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At the 2016 Kenya Safari Rally. Jared-G-Maina / Wikicommons

The Kenya Rally will serve as the 8th stage (out of 14), from July 16th to 19th, of the prestigious FIA World Championship 2020. This competition organized by the International Automobile Federation (FIA) has not passed through the African continent since 2002. .

It was one of the records of the President of the International Automobile Federation (FIA), Jean Todt. And it became official this September 27, 2019: the World Rally Championship will return to Africa in 2020. More precisely where he left in 2002: Kenya. A Safari Rally that was won by some of the biggest players in the sport: Tommi Makinen, Juha Kankkunen, Carlos Sainz and Ari Vatanen.

The World Rally Championship will cross the five continents in 2020. This is good news, in the eyes of the Belgian Yves Matton, head of the FIA ​​rally department: " I am happy to see our expansion strategy come to fruition. iconic events such as the Kenyan and Japanese rallies that will return to the WRC program next year. "

A very long parenthesis

Since the victory of Briton Colin McRae 17 years ago, the legendary race has been blacklisted, despite having appeared almost continuously in the WRC calendar from 1974 until 2002. In recent years, the Safari Rally was part of the African Rally Championship (ARC), a smaller event.

The fault, undoubtedly, to a lack of means, in particular. " Africa has gone through an economic crisis and, unfortunately, the motor racing has suffered the consequences , explained Jean Todt to rfi.fr in 2018 . In his wishes, President Uhuru Kenyatta is committed to making the East African Safari Rally one of the most beautiful rallies in the world . "

The satisfaction of Uhuru Kenyatta

A Kenyatta delighted to announce the news, through a speech, this Friday. " Before my administration was set up in 2013, I promised the people of Kenya the return of the Safari Rally to the FIA ​​World Rally Championship. This process took seven years , said the head of state. My administration will continue to work with the relevant bodies to ensure that Safari Rally 2020 and subsequent editions are successful . "

Note that two other African rallies have already appeared on the WRC calendar: that of Morocco in the 1970s and that of Côte d'Ivoire from 1978 to 1992.