2002 Safari Rally
# 2002 Safari Rally

The 2002 Safari Rally (formally the 50th Inmarsat Safari Rally) was the eighth round of the 2002 World Rally Championship. The race was held over three days between 12 July and 14 July 2002, and was won by Ford's Colin McRae, his 25th and final win in the World Rally Championship. The rally was the last 'endurance' Safari Rally to take place, with a competitive distance of around 1,010 kilometres (630 mi). Following financial difficulties, the Safari did not return to the World Championship until 2021.

## Background

### Entry list

| No. | Driver | Co-Driver | Entrant | Car | Tyre |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| World Rally Championship manufacturer entries ||||||
| 1 | Richard Burns | Robert Reid | Peugeot Total | Peugeot 206 WRC | M |
| 2 | Marcus Grönholm | Timo Rautiainen | Peugeot Total | Peugeot 206 WRC | M |
| 3 | Harri Rovanperä | Risto Pietiläinen | Peugeot Total | Peugeot 206 WRC | M |
| 4 | Carlos Sainz | Luis Moya | Ford Motor Co. Ltd. | Ford Focus RS WRC '02 | P |
| 5 | Colin McRae | Nicky Grist | Ford Motor Co. Ltd. | Ford Focus RS WRC '02 | P |
| 6 | Markko Märtin | Michael Park | Ford Motor Co. Ltd. | Ford Focus RS WRC '02 | P |
| 7 | François Delecour | Daniel Grataloup | Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart | Mitsubishi Lancer WRC | M |
| 8 | Alister McRae | David Senior | Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart | Mitsubishi Lancer WRC | M |
| 10 | Tommi Mäkinen | Kaj Lindström | 555 Subaru World Rally Team | Subaru Impreza S7 WRC '01 | P |
| 11 | Petter Solberg | Phil Mills | 555 Subaru World Rally Team | Subaru Impreza S8 WRC '02 | P |
| 14 | Kenneth Eriksson | Tina Thörner | Škoda Motorsport | Škoda Octavia WRC Evo2 | M |
| 15 | Toni Gardemeister | Paavo Lukander | Škoda Motorsport | Škoda Octavia WRC Evo2 | M |
| 16 | Roman Kresta | Jan Tománek | Škoda Motorsport | Škoda Octavia WRC Evo2 | M |
| 17 | Armin Schwarz | Manfred Hiemer | Hyundai Castrol World Rally Team | Hyundai Accent WRC3 | M |
| 18 | Freddy Loix | Sven Smeets | Hyundai Castrol World Rally Team | Hyundai Accent WRC3 | M |
| 19 | Juha Kankkunen | Juha Repo | Hyundai Castrol World Rally Team | Hyundai Accent WRC3 | M |
| World Rally Championship entries ||||||
| 20 | Thomas Rådström | Denis Giraudet | Automobiles Citroën | Citroën Xsara WRC | M |
| 21 | Sébastien Loeb | Daniel Elena | Automobiles Citroën | Citroën Xsara WRC | M |
| 23 | Gilles Panizzi | Hervé Panizzi | Peugeot Total | Peugeot 206 WRC | M |
| 32 | Frédéric Dor | Didier Breton | Frédéric Dor | Subaru Impreza S8 WRC '02 | M |
| 100 | Rory Green | Orson Taylor | Rory Green | Subaru Impreza | — |
| 101 | Shahnawaz Murji | Mohammed Verjee | Shahnawaz Murji | Subaru Impreza | — |
| 102 | John Lloyd | Adrian Cavenagh | John Lloyd | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV | — |
| 103 | Nigel Heath | Steve Lancaster | Nigel Heath | Subaru Impreza S5 WRC '99 | — |
| 105 | Rob Hellier | Des Page-Morris | Rob Hellier | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo III | — |
| 107 | Charles Muhangi | Frank Nekusa | Charles Muhangi | Subaru Impreza | — |
| 112 | Lee Rose | Piers Daykin | Lee Rose | Subaru Impreza | — |
| 114 | Michelle van Tongeren | Anette Preston | Michelle van Tongeren | Subaru Impreza | — |
| 120 | Carl Tundo | Tim Jessop | Carl Tundo | Subaru Impreza | — |
| 123 | Stefano Rocca | Peter Stone | Stefano Rocca | Subaru Impreza | — |
| PWRC entries ||||||
| 52 | Marcos Ligato | Rubén Garcia | Top Run SRL | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI | — |
| 53 | Alessandro Fiorio | Vittorio Brambilla | Ralliart Italia | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI | — |
| 57 | Toshihiro Arai | Tony Sircombe | Spike Subaru Team | Subaru Impreza WRX | — |
| 71 | Stefano Marrini | Tiziana Sandroni | Top Run SRL | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV | — |
| 74 | Karamjit Singh | Allen Oh | Petronas EON Racing Team | Proton Pert | P |
| Source: ||||||

