Safari Rally Kenya is set to cover more competitive kilometres next year although general changes to World Rally Championship event formats are likely to be “evolutionary” rather than “revolutionary”.
Changes to event formats have been a topic of discussion in 2024 with the FIA and the WRC Promoter keen to offer event organisers more flexibility regarding itineraries within the fixed Thursday to Sunday framework.
This year, Sardinia trialled a more compact “48 hour” sprint concept while there has been discussions that Kenya has ambitions to extend its event into a more endurance style concept.
While significant changes are deemed unlikely for 2025, the WRC Promoter has indicated that the Safari Rally will run longer with an extra stage added on Thursday to increase its distance from the 367.76km that comprised this year’s event.
“There is no decision to have a fixed style of event,” said WRC event director Simon Larkin. “A WRC event can be quite complicated as it is, we don’t want there to be a sprint and an endurance, we don’t want to have different types of events, there will just be a little bit more freedom.
“I know for example Kenya is going to run over 350 kilometres, it is a lot of kilometres which is great, and that is the result of an evolution of that event.
Thierry Neuville, Martijn Wydaeghe, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1
Photo by: Austral / Hyundai Motorsport
“There is going to be another stage on Thursday on the way back from Nairobi. We are trying to encourage events to have different personalities but not events with fixed titles.”
Larkin also revealed that Sardinia will once again build its event around a revised 266.12km compact itinerary which it ran this year.
“I think Italy is looking to do a revised format again like they did this year,” he added. “That was an exciting event, it was bit more compact, we will see some slightly different events but they will be evolutionary not revolutionary.”
The FIA is keen for diversity in event formats but says ensuring the calendar is balanced is key for the championship.
“I don’t think too many organisers will go far from where we are because the principle of what we are doing at the moment suits most people,” said FIA road sport director Andrew Wheatley.
“There will some organisers that want to do something a bit different. Sardinia was a good example of trying to do a slightly different programme.
“What we don’t want is all events going to a sprint format and no events going to an endurance format, we want to have a balance between the two.”
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