WRC Safari to set up 90 media points
Edwin Otieno
This year’s WRC Safari Rally will for the first time feature 90 media points aimed at capturing idyllic sections of the scenic route course.
Route Liaison/Media Safety Officer Anwar Sidi has put together an elaborate media safety book and gone to great lengths looking for locations where the backdrop is representative of the fabled Safari.
The designated filming spots will be situated in spectacular points where international and local media will capture the picturesque lakeside scenery around Lake Naivasha and Soysambu Conservancy.
Some of the key landmarks on the Safari route include Lake Elementaita which is synonymous with flamingos, Lake Naivasha a haven of hippos, and the Sleeping Warrior, a historic hill which has had one of the competitive stages renamed after it.
The media spots will be situated in spectacular points in all stages of the event slated for June 24-27.
Safari will be run around Hell’s Gate (power stage), Soysambu, Elementaita, Sleeping Warrior, Malewa, Loldia, Kasarani SSS, Kedong adjacent to Sopa Lodge,
“There are several media spots that have been chosen to offer opportunities for jumps, spectacular hairpin bends, fantastic backdrops, and if it’s dry then fumes of dust, it’s very twisty in places, so thrills and spills are guaranteed,” explained Anwar.
The media spots will also be monitored by FIA safety officials and will be marked out.
This will give photojournalists many options to capture various locations during the event,” Sidi said.
Sidi said the idea of multiple media points is a new concept in Kenya and designed with rally safety and photography in mind.
“For those who will arrive at the media spots in time will savour spectacular pictures,” said Anwar.
The event programme entails detailed week-long activities.
Administrative checks will begin on Monday June 21 in Naivasha and reconnaissance later that day at 1100hrs.
Reconnaissance will continue until Wednesday June 23 at lunchtime. Shakedown takes place from 1301hrs on the same day within the Ndulele Conservancy showcasing a breathtaking backdrop with spectacular spectator viewing areas.
Thursday June 24 will be equally eventful where reconnaissance of the Kasarani Spectator Stage (SS1), will happen in WRC cars from 07.30hrs.
On the same day, Kenyatta International Convention Centre will at 11.00hrs host a press conference that will be followed by the Ceremonial Start at 12.46hrs.
At that juncture the WRC Safari Rally will have returned to its more traditional start, in the heart of the capital city, Nairobi after a two-decade hiatus.