### Itinerary

All dates and times are EAT (UTC+3).

| Date | Time | No. | Stage name | Distance |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Leg 1 — 336.78 km |||||
| 12 July | 08:23 | SS1 | Ngema — Kedong | 73.63 km |
| 12 July | 10:32 | SS2 | Seyabei — Kerrerie 1 | 81.84 km |
| 12 July | 13:24 | SS3 | Nailongilok — Il Damat 1 | 74.75 km |
| 12 July | 15:27 | SS4 | Ntulele — Kedong 1 | 106.56 km |
| Leg 2 — 410.87 km |||||
| 13 July | 07:03 | SS5 | Kedong — Ngema 1 | 73.93 km |
| 13 July | 08:53 | SS6 | Il Damat — Nailongilok | 74.75 km |
| 13 July | 11:01 | SS7 | Kedong — Ntulele | 106.59 km |
| 13 July | 14:04 | SS8 | Kerrerie — Seyabei | 81.67 km |
| 13 July | 16:18 | SS9 | Kedong — Ngema 2 | 73.93 km |
| Leg 3 — 263.15 km |||||
| 14 July | 07:08 | SS10 | Ntulele — Kedong 2 | 106.56 km |
| 14 July | 09:26 | SS11 | Nailongilok — Il Damat 2 | 74.75 km |
| 14 July | 11:59 | SS12 | Seyabei — Kerrerie 2 | 81.84 km |
| Source: |||||

## Results

### Overall

| Pos. | No. | Driver | Co-driver | Team | Car | Time | Difference | Points |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 5 | Colin McRae | Nicky Grist | Ford Motor Co. Ltd. | Ford Focus RS WRC '02 | 7:58:28.0 | | 10 |
| 2 | 3 | Harri Rovanperä | Risto Pietiläinen | Peugeot Total | Peugeot 206 WRC | 8:01:18.9 | +2:50.9 | 6 |
| 3 | 20 | Thomas Rådström | Denis Giraudet | Automobiles Citroën | Citroën Xsara WRC | 8:17:06.6 | +18:38.6 | 4 |
| 4 | 6 | Markko Märtin | Michael Park | Ford Motor Co. Ltd. | Ford Focus RS WRC '02 | 8:19:56.0 | +21:28.0 | 3 |
| 5 | 21 | Sébastien Loeb | Daniel Elena | Automobiles Citroën | Citroën Xsara WRC | 8:20:16.1 | +21:48.1 | 2 |
| 6 | 23 | Gilles Panizzi | Hervé Panizzi | Peugeot Total | Peugeot 206 WRC | 8:33:09.0 | +34:41.0 | 1 |
| Source: |||||||||

