•The Ford Fiesta was off-loaded from the Kenya Airways Cargo at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and is expected in Naivasha where World Rally teams’ technical staff will be based.
•Sources said the rest of the cars for the M-Sport team are expected this week
The first World Rally Championship car for Safari Rally has landed in Kenya well in time for next week’s shakedown at Ntulele.
The car, which arrived yesterday, is one of the four M-Sport Ford Fiesta WRC 2021 cars being entered for the iconic event.
The Ford Fiesta was off-loaded from the Kenya Airways Cargo at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and is expected in Naivasha where World Rally teams’ technical staff will be based.
Yesterday’s activity at the JKIA marked the first time a WRC car arrived in Africa for the first time in 22 years.
Sources said the rest of the cars for the M-Sport team are expected this week. The Safari Rally will feature 11 WRC cars with the rest competing in the other categories including WRC 2 and WRC3.
Kenya Airways, who are co-sponsoring the Safari Rally, flew the car from Europe. Usually, rally cars are flown by air while the equipment for service is shipped three months prior.
The shipment for the foreign teams has already arrived at Mai Mahiu dry port well in time for the opening of the Service Park on June 11.
A total of 58 cars have been enlisted for the Safari. Fans will have an opportunity to view the cars for the first time on the 5km shakedown in Naivasha followed by reconnaissance and Super Special Stage next week.
M-Sport Ford Fiesta WRC cars will be driven by Gus Greensmith/Chris Patterson, Adrien Fourmaux/ Renaud Jamoul (FRA- BEL) and Lorenzo Bertelli/Simone Scattolin (ITA). M-Sport will also field Czech Republic crew of Martin Prokop/ Viktor Chytka in WRC2 after Teemu Suninen of Finland withdrew from the event.