NAIROBI, Sept.3 (Xinhua) -- Organizers of the 2019 World Rally Championship (WRC) 'candidate event' that will be staged in Kenya and which could lead to a return of championship to the global arena on Monday announced that work on the route design to stage the event's 'special stage' will commence Sept.19.
George Mwangi, Safari's Deputy Clerk-of-Course who is also a member of the Local Organizing Committee, said the special stage will be held at the expansive Kasarani Stadium in Nairobi next July.
"The special stage which will be held after scrutineering will offer spectators an action packed afternoon at Kasarani Stadium whose roads were originally designed with a possible Formula 1 circuit in mind. This will be the first time Kasarani will be hosting a rallying event in 15 years," he said during a media briefing.
The event will be followed by two days of action, observed by the Federation Internationale de I'Automobile (FIA) officials and WRC Promoter amongst other stakeholders in the world of auto racing.
Michelle Mouton, the 1983 WRC Safari Rally third-place finisher who is the FIA safety delegate, is expected in Kenya early next year to access the route and the safety plan and also offer guidance.
Mwangi said they have identified Nakuru County as option 'A' of the Candidate Event which is the precursor of a possible 2020, the earliest the Safari can be re-admitted to the World Rally Championship after 18-year hiatus.
He said they will explore other options also, but noted they have a clear cut schedule to meet all set deadlines and will involve the WRC Promoter, who is the commercial and media rights holder of the World Championship, in all aspects of the route concept once they settle for the best practical option.
Organizers started preparations for the 2019 WRC Candidate Event in March that culminated in the signing of an agreement between the Kenyan government and the WRC Promoter's Managing Director Oliver Ciesla in Paris in June this year which granted Kenya the 'candidate event' status.
