FIA team arrives to oversee organization of Safari Rally

By John Kwoba

Nairobi, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Legendary World Rally Championship navigator Jarmo Lehtinen from Finland and Briton Iain Campbell arrived in Nairobi on Tuesday to oversee the organization of this year's Safari Rally as a candidate event for the World Rally Championship (WRC).

The two experts will be required to put up all organizational structures as demanded by the International Federation of Automobile (FIA), in what will be a critical hurdle for Kenya to jump before being reinstated as one of the 14-round of the WRC in 2020.

"This week I will be in Nairobi to work with the Safari Rally organizers on the WRC Candidate event running in July. The plan is for this iconic event to return to the WRC in 2020," said Campbell on Tuesday in Nairobi.

Lehtinen is a veteran navigator with 15 WRC victories as co-driver to former Ford and Citroen star Mikko Hirvonen, while Campbell, 2018 GB WRC Welsh Rally Clerk-of-Course and Managing Director of the British Rally Championship will review all organizational framework and input expertise to bring Kenyan officials up to speed with all aspects regarding the running of a modern-day WRC.

A lot has changed since Safari Rally was struck off from the WRC in 2002 and the local organizers will have to integrate all the new directives to ensure the rally is safe and meets the international standards.

This year's competition will be a candidate event for the 2020 World Rally Championship circuit and as such is bound to attract a lot of interest from international teams.

Lehtinen has played a key role under the Toyota team since the Japanese manufacturer's WRC return in 2017. After competing and working with Toyota, Lehtinen has also been a consultant with the Rally Finland.

"The appointment of the two officials is pegged on their experience and role in the WRC blue chip events - GB Welsh Rally and Rally Finland and envisaged to help Kenya deliver a world class event. The two gentlemen are now part of the WRC Safari Rally Project to ensure Kenya fulfills its mandate of returning to the WRC in 2020," said the Project's CEO Phineas Kimathi.

Kimathi said the two experts will work alongside officials of the event's Organizing Committee in a tripartite agreement between the FIA President Jean Todt, WRC Promoter and the WRC Safari Rally Project. Todt has been instrumental and very supportive of Kenya's return to the WRC.

They will also inspect the draft itinerary in Naivasha area and also tour Kajiado in a tight schedule which concludes on Sunday evening.

The Safari rally will be held from July 4 to 7. Enditem