Memories from ‘96 Safari Rally, the last over Easter
Twenty-five years ago today, the World Rally Championship Safari Rally was held for the last time over Easter holidays.
Had the trend which ended in 1996 continued, President Uhuru Kenya would be flagging off the first car outside the Kenyatta International Convention Centre from 10am today.
In 1996, the WRC+ TV filming helicopter hovered over the city, beaming live images to a global audience of over 70 million people in 150 countries, joined by millions of Kenyans.
Today, that would provide a perfect post-card of Nairobi as a modern metropolis and a commercial and communication gateway for East and Central Africa.
From 1953 until 1996, nothing else mattered between Thursday and Easter Monday annually. Kenyans were always glued to their radio sets listening to the Voice of Kenya (now Kenya Broadcasting Corporation) live broadcast of the Safari Rally.
Hundred of thousands of fans lined up along the routes. Boys and men patiently filled the “scoreboard” after every control point published in daily newspapers. Rally Headquarters at KICC served the elites who camped overnight, monitoring the giant leader board that changed by the hour.
Local newsrooms were turned into military-style operation bases with reporters stationed in parts of the route to provide news to an even broader audience in an analogue era. The next day, there would be acres of page coverage.
The Safari was a national occasion. But first, a rewind.
In the long and chequered history, of the Safari Rally, the 1963 edition held from April 11 to 15 remains a defining moment for four things - S. Mwangi and K. Karare, the “unsinkable seven,” the toughest rally in the world tag, and the self-rule (Madaraka) celebrations which were due.
Only seven out of 86 starters made it back to Nairobi, and they became known as “unsinkable seven while the Safari Rally earned the tag "toughest rally in the world."
The only native Africans in the competition - S. Mwangi navigated by K. Karare in a Fiat 1500 - shouldered the hopes of the local fans. At the time, an African owning a bicycle was considered a rich man.
We have done it...veteran Rauno Aaltonen (left) and Lofty Drews in a joyous mood after being placed second in the Safari Rally in this undated photo.
The two gave Kenyans enormous amounts of satisfaction as they mingled with enthusiasm, hoping for an early Madaraka gift.
Over 100 international TV journalists, writers and celebrities jetted into Kenya not to cover the impending start of self rule by Kenya (Madaraka Day) celebrations but to cover the Safari Rally.
Forty-five days later at Uhuru Gardens, the Union Jack was lowered while our new national flag ascended into the skies, just a few hours after Kisilu Munyao had planted it at the highest peak of Mt Kenya.
‘World’s toughest rally’
Essentially, the Safari was a media-driven circus and still retains that magic. Many can attest to the fact that the "toughest rally in the world" tag remains one of the most easily recognisable in the world of sports.
The 86 starters were a stellar field with an array of works teams and professional drivers from Europe and Japan, among them legendary Finn Rauno Aaltonen. At 82, Aaltonen is still alive and kicking up the dust.
His last rally event was the 2017 in Monaco Carlo Classic Historique Rally in a Mini 1100.
Aaltonen who tried without success to win the Safari is renowned for inventing the left foot braking which enabled him to keep his right foot on the pedal while the left foot switched between the clutch and the brake pedal.
Hino and Datsun team which later dominated the Safari in the 70s and 80s fielded works team, while Ford and Peugeot were present in large numbers.
With rain pouring incessantly and making rally routes impassable, local knowledge came into play. With Mwangi out, now emboldened Kenyans threw their weight behind Joginder Singh in the 1963 edition.
Early pacesetter Erik Carlsson made short work of the opposition in a tiny Saab on his way to Nairobi. He was 30 minutes ahead before retiring shortly after leaving Dar es Salaam.
In a domino effect, more drivers fell by the wayside. Nick Nowicki and Paddy Cliff in a Peugeot 404, Peter Hughes/Billy Young (Ford Anglia) fought long-sordid night before the Peugeot drivers returned home first to give Peugeot their first of six Safari crowns.
This victory gave rise to the "Muruthi" or “Simba wa Juda” Peugeot culture, a near-cult following for the car, especially the Peugeot 504 which became popular with top government and business executives, as well as the upwardly mobile members of the society.
In the end, only seven drivers finished the rally, among them fifth-placed "People’s Hero" Joginder Sigh who crossed the finish line in jubilation.
Joginder Singh, who made his Safari Rally debut in 1959 debutant, had consistently finished the Safari since and his background of levelling it off with top foreign drivers impressed local fans who idolised him as "Simba ya Kenya."
Joginder Singh who passed on in 2013 won his first of three Safari victories in 1965.
He was also a member of another group of "unsinkables' who survived the 1968 Safari, earning the moniker "the Magnificent Seven" from the 1960s American Hollywood movie title. BY DAILY NATION


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