Kenyan Driver McRae Kimathi Subjected to Racist Attacks Ahead of Swedish Rally

The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) has condemned the recent social media racist abuse against Kenyan junior driver McRae Kimathi.

The World Rally Championship (WRC) governing body stated that there is no room for racism in the sport and in society, pledging to ensure the perpetrators of the racist remarks are reported to authorities.

“In the build-up to Rally Sweden, FIA Junior WRC competitor McRae Kimathi has been subjected to racist abuse on social media. We condemn racist abuse and any form of discrimination towards our teams, competitors, and fans,” FIA said in a statement on Wednesday.

“We will take all necessary steps to help ensure that any abuse is duly reported to the relevant authority. We are working to build a more diverse and inclusive sport and abuse must be highlighted and eliminated.”

Kimathi, a debut driver in this year’s Junior World Rally Championships being in Sweden, has been the subject of racial attacks online since his pre-season test earlier this month.

The 27-year-old is the only black and African driver in both the Sweden rally and the full Junior WRC campaign this year.

Kimathi started rallying in 2016 and is determined to follow in the steps of legendary rally driver Colin McRae, whom he is named after. He is being navigated by Mwangi Kioni.

“We are not really used to that type of weather, it’s normally sunshine all day long. I’ve never been on snow before or anything like it, so it’s a completely new experience for me,” Kimathi said ahead of the games that kick off on Thursday.

“We’ll try and learn as much as possible to gain experience. I want to learn the roads and the different surface, which will probably help me in the future.”