NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 22 – The newly-appointed chair of the WRC Safari Rally Organising Committee Carl ‘Flash’ Tundo says they will be looking to execute expenditure cuts where necessary on this year’s edition.
Tundo said this is one of the committee’s tasks in its main objective of delivering a better and bigger event compared to past editions.
“We have been given a mandate by the CS (Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba) on how we can cut some costs…with the new government so we will look into that as well. But, you know if we don’t feel that anything needs changing then we won’t. And…I would call this a sort of collaboration and as I said yesterday, I am hoping we can all work together and move on,” Tundo said.
He added: “This (Safari Rally) is part of our heritage. We cannot lose this but we have to look at it hard and see where we can make some cuts and where we can make it better. We are just here to help.”
The multiple national rally champion is further envisaging a situation where the committee may not need to make wholesale changes to the preparations.
He noted that past editions of the 70-year-old sporting event have been excellent.
“Not if it doesn’t need changing (Safari Rally preparations). I’ve entered twice and it has been a fantastic event,” Tundo said.
He added: “We have not yet had the chance to read the report from FIA but we will run through it with the CEO (Phineas Kimathi). He is going to guide us on the report from the last time. Hopefully, we will do that with the team as well so it’s exciting times but yeah, we are here to do our job.”
The committee, which was appointed and unveiled by Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba on Monday, began work on Tuesday with a familiarisation tour to the WRC Safari Rally Secretariat at Moi Stadium, Kasarani where they met the different heads of department.
The team were taken through a demonstration by the different departments tasked with taking care of various logistical aspects of the rally.
Tundo said the visit was necessary for all members of the committee to get down to work from a point of knowledge regarding the status of the preparations for the event.
“I am chairman of the local organising committee and I felt it prudent to bring my other members of the new team here so that the WRC team can guide us on what they have been doing, what equipment they have and what help they need to move this forward to the next event,” he said.
This year’s rally is slated for June 23-25.