### World Rally Cars

**Classification**

| Position | Position | No. | Driver | Co-driver | Entrant | Car | Time | Difference | Points |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Event | Class | No. | Driver | Co-driver | Entrant | Car | Time | Difference | Points |
| 1 | 1 | 5 | Colin McRae | Nicky Grist | Ford Motor Co. Ltd. | Ford Focus RS WRC '02 | 7:58:28.0 | | 10 |
| 2 | 2 | 3 | Harri Rovanperä | Risto Pietiläinen | Peugeot Total | Peugeot 206 WRC | 8:01:18.9 | +2:50.9 | 6 |
| 4 | 3 | 6 | Markko Märtin | Michael Park | Ford Motor Co. Ltd. | Ford Focus RS WRC '02 | 8:19:56.0 | +21:28.0 | 3 |
| 7 | 4 | 16 | Roman Kresta | Jan Tománek | Škoda Motorsport | Škoda Octavia WRC Evo2 | 8:53:06.1 | +54:38.1 | 0 |
| 8 | 5 | 19 | Juha Kankkunen | Juha Repo | Hyundai Castrol World Rally Team | Hyundai Accent WRC3 | 9:09:59.5 | +1:11:31.5 | 0 |
| 9 | 6 | 8 | Alister McRae | David Senior | Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart | Mitsubishi Lancer WRC | 9:15:41.2 | +1:17:13.2 | 0 |
| Retired SS9 | Retired SS9 | 1 | Richard Burns | Robert Reid | Peugeot Total | Peugeot 206 WRC | Lost wheel | Lost wheel | 0 |
| Retired SS8 | Retired SS8 | 4 | Carlos Sainz | Luis Moya | Ford Motor Co. Ltd. | Ford Focus RS WRC '02 | Oil pump | Oil pump | 0 |
| Retired SS8 | Retired SS8 | 10 | Tommi Mäkinen | Kaj Lindström | 555 Subaru World Rally Team | Subaru Impreza S7 WRC '01 | Suspension | Suspension | 0 |
| Retired SS8 | Retired SS8 | 14 | Kenneth Eriksson | Tina Thörner | Škoda Motorsport | Škoda Octavia WRC Evo2 | Gearbox | Gearbox | 0 |
| Retired SS4 | Retired SS4 | 7 | François Delecour | Daniel Grataloup | Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart | Mitsubishi Lancer WRC | Engine | Engine | 0 |
| Retired SS4 | Retired SS4 | 11 | Petter Solberg | Phil Mills | 555 Subaru World Rally Team | Subaru Impreza S8 WRC '02 | Engine | Engine | 0 |
| Retired SS4 | Retired SS4 | 15 | Toni Gardemeister | Paavo Lukander | Škoda Motorsport | Škoda Octavia WRC Evo2 | Lost wheel | Lost wheel | 0 |
| Retired SS2 | Retired SS2 | 17 | Armin Schwarz | Manfred Hiemer | Hyundai Castrol World Rally Team | Hyundai Accent WRC3 | Alternator | Alternator | 0 |
| Retired SS1 | Retired SS1 | 2 | Marcus Grönholm | Timo Rautiainen | Peugeot Total | Peugeot 206 WRC | Engine | Engine | 0 |
| Retired SS1 | Retired SS1 | 18 | Freddy Loix | Sven Smeets | Hyundai Castrol World Rally Team | Hyundai Accent WRC3 | Clutch | Clutch | 0 |
| Source: ||||||||||

**Special stages**

| Day | Stage | Stage name | Length | Winner | Car | Time | Class leaders |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Leg 1 (12 Jul) | SS1 | Ngema — Kedong | 73.63 km | Tommi Mäkinen | Subaru Impreza S7 WRC '01 | 36:47.8 | Tommi Mäkinen |
| Leg 1 (12 Jul) | SS2 | Seyabei — Kerrerie 1 | 81.84 km | Colin McRae | Ford Focus RS WRC '02 | 37:13.1 | Tommi Mäkinen |
| Leg 1 (12 Jul) | SS3 | Nailongilok — Il Damat 1 | 74.75 km | Tommi Mäkinen | Subaru Impreza S7 WRC '01 | 44:23.6 | Tommi Mäkinen |
| Leg 1 (12 Jul) | SS4 | Ntulele — Kedong 1 | 106.56 km | Colin McRae | Ford Focus RS WRC '02 | 51:00.2 | Tommi Mäkinen |
| Leg 2 (13 Jul) | SS5 | Kedong — Ngema 1 | 73.93 km | Sébastien Loeb | Citroën Xsara WRC | 37:30.6 | Colin McRae |
| Leg 2 (13 Jul) | SS6 | Il Damat — Nailongilok | 74.75 km | Stage cancelled | Stage cancelled | Stage cancelled | | Colin McRae |
| Leg 2 (13 Jul) | SS7 | Kedong — Ntulele | 106.59 km | Richard Burns | Peugeot 206 WRC | 51:11.1 | Colin McRae |
| Leg 2 (13 Jul) | SS8 | Kerrerie — Seyabei | 81.67 km | Gilles Panizzi | Peugeot 206 WRC | 37:22.4 | Colin McRae |
| Leg 2 (13 Jul) | SS9 | Kedong — Ngema 2 | 73.93 km | Sébastien Loeb | Citroën Xsara WRC | 36:36.6 | Colin McRae |
| Leg 3 (14 Jul) | SS10 | Ntulele — Kedong 2 | 106.56 km | Colin McRae | Ford Focus RS WRC '02 | 51:32.1 | Colin McRae |
| Leg 3 (14 Jul) | SS11 | Nailongilok — Il Damat 2 | 74.75 km | Gilles Panizzi | Peugeot 206 WRC | 45:26.6 | Colin McRae |
| Leg 3 (14 Jul) | SS12 | Seyabei — Kerrerie 2 | 81.84 km | Sébastien Loeb | Citroën Xsara WRC | 36:35.1 | Colin McRae |

