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Wednesday 22nd of March 2023

Nairobi, Kenya

Tag: Kenya

FIA WRC: World Rally Championship, Safari Rally Kenya 2022

Posted on by Oscar Alochi

With its difficult confined dirt roads, breathtaking picture-postcard landscape, and exotic animals, the classic Safari Rally has developed to meet the current WRC.
Competitors should be prepared for rugged, rutted terrain as well as unpredictably changing weather that could turn dry, dusty routes into sticky mud pits.

Given that the Safari Rally Kenya is considered to be the toughest rally in the world, Kalle Rovanperä said that winning his first WRC race was satisfying. .

The 21-year-old FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) leader outperformed his father Harri by one position when he clinched victory on the second run of Hell’s Gate, the competition’s Wolf Power Stage.

On the final WRC Safari before the Kenyan round was eliminated from the WRC schedule, Kalle’s father, Hari, was defeated by the late Colin McRae to win the coveted title in 2002.

But 20 years later, Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Kalle, who drove Elfyn Evans, Takamoto Kastuta, and Sebastien Ogier to the top four spot, attested to his family’s shenanigans while racing on the challenging Naivasha gravel.

“This rally is incredibly challenging and well-known around the world. Rovanperä stated, “Considering the terrain you have to master, it’s incredibly wonderful to win this event. I have to admit, this was the hardest rally I have ever done, and we just have to thank the team. It is evidently the strongest and quickest car because all four of them functioned without any problems. The team worked incredibly hard. ”

Due to his unstoppable form over the race weekend, Kalle improved his title chances with a commanding victory in Kenya. In Friday’s last speed test, the Flying Finn passed his Gazoo colleague Sébastien Ogier, who had to stop to change a wheel.

“Compared to last year, the event was significantly tougher. Since we had already done it once the previous year, it was challenging to truly know what to do next. We anticipated it would be fairly challenging, so I’m relieved to have finished,”

Toyota increased their lead in the manufacturers’ championship by 62 points, giving Kalle a 65-point margin over the summit.

Takamoto Katsuta, who finished second last year, secured back-to-back Safari podiums after edging out second-placed Elfyn by 49.9 seconds.

With Ogier in back, the Japanese driver maintained a close check on his mirrors and finished 27.6 seconds ahead of the eight-time world champion.

Sebastien Ogier, the winner of the Safari race from the previous year, finished fourth and felt conflicted afterwards.

On Friday, Ogier encountered tyre gremlins, ending any opportunity he had to successfully defend his title. When some of the fesh-fesh sand from Naivasha got into the car’s engine on Saturday, Seb lost further time.

Additionally, the eagerly anticipated race against fellow countryman Sébastien Loeb never happened because the nine-time world champion retired his M-Sport Ford Puma on Friday due to engine problems. .

Ogier was content to score more important points for Toyota during his part-time campaign, though. The team last held all four of the top spots in Kenya in 1993.

 

FINAL RESULTS:

1. Kalle Rovanperä – Jonne Halttunen (FIN/Toyota) 3hr 40min 24.9sec 2. Elfyn Evans – Scott Martin (GBR/Toyota) at 52.8sec
3. Takamoto Katsuta – Aaron Johnston (JPN-IRL/Toyota) 1min 42.7sec 4. Sébastien Ogier – Benjamin Veillas (FRA/Toyota) 2:10.3

5. Thierry Neuville – Martijn Wydaeghe (BEL/Hyundai) 10:40.9
6. Craig Breen – Paul Nagle (IRL/M-Sport Ford) 23:27.9
7. Jourdan Serderidis – Frédéric Miclotte (GRE-BEL/Ford) 30:16.5 8. Sébastien Loeb – Isabelle Galmiche (FRA/M-Sport Ford) 32:12.6 9. Kajetan Kajetanowicz – Maciej Szczepaniak (POL/Skoda) 35:37.6 10. Oliver Solberg – Elliot Edmondson (SWE-GBR/Hyundai) 37:36.6

Special stage winners:

Ogier (SS1, SS5, SS6, SS13)
Rovanpera (SS3, SS4, SS7, SS12, SS15) Neuville (SS9, SS10, SS19)
Evans (SS8, SS11)
Loeb (SS2, SS17, SS18)
Tänak (SS16)
*SS14 cancelled
Main retirements: Ott Tänak (Hyundai) World championship standings:
1. Kalle Rovanpera (FIN/Toyota) 145 pts 2. Thierry Neuville (BEL/Hyundai) 80
3. Ott Tanak (EST/Hyundai) 62 Takamoto Katsuta (JPN/Toyota) 62
5. Craig Breen (IRL/Ford) 60
6. Elfyn Evans (GBR/Toyota) 57
7. Sébastien Loeb (FRA/Ford) 35
8. Sébastien Ogier (FRA/Toyota) 34

9. Dani Sordo (ESP/Hyundai) 34 10. Gus Greensmith (GBR/Ford) 28

Constructors standings:

1. Toyota 246 pts
2. Hyundai 184
3. M-Sport/Ford 144

Winners in 2022:

Monte-Carlo: Loeb
Sweden: Rovanpera
Croatia: Rovanpera Portugal: Rovanpera Sardinia: Tanak
Kenya: Rovanpera
Next rally: Estonia July 14-17

2022 World Rally Championship

With the introduction of the hybrid-based Rally1 category, the FIA World Rally Championship will reach 50 in 2022 and enter a new, thrilling, and sustainable age.

