A photojournalist who fulfilled WRC Safari Rally family dream

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 8 – In Motorsport, and by extension the revered rally-sport, there are skills that take countless hours to develop and could be possessed by the rarest of breeds!

There’s evidence to suggest that this phenomenon also applies in motorsport photography where sheer hard work alone may not necessarily hold the key to success.

Sometimes raising a rally champion may require a complex recipe to mix perfectly, and so is the case with motoring photography where parental passion has continued to add the much-needed zest to family generations in the trade.

-Men In Green-

If you are a diehard rally fan and you attended the recent WRC Safari event, you might have come across some of the guys resplendent in luminous green FIA/WRC media tabards, lumbering around big lenses around the Hell’s Gate Wolf Power Stage, Sleeping Warrior and Soysambu where some of the designated spectator viewing points were located.

One of them was second generation Hyundai World Rally Team official photographer Bastien Baudin from France. 

Bastien was among the many foreign photographers who put in so much on the Safari weekend to showcase the picturesque Lakeside region of Naivasha and Elementeita to the world!

–Like Father Like Son—

Bastien’s dad François Baudin was among the top WRC Safari photographers from the 2002 edition who gave this year’s edition a wide berth.

But in François’ absence, four Safari diehard photographers from Safari 2002-Reinhard McKlein, Pascal Huit, Manrico Martella and François Flamand – were back in Kenya to be a part of the fabled event they have savoured for donkey’s years.

Like McKlein who has over the years developed a penchant for Kenyan international rally events, Bastien’s dad was a household name in WRC photography. Francois has covered many Safaris in the 1990s and done a myriad of WRC action photos for a duration spanning over three decades.

As a photographer in Safari’s days of yore, Basten Senior has seen rallying technology morph through different guises.

Bauden Senior also used to make photos for Tommi Makkinen and Mitsubishi Ralliat.

François Baudin has been a Director of his own press agency (AUSTRAL) since 2004, and official photographer of the Hyundai Motorsport team in the WRC. François was also a prominent member of the famous agency DPPI, specialized in auto sports, since 1989.

But for Basten Jnr, it’s about fitting into his dad’s big shoes. He is a believer in the fact that words can paint a picture in one’s mind, “but a photograph freezes moments in time”.

“Dad taught me how to capture rally images for a number of years, given his passion for motorsports. He taught me lots of things on rally photography and even in his retirement he will not shirk from keeping tabs with Safari updates.”

“Dad (Francois Baudin) is now a retired man. One of the things he gave me when I was coming for Safari was an old Kenya shilling 200 note which he carried as a souvenir back then and it is what I brought back to Kenya to remember his great work of photography. He was an ardent Safari fan and photographer. His passion for this iconic event was out of this world.

From the stories of photography that I heard from him, I have always wanted to be a part of Safari and Dakar Rally history. So, these are events I have always wanted to cover all along. I’m glad I have achieved the two from gracing this year’s Safari.”

 
Bastien Baudin getting ready for the repeat run of the Sleeping Warrior stage. Photo/ALVIN KIBET

Asked which WRC events count in his list of favourite rallies, Basten singles out Rally Argentina and Safari.

“The two rallies have similar features in terms of terrain toughness, they have a great atmosphere and friendly people. Very passionate spectators who go to stages to party and make big barbecues. It’s only in Kenya where people always smile.”

“It was my first time in Kenya, and I want to admit that it may not be the last visit, either. My dad used to tell me stories of Safari and the great stages. It was a dream come true to be here.”

 Bauden reveals that the daily grind of a rally photographer or videographer doesn’t end when they step out of a rally stage. 

“There is a lot more that happens after a stage has been closed. When we go back to our hotel rooms, we spend more time sifting through the hundreds of pictures we captured that day to pick out the best ones.”

A SUMMARY CATCHING THE KEY POINTS OF 2021 WRC SAFARI RALLY

-91 year old Zasada- oldest entrant

-19 year old Oliver Solberg makes Safari debut

-19 year wait for Safari to return to WRC

-Unbelievable crowds in stages and road sections- not seen elsewhere in the world.

-Party atmosphere and booming business

-Greensmith took 90 minutes to get to the hotel due to crowds.

-President flags off and spectated at 2 stages- where else does this happen?

-New word- Fesh Fesh. Kalle got stuck

-5 out of 11 WRC cars retired on Friday- Kalle, Dani, Evans, Solberg, Bertelli

-Rain on Saturday- driving on black cotton soil

-Wildlife on the route

-Ott Tanak’s “Jambo Africa” Tweet; standing in front of a giraffe

-Beautiful flora- Yellow Fever Acacias, thorn trees and euphorbias

-Scenery- Hells Gate, forests, lakes, Longonot and Aberdares. Located in the Rift Valley.

Variety- Forests and vast open spaces

-First podium for a Japanese in WRC since 1995

-Smallest margin of victory in Safari- 21.8 seconds

-Ogier and Katsuta tied for the lead 2 stages before finish

-Last day heartbreak for Neuville

– 3 privateer Kenyans in top 10 scoring WRC points

-T Rai’s and Prokop’s spectacular crashes

-McRae Kimathi named after the great 2002 Safari winner Colin McRae

-Presence of Jean Todt and Michele Mouton

– The “Sleeping Warrior” hill featuring prominently in WRC’s top action images

-Masai dancers at the finish

-Helicopters all over the place

-Watching every stage live thousands of kilometres away

-Thierry Neuville donating 2000 Euros to Sheldrick Wildlife Trust after Safari Rally Kenya.