**Championship standings**

| Pos. | Drivers' championships | Drivers' championships | Drivers' championships | Co-drivers' championships | Co-drivers' championships | Co-drivers' championships | Manufacturers' championships | Manufacturers' championships | Manufacturers' championships |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Pos. | Move | Driver | Points | Move | Co-driver | Points | Move | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | | Marcus Grönholm | 37 | | Timo Rautiainen | 37 | | Peugeot Total | 83 |
| 2 | 2 | Colin McRae | 30 | 2 | Nicky Grist | 30 | | Ford Motor Co. Ltd. | 69 |
| 3 | 1 | Carlos Sainz | 23 | 1 | Luis Moya | 23 | | 555 Subaru World Rally Team | 35 |
| 4 | 1 | Gilles Panizzi | 21 | 1 | Hervé Panizzi | 21 | 1 | Škoda Motorsport | 8 |
| 5 | | Richard Burns | 19 | | Robert Reid | 19 | 1 | Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart | 7 |

### Production World Rally Championship

**Classification**

| Position | Position | No. | Driver | Co-driver | Entrant | Car | Time | Difference | Points |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Event | Class | No. | Driver | Co-driver | Entrant | Car | Time | Difference | Points |
| 10 | 1 | 74 | Karamjit Singh | Allen Oh | Petronas EON Racing Team | Proton Pert | 10:27:55.2 | | 10 |
| Retired SS12 | Retired SS12 | 52 | Marcos Ligato | Rubén Garcia | Top Run SRL | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI | Suspension | Suspension | 0 |
| Retired SS11 | Retired SS11 | 57 | Toshihiro Arai | Tony Sircombe | Spike Subaru Team | Subaru Impreza WRX | Clutch | Clutch | 0 |
| Retired SS8 | Retired SS8 | 71 | Stefano Marrini | Tiziana Sandroni | Top Run SRL | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV | Suspension | Suspension | 0 |
| Retired SS3 | Retired SS3 | 53 | Alessandro Fiorio | Vittorio Brambilla | Ralliart Italia | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI | Suspension | Suspension | 0 |
| Source: ||||||||||

**Special stages**

| Day | Stage | Stage name | Length | Winner | Car | Time | Class leaders |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Leg 1 (12 Jul) | SS1 | Ngema — Kedong | 73.63 km | Marcos Ligato | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI | 50:41.1 | Marcos Ligato |
| Leg 1 (12 Jul) | SS2 | Seyabei — Kerrerie 1 | 81.84 km | Marcos Ligato | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI | 47:32.0 | Marcos Ligato |
| Leg 1 (12 Jul) | SS3 | Nailongilok — Il Damat 1 | 74.75 km | Karamjit Singh | Proton Pert | 1:00:37.2 | Karamjit Singh |
| Leg 1 (12 Jul) | SS4 | Ntulele — Kedong 1 | 106.56 km | Marcos Ligato | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI | 1:02:57.9 | Marcos Ligato |
| Leg 2 (13 Jul) | SS5 | Kedong — Ngema 1 | 73.93 km | Toshihiro Arai | Subaru Impreza WRX | 50:19.4 | Marcos Ligato |
| Leg 2 (13 Jul) | SS6 | Il Damat — Nailongilok | 74.75 km | Stage cancelled | Stage cancelled | Stage cancelled | | Marcos Ligato |
| Leg 2 (13 Jul) | SS7 | Kedong — Ntulele | 106.59 km | Toshihiro Arai | Subaru Impreza WRX | 1:05:58.0 | Marcos Ligato |
| Leg 2 (13 Jul) | SS8 | Kerrerie — Seyabei | 81.67 km | Karamjit Singh | Proton Pert | 46:43.5 | Marcos Ligato |
| Leg 2 (13 Jul) | SS9 | Kedong — Ngema 2 | 73.93 km | Marcos Ligato | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI | 46:31.2 | Marcos Ligato |
| Leg 3 (14 Jul) | SS10 | Ntulele — Kedong 2 | 106.56 km | Toshihiro Arai | Subaru Impreza WRX | 59:53.0 | Marcos Ligato |
| Leg 3 (14 Jul) | SS11 | Nailongilok — Il Damat 2 | 74.75 km | Karamjit Singh | Proton Pert | 1:03:50.3 | Karamjit Singh |
| Leg 3 (14 Jul) | SS12 | Seyabei — Kerrerie 2 | 81.84 km | Karamjit Singh | Proton Pert | 45:15.9 | Karamjit Singh |

**Championship standings**

| Pos. | Drivers' championships | Drivers' championships | Drivers' championships |
| - | - | - | - |
| Pos. | Move | Driver | Points |
| 1 | 1 | Karamjit Singh | 24 |
| 2 | 1 | Ramón Ferreyros | 20 |
| 3 | | Toshihiro Arai | 12 |
| 4 | | Gustavo Trelles | 12 |
| 5 | | Kristian Sohlberg | 10 |
