Safari forsakes Easter

The World Championship calendar for 1992 is virtually unchanged from 1991. Imminent events are the Monte Carlo Rally (Jan 23-29), Sweden (Feb 13-16), Portugal (Mar 4-7) and the Safari (Mar 27-Apl 1). You will note that the Safari, after some 40 years held during the Easter weekend, has finally succumbed to pressure from FISA and given up its traditional but mobile dates which move each year according to the Easter fluctuation.

This year, it will take place two weeks before Easter, which will make things difficult in three ways: marshals may be harder to find: works teams will certainly find it more difficult to hire the experienced local staff which they always need to man mud cars, refuelling trucks etc: and things may be more dangerous on the roads when the event takes place among working traffic rather than the relatively quiet period of holiday time. In its quest to make rallying safer, we wonder whether the FISA Rally Committee has considered this.

At its new date, the Safari starts some two and a half weeks after the Portuguese Rally and finishes some four and a half weeks before the Tour of Corsica. Would it not have been a lot easier for everyone to have left it within the Easter period? Or does the Corsican event warrant a greater gap than Portugal or the Safari simply because it is French-run?