Photo: Twitter/@Hot_96Kenya
If you think racing against some of the world's top rally drivers, crews, and manufacturers is pressurizing – how about taking the president of your competition host country on a joy ride in your rally car? Well, that summed up Frenchman M-Sport Ford driver Pierre-Louis Loubet's first WRC Safari Rally appearance.
The 2023 WRC Safari rally officially kicked off in Naivasha yesterday with a shakedown stage. Part of the participants in one of WRC's most enduring courses was Kenyan President William Ruto, among other high-profile government representatives.
The Kenyan president attended the event to wave off the 70th season of the WRC Safari Rally Kenya that officially begins on the 22nd to the 25th of June.
Against security protocol, Kenya's topman was offered a chance to experience the thrill of rally racing behind the wheel of an M-Sport Ford rally car. Driving a rally car is more complex than playing a game of ping pong. There's a learning curve involved, and as you'd expect, he accepted the offer – but as a co-driver.
When 26-year-old Frenchman Pierre-Louis Loubet signed up for the world of competition racing, he had no idea it would involve chauffeuring an important political world figure on a high-speed endurance course. However, on his first appearance at the 2023 WRC Safari rally in Kenya, this high-clearance responsibility was bestowed upon him.
To remind you, the M-Sport Ford Puma Hybrid Rally1 car isn't your conventional parts bin car. It is the first electrified competition vehicle in the history of the blue oval marque.
Under the hood, it runs a hybrid powertrain that includes a 100 kWh (134 hp/136 ps) electric motor and a turbocharged 1.6-liter internal combustion engine with a maximum power output of 380 hp (385 ps) and 310 lb-ft (420 Nm) of torque. A 3.9-kWh battery pack powers the electric motor.
That brings the total combined power of this rally track weapon to 500 hp (507 ps). According to Ford, the M-Sport Ford Puma Hybrid Rally1 will bolt from 0 to 100 kph (62 mph) in 3.2 seconds on tarmac and gravel.
Well, the 26-year-old M-Sport Ford rally driver didn't think twice about taking Kenya's ‘Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces' on a hell ride in a 3-second car. The result? Crazy!
Yes! That's precisely what President William Ruto said after the high-octane endurance sprint with a professional world rally driver behind the wheel.
"That thing is crazy. But it is an experience you cannot forget. I mean the sheer speed... You can hardly see the road. You can hardly see the bends. These guys are professional," President William Ruto said after experiencing the most adrenaline-packed driving experience of his life. Would he do it again? "If you ask me whether I'd do it again? Not sure," he added.
The 2023 WRC Safari Rally competition starts today with a lunchtime flag-off ceremony at Uhuru Gardens before switching venues to Kasarani (north of Nairobi City) for a two-at-a-time Super Special event.
Afterward, the drivers will set off on a nearly 100-kilometer (62 miles) sprint to the Kenya Wildlife Training Institute service park in Naivasha.
The Kenyan president attended the event to wave off the 70th season of the WRC Safari Rally Kenya that officially begins on the 22nd to the 25th of June.
Against security protocol, Kenya's topman was offered a chance to experience the thrill of rally racing behind the wheel of an M-Sport Ford rally car. Driving a rally car is more complex than playing a game of ping pong. There's a learning curve involved, and as you'd expect, he accepted the offer – but as a co-driver.
When 26-year-old Frenchman Pierre-Louis Loubet signed up for the world of competition racing, he had no idea it would involve chauffeuring an important political world figure on a high-speed endurance course. However, on his first appearance at the 2023 WRC Safari rally in Kenya, this high-clearance responsibility was bestowed upon him.
To remind you, the M-Sport Ford Puma Hybrid Rally1 car isn't your conventional parts bin car. It is the first electrified competition vehicle in the history of the blue oval marque.
Under the hood, it runs a hybrid powertrain that includes a 100 kWh (134 hp/136 ps) electric motor and a turbocharged 1.6-liter internal combustion engine with a maximum power output of 380 hp (385 ps) and 310 lb-ft (420 Nm) of torque. A 3.9-kWh battery pack powers the electric motor.
That brings the total combined power of this rally track weapon to 500 hp (507 ps). According to Ford, the M-Sport Ford Puma Hybrid Rally1 will bolt from 0 to 100 kph (62 mph) in 3.2 seconds on tarmac and gravel.
Well, the 26-year-old M-Sport Ford rally driver didn't think twice about taking Kenya's ‘Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces' on a hell ride in a 3-second car. The result? Crazy!
Yes! That's precisely what President William Ruto said after the high-octane endurance sprint with a professional world rally driver behind the wheel.
"That thing is crazy. But it is an experience you cannot forget. I mean the sheer speed... You can hardly see the road. You can hardly see the bends. These guys are professional," President William Ruto said after experiencing the most adrenaline-packed driving experience of his life. Would he do it again? "If you ask me whether I'd do it again? Not sure," he added.
The 2023 WRC Safari Rally competition starts today with a lunchtime flag-off ceremony at Uhuru Gardens before switching venues to Kasarani (north of Nairobi City) for a two-at-a-time Super Special event.
Afterward, the drivers will set off on a nearly 100-kilometer (62 miles) sprint to the Kenya Wildlife Training Institute service park in Naivasha.
The thrill, the adrenalin rush, the exhilarating adventure, filled with high-speed turns, heart-pumping accelerations, and daring maneuvers. Experience the @wrcsafarirally in a manner like never before - Through the eyes of H.E. President William Ruto. Behold the #SafariRally. pic.twitter.com/MXDdSTLyHQ
— Ministry Of Youth Affairs, The Arts & Sports (@moyasa_ke) June 22, 2023
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