Rally1 is a ground-breaking innovation created by the FIA departments in collaboration with Hyundai, M-Sport (Ford), and Toyota, three rival automakers.

Together, they teamed up to produce a category that maintains outstanding performance, substantially improves safety, and strongly emphasizes the environment. Rally1 cars use 100% fossil-free fuel in addition to the hybrid unit, which is coupled to the current 1.6-liter turbocharged internal combustion engine.

The hybrid system may increase total performance levels to more than 500hp and comes with a 100kW electric motor attached to a 3.9kWh battery.

Rally1 vehicles, on the other hand, are specifically made to exclusively operate in electric mode, which is what they must do in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) zones that are adjacent to the event service parks.
A long-term contract between Pirelli and the FIA keeps Pirelli as the WRC’s sole tire supplier.

Put safety first

The FIA has added a variety of safety measures with the introduction of hybrid technology in the WRC, such as mandating that the hybrid components be housed in a strengthened safety structure.

A 50% reduction in accident incursion is possible because to the enhanced safety cell chassis, the product of months of intense research and development.

Due to the high-voltage electrical current that accidents can produce, a social media awareness campaign emphasizes the safety measures that spectators and safety personnel must follow. Rally1 vehicles can be recognized by the letter “HY” on the side door panels, safety lights on the windshield, and green side pillars, which indicate that the vehicle is safe to touch. A car is dangerous to touch if it has a flashing red light and an auditory warning.

All Rally1 vehicles must contain two pairs of Class-0 gloves that can resist 1000 volts and are simple for the driver and co-driver to obtain when exiting the vehicle.

This makes it possible for both crew members to offer helpful support in the event that a high voltage problem affects either their car or the car of a rival. Volunteer authorities and crews have both gotten crucial training.

#WRC #SafariRallyKenya #WRCLive #WorldRallyChampionship

Content courtesy of WRC, Safari Rally & NFH

Inside Naomi Campbell’s Luxury Villa In Kenya Open Door Architectural Digest

Posted on by Fashion Tribe Influencer

Whenever supermodel Naomi Campbell needs to unplug, she heads to her luxurious, airy villa in Malindi, Kenya

Over the course of her remarkable 35-year career, supermodel Naomi Campbell has blazed trails, stormed catwalks, and graced countless magazine covers. And while most of her legendary peers have long since retired and retreated from the spotlight, at 50 Campbell is as in demand as ever and enjoys a level of visibility models half her age would envy.

She recently closed Fendi’s spring 2021 couture show at the Palais Brongniart in Paris, new artistic director of womenswear Kim Jones’s first for the venerable Roman fashion house. Images of Campbell slowly sauntering down the runway in a sublime silver cape and matching imperial gown set the internet ablaze and left little doubt that she remains one of the most significant models of all time.

In recent years, she’s become the face of Nars (her first beauty campaign ever) and appeared in Burberry and Saint Laurent advertisements, Beyoncé’s beloved “Brown Skin Girl” video, and Amazon’s fashion competition series Making the Cut. To the delight of millennials and Gen Z’ers, she’s also a constant presence on social media, regularly updating her more than 10 million Instagram followers (and nearly 500,000 YouTube subscribers) with archival images from her storied career, one-on-one chats with her famous friends for No Filter With Naomi, and videos from her far-flung travels.

Yes, her schedule is relentless, but work fuels her and continues to bring her joy. “First and foremost, never rest on your laurels, and I still like what I do,” Campbell says when asked about her refusal to slow down. “I use myself as a gateway, a connector to uplift and guide my culture on the right path and the direction that they need to be. This drives me.”

But even icons need rest. And when it’s time to fully unplug, Campbell decamps to her villa in the tranquil seaside town of Malindi, Kenya. Overlooking the Indian Ocean, her idyllic retreat is the epitome of indoor-outdoor living and for more than 20 years has served as her chosen haven from the breakneck pace of her native London and adopted New York City. Bathed in natural light and brimming with warm earth tones, the wide-open expanse is an ode to laid-back opulence. “It’s a very calming place,” she says. “You don’t really want to be on the phone. You’re not trying to find a television. You just want to read and be with yourself. It’s nice to just have the silence and the crickets.”

Campbell first visited Malindi in the mid-1990s and returned again a few years later with a longtime friend, the owner of this Kenyan luxury resort, which houses a handful of private residences, including Campbell’s getaway. Just over an hour’s flight from Kenya’s capital city, Nairobi, Malindi has long been a favorite of the Italian jet set. “All the locals speak Italian,” Campbell shares. “It’s like Little Italy in East Africa.”

