If you love motorsports then the Safari Rally has to be the icing on the cake. This is why this year I had promised myself that I was not going to miss out on the action.
Which is why when Caetano Kenya who own the Hyundai franchise came calling about a VIP Safari Rally viewing event for its loyal customers I did not think twice about jumping on board. Other Hyundai, Caetano also hold the dealership rights for the Renault and KIA brand of cars.
My love for the Safari Rally dates back to when I was growing up and we had legends like Ian Duncan and Patrick Njiru. Back then we used to just walk to the road to see the rally cars whizz past unlike nowadays when it is a controlled affair.
The decision to make the Safari Rally back to the World Rally Championship was a boon for both the drivers and the fans. This is because the drivers got a chance to interact and compete with the best in the world. I believe that this will go a long way in improving the sport in the country. On the other hand, the fans like myself got a chance to catch the best of the best doing their thing on the road.
On Friday which was the first day of the rally, our day started at 4.30 am when we congregated at the Salvador Caetano Kenya offices on Mombasa road. At around 4.40 am we kicked off our journey to Naivasha, the reason why we embarked on the journey so early was due to the fact that the were to be some road closures due to the rally.
We arrived at the Loldia Lodge in Naivasha at around 7 am to a very beautiful scenery and very chilly weather. Luckily we found that the guys at the lodge had prepared a hearty breakfast for us which included some very hot tea to chase away the cold. After breakfast, we had some time to socialize as we waited for the action to start at around 8 am.
At around 8.10 am the first car zoomed past and we quickly rushed to the viewing area to catch the action and boy did it bring back some good memories. The first cars off the block were the international drivers and we were all amazed at how fast they were moving despite being on a rough road. Next came the Kenyan drivers who were greeted with a loud cheer by the crowd.
Truth be told, watching the rally live is a totally different experience from watching it on Tv because the adrenaline rush is quite something. Now that I have experienced it, I don’t think that I will be missing any other rally moving forward.
Action at the #WRCSafariRally2022 pic.twitter.com/64y2jpGOyI
— HapaKenya ?? (@HapaKenya) June 24, 2022
I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed watching the 2022 Safari Rally courtesy of Caetano Kenya and I just can’t wait to see what they have in store for us next year.