Organisers of the FIA African Rally Championship (ARC) Equator Rally have finalized on preparations ahead of Saturday’s event.
The main event was on Friday morning preceded with a 5.40km Qualifying Stage and Shakedown at Loldia.
Pre-event schedule entailed an early morning Free Practice from 8:00 onwards. This will be followed by the much-anticipated Qualifying Stage at mid-day and Shakedown at 13:30 hours. And after Loldia's dust settles, Ceremonial Starr will follow at 16:00 hours.
The Qualifying Stage will determine the Start Order for Saturdays Leg 1.
Meanwhile, Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) Training Institute has been a beehive of activity over the past two days with national cars and ARC registered entrants going through inspection on Wednesday and Thursday respectively.
FIA Technical Delegate Musa Locho has been in charge of scrutineering where over 30 cars underwent pre-event scrutineering.
While team mechanics and managers put their race contraptions through a rigorous daylong scrutineering process, drivers and co-drivers were out on reconnaissance to familiarise with the technicalities of the route course.
Locho is heading a team of dedicated scrutineers in ensuring all cars conform to FIA competition regulations.
Among the documents teams presented to Locho's technical team included driver and co-driver’s competition licenses, passports for identification, and the ASN authorisation for all foreign competitors.
"We had to check the competition cars to ensure that they conform to safety regulations and the FIA Sporting Code.
We started off with national cars then moved to the ARC registered cars today well in time for the stewards meeting. 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 are here to ensure the event is run according to the regulations of the FIA after which I will file a report to the governing body on 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 day's cumulative total of 389.88km.
The first stage on Saturday will be SS1 Elementaita, followed by SS2 Soysambu and SS3 Sleeping Warrior .
All cars (except restarting crews) must enter Parc Fermé not later than 21:00 hours on Saturday.