FIA Intends To Bring The Safari Rally Back To The WRC

Events come and go from motorsport calendars with every passing year. But some have been more intrinsically linked to certain series than others.

For the World Rally Championship, one of its most iconic races was the Safari Rally until its demise in 2002. But now the FIA wants to bring it back.

The event was first held as the East African Coronation Safari in 1953 to celebrate the ascension of Queen Elizabeth II to the throne of what was then still the British Empire. In 1960, it was renamed the East African Safari Rally, and from 1974 it was known simply as the Safari Rally.

Famous drivers like Ari Vatanen, Juha Kankkunen, Carlos Sainz, Tommi Mäkkinen, Colin McRae and Richard Burns were among its winners. But that all came to an end in 2002, when the event was dropped from the WRC calendar and was relegated to the local FIA African Rally Championship.

If FIA president Jean Todt gets his way, though, it could mark its return to the world stage in the near future. While touring Kenya and Uganda in support of local road safety, the former Ferrari chief and rally co-driver announced his commitment to the Safari’s rebirth.

“The modern World Rally Championship needs to extend its horizons and become more global and I would like to see us return to Kenya for a tough and demanding event,” said Todt. “As the world’s second largest continent, Africa is very important to the FIA and the Safari Rally represents everything that is in the DNA of our sport.”