NAIVASHA, Kenya, Apr 22 – All is set for the 2021 ARC Equator Rally slated to rev off this weekend with the ceremonial start, shakedown and the qualifying stage to be held on Friday at the designated 5.4km Loldia stretch in Naivasha.
The pre-event on Friday will entail an early morning Free Practice from 8:00am onwards, the much-anticipated Qualifying Stage will take place from mid-day, followed by shakedown at 13:30 hours and Ceremonial Start at 16:00 hours.
The Qualifying Stage will determine the Start Order on Saturday for the ARC cars depending on timing.
KWS Training Institute has been a beehive of activity over the past two days during which National Cars and ARC Registered entrants were inspected on Wednesday and Thursday respectively.
FIA Technical Delegate Musa Locho has been in charge of scrutineering where over 30 cars underwent pre-event checks.
While team mechanics put their race contraptions through a rigorous daylong scrutineering process, drivers were out on reconnaissance to familiarize with technicalities of the route course.
FIA Technical Delegate Musa Locho is leading the scrutineering process to ensure the cars conform to competition regulations.
Among the documents to be presented to Locho’s technical team included Driver and Co-driver competition licenses, Driver and Co-driver passports for identification and the ASN authorization for all foreign competitors.
“Ideally, we’ve been doing scrutineering. We had to check the competition cars to ensure they confirm with safety standards and also the regulations and the FIA Sporting Code. We started with national cars then moved to the ARC registered cars today well in time for the stewards meeting,” Locho said.
He added “Today, we have not had any major issues. When teams come for the exercise, we address some of the minor issues which they overlook and that’s why we are always here to make sure they are rectified within the permitted window. We ensure that the event is run to the regulations of the FIA after which I will make a report to the governing body in the same.”
Saturday’s Leg 1 Itinerary will feature three stages at the expansive Soysambu Conservancy which will be repeated twice to make up a Competitive mileage of 131.96 km, transport road section of 257.92km and the days cumulative total of 389.88km.
The first stage on Saturday will be SS1 Elmenteita 1 and 2, SS2 Soysambu 1 and 2 and SS3 Sleeping Warrior 1 and 2.
All cars (except restarting crews) must enter Parc Fermé no later than: 21:00 on Saturday.
