Incredibly the Safari was contested over roads that remained open from start to finish.Ĭompetitors driving flat-out had to keep their eyes peeled for matatus (buses) going about their business, with locals literally hanging on both inside and out.
Only 12 of the 61 starters finished and the top 10 was spanned by the small matter of 16 hours……Ĭonditions were so demanding that scheduled four-hour rest breaks were often slashed to an hour as crews were pushed, pulled and lifted out of mudholes and torrents by ever-enthusiastic roadside helpers. Sections exceeding 100km were covered in deep, clinging mud and floods stretched hundreds of metres wide. Seven of the 10 longest WRC rounds in history have taken place in Kenya, topped out by the 1977 rally which tested the world’s rally stars over 5949km of competition.Įvery kilometre from the start in Nairobi back to the finish in the Kenyan capital was competitive and it proved the wettest Safari ever.
Gruelling, exhausting, punishing, arduous – there is a long list of similar adjectives that can be added to these that still wouldn’t do justice to the Safari, but the 1977 event was out on its own.
