The Safari Rally has sparked much excitement among the Kenyan population, especially since its move from June to March. With this year’s competition coinciding with an Easter holiday weekend, the number of spectators is anticipated to surge.

The adrenaline-packed event, however, comes with its share of dangers, given the involvement of fast-moving machinery. Amidst the excitement, many may disregard caution.

On the second day of the WRC Safari Rally, a spectator narrowly avoided being hit when a rally car briefly lost control, veering off its path and sliding towards the spectators.

Some spectators had been recklessly standing on the rally path, attempting to capture the action with their phone cameras, driven by a desire to immortalize the moment or garner social media engagement through likes and clicks.

The incident which happened earlier today has sparked uproar on social Media.

This comes a day after Kenya’s Rally driver Nikhil Sachania and his navigator Deep Patel crashed out of the competition after they rolled their Mitsubishi Evolution X car near Kedong.

Speaking after the crash in Kedong, Nikhil regretted that they had to drop out of the competition prematurely, but exuded confidence and assured motorsport fans of participating in future competitions.

“It is unfortunate that we had to drop out of the race but I am certain that we will be back racing soon. We are exploring options to see which car to go for. I can confirm that we will participate in local and we will be back in next year’s Safari Rally action,” Nikhil said.

The duo is part of the KCB-sponsored drivers alongside reigning African Rally Champion Karan Patel navigated by his longtime friend Tauseef Khan. 

KCB Bank Kenya is the official financial partner for the four-day action-packed weekend that saw local and international drivers grace the gruelling Loldia, Geothermal and Kedong stages on Friday.