In 1995 the International Motorsport Federation (FIA) introduced a new rotational format which forced manufacturer teams to skip some events including the Safari from counting towards drivers and manufacturers championships points.
The Safari was instead contested as a two-litre 2WD drive championship.
This proved unpopular forcing the FIA to revert to the old format and even broaden the championship to 14 rounds in 1996.
There were many radical changes that would allow a factory team to participate in the WRC with a 4WD turbo car even if it didn’t have a standard production car with such features in its range. The upshot was today’s Rally One car which is completely different from the road-going model.
This was the last edition of the WRC Safari Rally to be held over Easter. It was thrilling, fatal, wet, and the toughest in five years.
The 1996 Safari was like no other. Thousands travelled to watch the Safari in Kajiado, Machakos, and Narok plains.
It was wet to the extremes. A flash flood washed away a vehicle with four foreigners who drowned in Machakos areas.
Some 300km of competitive sections were cancelled in Kajiado following a heavy downpour that flooded roads on day one.
The distance was reduced to 2,400km of which 1,500km — five times longer than the 2021 edition, was competitive. There was excitement. World media trouped back to Nairobi, having stayed away the previous year, and the HQ moved from the KICC to Hotel Inter Continental.
These were the carefree days when drivers would mingle with Kenyans in Nairobi’s social scenes.
Subaru set up their service point at Holy Family Basilica at the end of day one, maybe for spiritual guidance.
Briton Colins McRae returned to Nairobi first on day one in the Group “A” Subaru Impreza WRX Turbo.
Day two saw real drama in Narok. There was a big mud-hole every body tried to avoid by driving through a wet wheat farm.
Those were the days when every car from top manufacturers team was guided from the air by a spotter helicopter to warn of likely hazards like stray domestic animals, wild game, rocks and mud holes.
But what of encountering a swollen river? Cars re-routed to a shallow crossing point, but not Kenneth Eriksson of Subaru and the late Jonathan Toroitich in a factory Toyota Celica, who ploughed through, momentarily getting submerged, but coming out in a flash on the other side unscathed.
The cars back then were fitted with a snorkel, a pipe , on the right side, coming from the engine compartment and joined on with the windscreen as an engine ‘breather’’. It allowed the engine to run in deep waters without stalling.
Subaru, returning to the Safari as a factory team, had successfully tested this device’s efficacy in a huge tank filled with water at their factory in UK.
Teams went the extra mile in preparations. A special mention goes to UK-based Mitsubishi Ralliart fielding amongst others Tommi Makinen.
Team Principal Andrew Cowan had competed in the Safari 20 years earlier in a Mitsubishi Lancer 1600. He knew Kenya, and came prepared.
Mitsubishi adopted a new servicing format by changing dampers and shocks at every service halt whether damaged or working, as a precaution.
Other teams thought the Ralliart cars were suffering from suspension problems.
The speeding Lancers were a revelation but it was not to be. Instead Makinen vanquished the renowned, car-killer mantra of the Safari.
Co-driven by Seppo Harijan, he sprinted from start to finish, winning some 17 minutes ahead of Eriksson and Stefan Parmandar, followed by our own very Ian Duncan, navigated by Dave Williamson in a Toyota Celica GT4.
Patrick Njiru and Toroitich wrapped up the top 10, finishing ninth and 10th respectively. Only 18 crews finished while 38 retired.
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