• Sidi disclosed that a dedicated roadworks team of engineers has been deployed on-site to lay the ground and flatten damaged surfaces following a heavy downpour in May.
•He predicted a spectacular Safari full of drama and surprises, reckoning that the beautiful scenery would spice up the event.
Image: HANDOUT
Organisers of the WRC Safari Rally Kenya have heightened preparations for the event with less than a month to go.
Project coordinator, Anwar Sidi, expressed confidence they would beat the deadline to deliver a scintillating motorsport showpiece.
"Route preparations are at an advanced stage with final checks of the road conditions, road books, the media safety guide, and the all-important safety guide," Sidi said on Wednesday.
Sidi disclosed that a dedicated roadworks team of engineers has been deployed on-site to lay the ground and flatten damaged surfaces following a heavy downpour in May.
"The recent rains are currently blessing the floor of the Rift Valley and quenching an area that has come through a severe cycle of droughts. It has come naturally with its unique challenges – blessings notwithstanding," Sidi noted.
"Roads that were tracked through dust bowls are now sloshy, puddled, and edged with verdant lush growth, making the roads look much narrower than they are, while conveniently masking a hazard or two lurking along the shoulders."
He predicted a spectacular Safari full of drama and surprises, reckoning that the beautiful scenery would spice up the event.
"The landscape through which the rally storms has been transformed into possibly the most picturesque backdrop of recent years – reminiscent of the Easter Safari Rally of old.
"This feature of the Safari Rally which always provides spectacular images has this year added another layer of beauty to the thrill of a racing car through our savannahs and wooded hills – the factor of the unknown, in terms of road surface behaviour and the unpredictability of the weather.
"Sidi said a 125-page Media Safety Guide has been released to serve as the roadmap and guide for media experts. "...so that they may be in the best possible location with the best possible light and backdrop to capture the best possible shot of an adrenaline-inducing Rally car in all its menacing beauty."
"With one eye on the weather map and another on existing route directions, risk factors affecting the running of a stage have to be planned for with the creation of options that would skirt any unmotorable section and ensure the Rally does not stop."
Sidi said they are carefully searching for and mapping out route options to guarantee a smooth rally.
"This will ensure that action does not come to a grinding halt, at for example a swollen river that could well drown a Rally 1 car and all its incredible technology in a deeply silted stream bed."
"Anwar and Nazir have just done over 150km in the Soysambu Conservancy – scouting, mapping, deleting, and re-scouting sections that could pull an unwanted surprise during the Rally.
Fortunately, the area in question and the options it provides play well into the grand scheme of things, and as of today – the flooding risk on Soysambu has been mitigated."