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• The FIA WRC moves to Kenya for the sixth rounds of the 2021 championship.
• Africa plays host to the WRC for the first time since 2002.
• The Hyundai Motorsport team will field three teams in Kenya this coming weekend.
• For more motoring stories, go to Wheels24
For the first time in 19 years, the FIA World Rally Championship returns to Africa as a challenge in Kenya lies waiting. Hyundai Motorsport arrives in the country with none of its three crews familiar with the rough Kenyan gravel roads.
The Safari Rally Kenya will be the sixth round of the 2021 season and is set to be spectacular. Known for its stunning scenery, local wildlife and punishing roads, the event will offer a fresh challenge to Hyundai's Alzenau-based squad.
Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe, who scored their fourth podium finish of the year in Sardinia in the previous round, will be out to add more trophies to their collection. In addition, the two crews who left the last round frustrated, Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja and Dani Sordo/Borja Rozada, will complete the Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team line-up in the Naivasha-based rally.
Portuguese preparations
All three crews tested in the south of Portugal in preparation for the Safari Rally, but their first taste of the rocky gravel roads would be in the recce. The immediate challenge will be to create pace notes from scratch ahead of the 18-stage rally, covering a competitive distance of 320km.
This year's running will retain the character of the legendary Safari of old with unpredictability and rough, rugged terrain set to put drivers, co-drivers and teams through an unprecedented test. For Hyundai Motorsport, whose Hyundai i20 Coupé WRC has set an impressive pace in recent gravel events, the focus will be on scoring a representative result.
As the 2021 championship approaches its halfway point, the team will aim to reduce the 49-point gap to the manufacturers' leaders - knowing that the Safari Rally will be anything but predictable.
Weekend at a glance
Based at the Kenya Wildlife Training Institute in Naivasha, the Safari Rally Kenya covers 18 stages over a competitive distance of 320.19km. It starts with a Super Special Stage at Kasarani on Thursday (24 June) afternoon, followed by the rally's first full day on Friday, covering the southern shore of Lake Naivasha. Chui Lodge (13.34km), Kedong (at 32.68km, the longest stage of the rally), and Oserian (18.87 km) will be run twice.
Saturday's action moves north around Lake Elmenteita, with the eponymous opening stage (14.67km) heading a trio of timed tests. Soysambu (20.33km) and Sleeping Warrior (31.04km) complete the loop and will be run twice. The final day, Sunday, covers Loldia (11.33km), Hell's Gate (10.56km) and Malewa (9.71km), with the two opening stages run again to complete the rally.
