Turkey is to replace the Kenyan-based Safari Rally as host for a round of the World Rally Championship next year.

Turkey has been confirmed as the third event of the 2003 championship by the sport's governing body, the FIA.

The Safari has lost its place after failing to overcome mounting problems in recent years.

Organisers of the Safari Rally - the only African event - were hampered by a lack of funds and championship sponsor Inmarsat stepped in to allow this year's event to take place.

A third of the stages were held on closed roads in a bid to increase safety and reduce costs.

The news was met with a mixed response from rally drivers.

Many of them regret the loss of a classic rally, but also accept that not only had it become increasingly anachronistic, but that much of its uniqueness had been lost in recent years.

Turkey had a dry run for its world championship debut this season when it ran the Anatolian Rally with FIA backing.

A number of events have been switched for 2003.

The Rally of New Zealand moves to April from October and the Catalunya Rally is pushed back to the penultimate round of the championship.

This year's penultimate rally, the Rally of Australia, will be held in September and the Tour of Corsica is switched from March to late October.

The rallies of Germany and Great Britain are both provisional pending an examination of safety issues by the FIA Safety Commission.

The place of the British event is conditional upon there being no problems with spectator safety at this year's event, which starts on Thursday.

2003 World Rally Championship calendar:

22-26 Jan: Monte Carlo
5-9 Feb: Sweden
26 Feb-2 Mar: Turkey
9-13 Apr: New Zealand
7-11 May: Argentina
4-8 Jun: Acropolis (Greece)
18-22 Jun: Cyprus
23-27 Jul: Germany*
6-10 Aug: Finland
3-7 Sep: Australia
1-5 Oct: San Remo
15-19 Oct: Corsica
22-26 Oct: Catalunya (Spain)
5-9 Nov: Great Britain*

* = provisional pending safety enquiry