in large numbers to enjoy the event but they should observe safety rules. They should listen to the Safety Marshalls and follow the instructions given because you will remember safety was the major reason why we lost the rights to host the event, so we must be very careful. Let them come and enjoy a great event,” averred Mwangi, who took over the role from Gurvi Bhabra.

The rally kicks off with a shakedown on Wednesday morning, followed by the official flag-off at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), Nairobi.