Safari out/Monte in for 2010?

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29th January 2009, 12:26
Simmi

Safari out/Monte in for 2010?

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...
29th January 2009, 16:17
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!
29th January 2009, 17:40
Simmi

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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!

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.
29th January 2009, 19:57
atsiotras79

If the Safari is dropped, is there a possibility of being replaced from another event in the 2009 calendar?
29th January 2009, 20:05
anthonyvop

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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...

Link please?
29th January 2009, 20:56
Simmi

Quote:

Originally Posted by anthonyvop

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.
30th January 2009, 07:15
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)
15th March 2009, 23:17
bluuford

Is there Safarai in 2009 in IRC or not?
Do we have 2 months without IRC now?
16th March 2009, 00:25
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.
16th March 2009, 13:04
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 ;)
16th March 2009, 19:30
RS

I don't think any of the IRC big boys will go to Safari anyway, so next "real" IRC round will be Azores.
18th March 2009, 19:05
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".
19th March 2009, 11:59
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.
19th March 2009, 12:45
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
19th March 2009, 15:02
Simmi

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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

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...
19th March 2009, 15:46
DonJippo

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simmi

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 :)
19th March 2009, 17:29
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.
19th March 2009, 18:48
DonJippo

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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.

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.
19th March 2009, 23:19
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 :-)
21st March 2009, 06:39
RS

Safari definitely in IRC:

http://www.rallye-info.com/article.asp?sid=0&stid=7783
24th March 2009, 16:56
vino_93

Infos on entry list ? :confused:
24th March 2009, 21:33
bluuford

Quote:

Originally Posted by vino_93

Infos on entry list ? :confused:

Are you Tom´s brother? ;-)
24th March 2009, 23:05
Karbonyl

Official publication of entries date is 31st March :) But unofficially there is 66 cars on the list.
28th March 2009, 22:23
vino_93

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluuford

Are you Tom´s brother? ;-)

oh no ;) Why ? :confused:

Thx Karbonyl :)
28th March 2009, 23:04
bluuford

Quote:

Originally Posted by vino_93

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:-)
29th March 2009, 11:12
vino_93

ok :)
I'm impatient too, especially with IRC :p
29th March 2009, 18:17
HaCo

Lol :)
30th March 2009, 12:02
cyr

entry list

http://www.motorsportkenya.com/safari09/entries.html
30th March 2009, 13:56
pucky54

Nice, only Subarus and Mitsubishi and a Polo S2000. Quick driver on the Polo???
30th March 2009, 20:38
RS

Quote:

Originally Posted by pucky54

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
31st March 2009, 08:56
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.
31st March 2009, 14:31
RS

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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.

It won't last long though!
13th April 2009, 13:30
PLuto

Who is interested, here are results with stage times from KCB Safari Rally: http://mmcr.vysledky-rally.cz/rallys...009/irc/safari
10th September 2009, 15:21
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? :)

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