This year's Equator Rally has been rated the best ever organised FIA African Rally Championship (ARC) since the inception of the series in 1981.
FIA vice president and three-time Africa navigators' champion, Surinder Thatthi revealed that the standards delivered during the two-day event were far much better than what has been witnessed in the continent's best-run events like Rally of South Africa.
Surinder added that the quality of organisation was out of this world and it was a clear indication that WRC Safari will be a great event.
Rally South Africa, Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally, Mountain Gorilla Rally of Rwanda, and Rallye Bandama of Ivory Coast are some of the most prestigious events in the continental series.
This year's ARC Equator Rally acted as a dry run for the WRC Safari Rally Kenya which returns to the global arena after a 19 year hiatus from June 24-27.
"The whole idea of running Equator Rally was to execute a worthy shakedown for the WRC.
"The standards we witnessed in Kenya over the past two years have been exceptional. Nothing like this seen before in the whole history of ARC.
"The event also got very good reviews for media, quite a good sign as we welcome back WRC Safari Rally. Our standards were far much better than South Africa who have better roads.
"But again in Kenya, we have unique Safari Rally roads," said Surinder who is also the president of Confederation of African Countries In Motorsport (CACMS).
Safari Rally Kenya CEO Phineas Kimathi, on his part, noted that the real countdown is now underway.
"We promise to deliver a WRC like no other. We got WRC status back because as a federation, for the last five years, we have done the best NRC in Africa and had savoured 100 per cent backing from the Government."
