Safari out/Monte in for 2010?

[Simmi]

Autosport today has news that it looks like the Safari will be dropped from the IRC calendar this year.

Yet on the plus side it says that the ACM is thinking long and hard about whether it wants to go back the WRC and rotation next year - and would quite possibly like to stay on as a permanent member of the IRC.

Thirdly it looks like the final round of the year in Scotland will be given a huge dose of live programming similar to what we saw in Monte Carlo. Hopefully the title will go down to the wire!

Discuss...

[Audimadgeoff]

one of my representatives who is in Kenya at the moment has just returned from a meeting with the organisers of the Safari. They told us that the planning is going ahead and that the rally will take place regardless of whether the IRC include it in the championship or not.
The funding is in place thus it would be disappointing for such a classic to be ommitted!

[Simmi]

one of my representatives who is in Kenya at the moment has just returned from a meeting with the organisers of the Safari. They told us that the planning is going ahead and that the rally will take place regardless of whether the IRC include it in the championship or not.
The funding is in place thus it would be disappointing for such a classic to be ommitted!

Do you happen to know the reason the IRC would pull it from their championship? Lack of entries and expense?

No one wants the Safari to get dropped or lost. But if it ran in the IRC this year it would still attract very few top-level drivers. I would like to see it included in a couple of years. If the IRC maintains its upwards curve there will be more teams wanting to prove they can win the toughest test of all.

[atsiotras79]

If the Safari is dropped, is there a possibility of being replaced from another event in the 2009 calendar?

[anthonyvop]

Autosport today has news that it looks like the Safari will be dropped from the IRC calendar this year.

Yet on the plus side it says that the ACM is thinking long and hard about whether it wants to go back the WRC and rotation next year - and would quite possibly like to stay on as a permanent member of the IRC.

Thirdly it looks like the final round of the year in Scotland will be given a huge dose of live programming similar to what we saw in Monte Carlo. Hopefully the title will go down to the wire!

Discuss...
Link please?

[Simmi]

Link please?

No can do I'm affraid. All three stories were in the magazine which came out today in the UK. Its a reputable source but unfortunately they haven't transferred anything to their internet site yet.

[ProRally]

THAT would be a surprise, ACM would refuse to be part of WRC and continue with IRC

But on the other hand ACM is so strong, they can basicly do as the please (and have done so in the past)

[bluuford]

Is there Safarai in 2009 in IRC or not?
Do we have 2 months without IRC now?

[Buzz Lightyear]

Oliver Quenenel expressed interest to merge championship. I expect he know this was the only way there are to get the Monte back in IRC, and for Citroen and Seb with dominate the event. He knows ACM will go IRC.

[Karbonyl]

Nothing official, but all Safari organizer's documents still have included infos about this event being a part of IRC, so I believe the next IRC round is going on at the beginning of April in Africa ;)

[RS]

I don't think any of the IRC big boys will go to Safari anyway, so next "real" IRC round will be Azores.

[bluuford]

I found an interview with Alen in IRC official site where he mentions: Alen’s next event is the Azores Rally on May 7-9. “I will have a good road position for that event, similar to Juho Hanninen in the factory Skoda who I am sure will be very strong on gravel,” Alen said.

So. Definitely no Fiat there.

And The link form IRC site is gone (it was there for not long ago).

Things does not look good

And there is little star behind Safari ralli in IRC-site with end note: "To be confirmed".

[Simmi]

It will run but with no S2000 cars there I reckon. Not sure what they will do about points. I doubt they will have a local African driver level on points with Ogier and Meeke after three rounds.

[DonJippo]

They are having a launch of the event on coming Saturday so seems that the event will be organized anyway http://www.motorsportkenya.com/safari09/poster.html

[Simmi]

They are having a launch of the event on coming Saturday so seems that the event will be organized anyway http://www.motorsportkenya.com/safari09/poster.html

I think if the IRC keep a close relationship with the rally, when it is in a stronger position it can bring multiple manufacturer teams over and we will get a proper spectacle of an event.

At the moment there just isn't any point running it as a championship round. It's good to see the IRC having the Safari on their agenda but the teams just aren't interested at this stage. You cant really blame them either.

If you could have all the big boys there and beat them then it makes sense from a marketing point of view to say 'we won the toughest rally of them all'. But until then it will always fail...

[DonJippo]

If you could have all the big boys there and beat them then it makes sense from a marketing point of view to say 'we won the toughest rally of them all'.

This Safari rally in IRC is not a tough one, it's like any other special stage rally with 300 km special stages with total length of 700 km. If you want the real Safari then this one is for you http://www.eastafricansafarirally.com/ where the total length of the route is 4500kms :)

[alleskids]

There is no mentioning of IRC on the Safari Rally. I think the Safari is run as a suppport rally, like the Azores rally was last year.

[DonJippo]

There is no mentioning of IRC on the Safari Rally. I think the Safari is run as a suppport rally, like the Azores rally was last year.

If you take a look to the rally guide for the event, which can be found on this page http://www.africanrallychampionship.com/ it does list Intercontinental Rally Challenge 2009 as one of the titles this event counts.

[Karbonyl]

As I said before, there is still no official confirmation, that Safari is dropped out of IRC for 2009. It also makes me thinking that if Subaru would enter IRC right now, they could have quite good chance to match nice points collection :-)

[RS]

Safari definitely in IRC:

http://www.rallye-info.com/article.asp?sid=0&stid=7783

[vino_93]

Infos on entry list ? :confused:

[bluuford]

Infos on entry list ? :confused:

Are you Tom´s brother? ;-)

[Karbonyl]

Official publication of entries date is 31st March :) But unofficially there is 66 cars on the list.

[vino_93]

Are you Tom´s brother? ;-)

oh no ;) Why ? :confused:

Thx Karbonyl :)

[bluuford]

oh no ;) Why ? :confused:

Thx Karbonyl :)
Tom, from France is always asking those questions:
where is the entry list?
where are the shakedown times?
where is the press release?
where is...?
etc.
It just looked little bit impatient like he usually is:-)

[vino_93]

ok :)
I'm impatient too, especially with IRC :p

[HaCo]

Lol :)

[cyr]

entry list

http://www.motorsportkenya.com/safari09/entries.html

[pucky54]

Nice, only Subarus and Mitsubishi and a Polo S2000. Quick driver on the Polo???

[RS]

Quick driver on the Polo???

All female crew, further info on the entries here:

http://www.rallye-info.com/article.asp?sid=0&stid=7791

[bluuford]

So, as Subaru is not registered we can expect Mitsubishi to get maximum points and reach to the second place in IRC overall standings :-) only 10 points from Peugeot.

[RS]

So, as Subaru is not registered we can expect Mitsubishi to get maximum points and reach to the second place in IRC overall standings :-) only 10 points from Peugeot.

It won't last long though!

[PLuto]

Who is interested, here are results with stage times from KCB Safari Rally: http://mmcr.vysledky-rally.cz/rallysport/2009/irc/safari

[J4MIE]

I don't suppose if anyone knows what date the Safari will be in 2010 - whether it is included in the IRC or not? :)