Learn how to watch WRC’s Safari Rally: schedule, line-up and extra

The WRC heads to Kenya for its breathtaking Safari Rally to proceed an epic begin to the 2024 season.

Final trip, Esapekka Lappi ended a six-and-a-half-year victory drought by profitable the attritional Rally Sweden after Kalle Rovanpera, Ott Tanak and Takamoto Katsuta all discovered the snowbanks.

The crashes handed a sizeable result in Lappi, who gained the weekend by 29.6 seconds for his first victory since Rally Finland in 2017. And such had been the consequences of the changeable situations that WRC2’s Oliver Solberg ended Friday in third general earlier than finally ending fifth.

It adopted the season-opening Monte Carlo Rally the place Thierry Neuville started his championship hunt with an ideal rally of 30 factors.

The Hyundai driver completed fourth in Sweden that means he heads into Kenya main the championship by three factors with Toyota’s Elfyn Evans in second after standing on the rostrum in each rounds this 12 months. In quirk of the new points system, Evans left the rally scoring 5 extra factors than rally winner Lappi.

Neither Neuville nor Evans have gained in Kenya although, which returned to the WRC calendar in 2021 after final showing in 2002. Nonetheless, their possibilities of victory have considerably elevated as Sebastien Ogier, who has gained two of the previous three Safari Rallies, is not going to be in Kenya this weekend because of the eight-time world champion solely competing in WRC’s 2024 marketing campaign part-time.

His Toyota entry will as a substitute be going to the reigning two-time world champion Rovanpera, who can be competing on this 12 months’s WRC part-time, however shall be current in Kenya which is a rally he gained in 2022.

M-Sport Ford will increase to 3 Puma entries led by Adrien Fourmaux, who claimed his first profession WRC prime tier podium with third in Sweden. The Frenchman shall be joined by common team-mate Gregoire Munster and privateer Jourdan Serderidis, who’s making his first Rally1 begin of the 12 months.

Snorkels can even be making a return in Kenya. A snorkel is a tool connected to the entrance of a rally automotive and helps them to navigate by way of sections of difficult terrain by stopping water and mud from getting into the engine.

When is the Safari Rally?

• Date: 28-31 March
• Begin time: 9:26am GMT/12:26pm native time on Thursday 28 March

The Safari Rally begins at 9:26am in the UK and 12:26pm native time on Thursday 28 March. Nonetheless, the primary stage doesn’t start till later that day at 11:05am within the UK and a pair of:05pm native time as soon as the ceremonial begin has completed.

Earlier than the opening stage of the Safari Rally can be the shakedown at 7am within the UK – 10am native time – on Wednesday 27 March, the place drivers take a look at varied set-ups on their automobiles forward of the weekend.

This Sunday morning can even see the UK clocks change with the beginning of British Summer time Time. This implies on the rally’s remaining day, the time distinction between Nice Britain and Kenya shall be two hours and never three.

How can I watch the WRC?

TNT Sports activities (previously referred to as BT Sport) will stay televise each spherical of the 2024 season because it holds the WRC broadcasting rights within the UK.

This implies the WRC isn’t free-to-air as a subscription is required to observe TNT. New prospects should purchase TNT for £18 per thirty days and that deal contains all 4 sport channels and Discovery+.

Discovery+ is TNT’s stay streaming platform that means rally’s prime class could be watched through a cell or pill machine, in addition to a console in 2024.

Nonetheless, followers may watch the WRC on Rally.television, which has rights to broadcast the European Rally Championship and World Rallycross Championship as nicely. Rally.television could be bought through two offers: a yearly go for £199.99 or a month-to-month go for £12.99.

WRC TV digital camera

Picture by: WRC.com

How can I watch the Safari Rally?

TNT Sports activities will start its protection at 7am on Wednesday for shakedown earlier than stay broadcasting each official stage of this weekend’s Safari Rally.

Its Thursday protection will begin at 11am – that means the ceremonial begin is not going to be broadcast – earlier than early begins start the motion on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the place TNT Sports activities shall be on and off with its programmes relying on every stage’s begin time.

Rally.television can even be on and off with its protection of the Safari Rally, nonetheless it is going to nonetheless stay broadcast each stage of the weekend together with the ceremonial begin versus TNT.

When can I watch Safari Rally highlights?

Highlights for the Safari Rally can be found through TNT Sports activities, who will air a 30-minute bundle on Friday, Saturday and Sunday night time. Pink Bull TV can even broadcast a highlights programme at 7pm GMT on Friday and Saturday night time, plus 8pm BST on Sunday night time.

One other WRC highlights programme shall be out there through ITV4, whose bundle will run for one hour on Tuesday 2 April at 10:10pm BST.

Every day highlights are additionally out there through Autosport, whereas WRC’s official YouTube channel can even add a shorter highlights reel quickly after every day has completed.

What’s the route for the Safari Rally?

The Safari Rally consists of 19 particular levels overlaying a complete aggressive distance of 221 miles on a gravel floor. A day stage kicks off proceedings on Thursday with 2.78 miles of Kasarani, which is simply on the outskirts of Kenya’s capital Nairobi and is the one session that day.

The rally then heads north-west on Friday morning for 11.91 miles of Loldia earlier than heading to Geothermal (8.15 miles) and Kedong (19.57 miles) with the identical loop occurring that afternoon.

Thierry Neuville, Martijn Wydaeghe, Hyundai World Rally Workforce Hyundai i20 N Rally1

Picture by: Austral / Hyundai Motorsport

Saturday on the Rally Safari additionally options two similar loops of three levels which begins with Soysambu (18.22 miles) within the south of Kenya, earlier than heading to Elmenteita (9.37 miles) and the Sleeping Warrior stage (22.42 miles).

That may be a essential a part of the weekend as a result of the top of Saturday is when the majority of factors are provisionally awarded. WRC launched a brand new construction for 2024 which sees a sliding scale of 18-15-13-10-8-6-4-3-2-1 awarded on the finish of Saturday, nonetheless a crew will solely rating these factors if it finishes on the Sunday.

The tally for an ideal rally stays 30 as a result of a sliding scale of 7-6-5-4-3-2-1 is then used for Sunday, with bonus factors of 5-4-3-2-1 on supply within the weekend closing Energy Stage.

So, one other early begin commences Sunday’s finale in Kenya which, once more, options two similar loops of three levels. Motion kicks off with 5.18 miles of Malewa, near the banks of Lake Naivasha, earlier than heading to Oserian (11.39 miles) and Hell’s Gate (6.54 miles) which can be the Energy Stage.

Rally1 entry listing for the Safari Rally