THE SIDELINES : Warm-Up for Safari Rally Slated
From Times Wire Services
NAIROBI, Kenya —
More than 60 cars will race against the clock Wednesday to warm up for the Marlboro Safari Rally, considered one of the world’s toughest tests for autos and drivers. Each vehicle will make just one lap to meet a requirement of the International Autosports Federation, auto rallying’s ruling body.
The real challenge comes Thursday, when the 68 starters set out from Nairobi on the 2,480-mile endurance test. Fewer than half are expected to finish the five-day ordeal that will take them over quagmires, razor-sharp rocks, flooded streams and slippery hairpin curves on high mountain slopes.