The saltwater pool that extends outdoors from the center of her living room is ideal for a quick morning dip. When the model is in the mood to entertain, twin voile-curtained pergolas serve as the perfect space for family-style dinners. The vaulted cathedral ceilings and makuti thatched roof, made from the sun-dried leaves of the coconut palm, are an awe-inspiring favorite of Campbell’s. Makuti roofs, she explains, have been a staple in East Africa for centuries and are hand-sewn in an intricate layering process.

“We’ve had this one for at least 12 years, and it’s still in good form,” she says proudly. “Because of the air, wind, and sea salt, things can break down very quickly here, but it’s held up so well, and it’s just like a piece of art in itself.” The oversized Latika lanterns that hang from the rafters hail from Morocco and Egypt and are as dazzling as they are grand. Campbell enjoys furniture shopping throughout Africa but has found great success in Marrakech and Cairo (like Murano, Italy, the ancient Egyptian city is renowned for its handblown glass). Senegal, she adds, is another must-visit when she’s on the hunt for one-of-a-kind treasures. “Senegal has amazing furniture,” she gushes. “Every time I go, I buy furniture, and I just collect it and store it away.”

For remarkable woodwork, Campbell doesn’t have to travel far. “A lot of the wood furniture that we have in the house is made in Malindi,” she says. “In fact, we used to have a workshop at the back of the house.” The hand-carved wooden doors depicting two men dancing in traditional ceremonial dress were designed by Armando Tanzini, an award-winning artist who has lived and worked in Malindi for many years. They’re decades old and have proved to be reliable conversation starters. Tucked around the house are more works by Tanzini, including several large-scale tableau maps of Africa.

Some of Campbell’s fondest memories are tied to Kenya: lunches on sandbanks in the middle of the Indian Ocean; camping with the nomadic Samburu tribe; summer safari outings to watch the annual Great Migration. “It’s wonderful to go in July,” she advises. “All the animals are crossing over from Kenya to Tanzania, and you see everything. It’s incredible. It’s like seeing National Geographic come to life right in front of your face.”

These days Campbell, who was recently appointed Kenya’s official tourism ambassador, says she’s committed to using her considerable platform to champion all of Africa’s 54 countries. “I love all of the African continents; there isn’t one country I love more than another, and I want that to be clear,” she declares. “Each place in Africa has something magical about it.”

Writen By Lola Ogunnaike
Photography by Khadija Farah
Styled by Edward Ngera

Content courtesy of Architectural Digest & Nairobi fashion hub 

Naomi Campbell: “I’m proud to be part of a shoot with young creatives that are all my skin colour”

Posted on by Ann Mumbi

The iconic supermodel and activist tell i-D about being photographed at her home in Kenya by Luis Alberto Rodriguez, and her hopes for 2021.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CLrReXgp4EP/?utm_source=ig_embed

“When I’m in Kenya there are days that are less hectic than others, but I’m always busy. I’m being more careful at the moment because of the situation with COVID, but I still saw the kids in the orphanage that I support, I didn’t want to let them down. I want to reach as many people as I can. I want to spread awareness. There’s a part of me where, if I love something, I want the world to know about it.

“We were working, too we were even shooting on Boxing Day! We shot during the day, we shot at night, but the atmosphere on set with Carlos and Luis and Jawara was so fun, so easy there was always a boombox somewhere close by playing music that it just felt like we were taking pictures on vacation. I think that’s something you can see: in how at ease I am; in the style of Luis’ photography; in the way, Carlos has styled me, and in the fun, Jawara had with the hair. We got to be a bit flamboyant, and it didn’t really feel like work, to be honest, it just felt like dressing up!

 

“It was just very real, very organic. And I felt proud, humbled, and happy to be part of a shoot with young creatives that are all my skin color, and that I’m getting to work with them after so many years of being in the fashion industry. It’s very rare that this has happened to me. Luis is the third photographer of color I’ve worked with in my whole career in fashion.

“When you see these images, I hope you see that Kenya is beautiful, that Africa is beautiful. I think people now are going to really open their minds and start to understand that real beauty is in Africa. There are so many gems, so many hidden secrets. I’ve been coming here since 1994 and I’m still discovering things.

“At the end of 2020, my main reflections were on the need for us to move upward and forward. We have to rise to every challenge and walk through it. And we will get through it. 2021 is going to be a great year, we’ve just got a few more bumps to get through first. Nothing disappears overnight, but we just need to get through this first quarter. After that, I believe that this is going to be an amazing year.

“Actually, I don’t just believe it will be; I feel it will be.”

Credits

Photography: Luis Alberto Rodriguez
Fashion director: Carlos Nazario

Hair Jawara at Art Partner using Dyson.
Make-up by: Bimpe Onakoya and Naomi Campbell.
Styling assistance Raymond Gee, Christine Nicholson, Cari Pacheco, and Jennifer De La Cruz.
Hair assistance: Matt Benns.
Casting director: Samuel Ellis Scheinman for DMCASTING.
Post-production:  Michael Moser.
Model Naomi Campbell at Models1.

Content courtesy of I-D & Nairobi fashion hub

 

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