For 71 years, drivers, crews and journalists have all agreed – there’s nothing quite like the Safari Rally. Participating in it or witnessing others rally is always an unforgettable experience. This year was no exception.

Service Park

This was on the afternoon of Monday 25th March before the rally started proper on Thursday 28th March. We still had a lot of equipment coming in. I saw mechanics working on some cars, and setup crews erecting tents that would house workshops for the duration of the rally.

Thank you to Charlene who captured the above image of me looking for shots at the Service Park.

Kasarani Spectator Stage

The Safari Rally had been moved from it’s June position in the WRC Calendar to Easter weekend where it had become part of an annual tradition for years. There were hopes that the rains would make it a muddy event. The rains poured but not on all stages.

At Kasarani, two water splashes were setup to add to the drama and they provided great photo opportunities.

SS4 and SS7 Kedong

I had planned to shoot at Loldia in the morning then Kedong in the afternoon. I changed my mind and decided to shoot both loops of Kedong. I chose Box 15 Miti Mbili for the morning loop. Getting there early, I was able to capture some activity before the cars came through.

Then the cars came through.

I remotely triggered my camera to capture killer shots without the risk of getting killed.

I then switched to a different position to capture a different perspective of the same jump.

This is one of the last shots of Nikhil Sachania and Deep Patel before they rolled not too far from where we were. It is also the last shot my Canon R5 took before packing up for the rest of the rally.

In the afternoon, I joined other photographers at a hairpin. In previous years, this is where photographers positioned themselves to capture rally cars blowing dust with Mt Longonot in the background. With Kedong being run in reverse, the shot was not possible this year.

Special shout out to Bonaya who captured me while waiting for the cars to come through.

Soysambu Start

For Saturday, I was joined by fellow rally fan Juliana Rotich in shooting the start of Soysambu Stage.

Sleeping Warrior

Later, we headed to Sleeping Warrior. There was a 54% chance of rainfall. It fell elsewhere on the stage and we were left eating dust for both runs of the stage.

Regroup Before Malewa Stage

By day three, the Safari Rally had done a number on several cars with many competitors being forced to retire.

I met a few of those who had survived at a regroup before the start of Malewa Stage.

Oserengoni

Shooting here wasn’t what I expected. Maybe it was the photo point I picked. I however made the best of it.