M-Pesa Global International Money Transfer service has announced a partnership with M-Sport to sponsor French rally driver Adrien Fourmaux with a KES 20 million sponsorship for the 2024 WRC Safari Rally.
The 29-year-old rally star, navigated by Alexandre Coria, is one of the three M-Sport Ford World Rally Team members, alongside Grégoire Munster and Jourdan Serderidis, competing in the WRC 1 category, and is aiming for a podium finish. The sponsorship deal will allow his Ford Puma Hybrid Rally1 to display the M-Pesa branding for the Safari Rally in Kenya, while his overalls will carry the branding for the rest of the season.
This commitment to supporting upcoming talent and a leader in off-road motorsport, is a partnership that connects to M-PESA’s global presence, enabling payments and remittances across 37 countries around the world.
“Over the past four years, we have steadfastly supported the WRC Safari Rally, demonstrating our commitment to engaging with customers globally. We are excited about partnering with the M-Sport team to sponsor Adrien Fourmaux, a passionate and resilient motorsport talent. Through our efficient money transfer platform, M-PESA Global, we aim to connect the world, and this sponsorship will prominently feature our M-PESA brand on Adrien’s car in Naivasha, and on his overalls for the rest of the season,” said Mr Peter Ndegwa, the CEO of Safaricom.
Adrien is the latest young French talent to emerge from the country’s rally development programme. The driver’s inaugural WRC Rally event was in 2019 at Rallye Monte-Carlo. To date, he has won four stages, with his first victory occurring in 2021 at Rally Kenya SS16. Additionally, he achieved a podium finish during the Rally Sweden earlier this year.
As part of the partnership, 30 rally enthusiasts will have the opportunity to tour the M-Sport service station at the WRC service park in Naivasha on Saturday.
“It is amazing to see how Safaricom has been at the forefront in supporting the WRC Safari Rally. Coming on board through M-PESA to collaborate with us and going beyond the Kenyan border to support one of our drivers is something that warms our hearts greatly. We really appreciate them and promise to promote the M-PESA brand worldwide as they continue to connect with different people globally,” said Richard Millener, Team Principal of M-Sport.
On Monday, the Telco announced a KES 36 million sponsorship for the rally as it comes on board as the official technology partner of the event to provide seamless and speedy 4G network connectivity through the provision of four Cell on Wheels (COW) on the ground to provide seamless connectivity during the four-day rally event. Two COWs will be set up at Hell’s Gate, one at Sleeping Warrior, and one at the Kedong stage, to enhance network strength in viewing areas to cater for the large numbers expected at the rallying event.
Part of this sponsorship, KES. 5 million in cash, will go towards supporting the Kenyan youngster driver, Hamza Anwar, who will be competing in the WRC3 category, driving a Rally 3 Ford Fiesta.
The sponsorship deal will also see Hamza’s rally car installed with a telematic gadget, a Smart Vehicle Tracking System, to help Safaricom showcase its IoT (Internet of Things) powered Telematics solution available to the telco’s Enterprise customers for fleet management. The technology integrates with the vehicle’s on-board computer, collects information on several parameters that are accumulated and recorded at the end and start of each trip. This provides insights into journey duration, vehicle speed, route information, fuel consumption and driver behaviour.
This year’s WRC Safari Rally will return to the original Easter holiday for the first time in 26 years. During the rally, Safaricom will provide an exclusive experience to its customers at various selected locations along the rally route, including a WRC Easter bundle offer.
The 2024 Safari Rally has attracted 29 entries, including WRC points leader and 2022 Safari Rally champion Kalle Rovanpera, Elfyn Evans, Katsuta Takamoto, Ott Tanak, Thierry Neuville, Fourmaux Adrien, Munster Gregoire, Serderidis Jourdan and Solberg Oliver among others.
The Kenyan team will be led by the five-time winner of the Safari Rally and 2009 Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) champion Carl ‘Flash’ Tundo, Equator Rally defending champion Karan Patel, Singh Vohra, Aarkif Virani, Hamza Anwar, Minesh Rathod, and Andrew Muiruri.