Betika pump millions to Safari Rally

Gaming firm Betika has come on board for World Rally Championship Safari Rally by sponsoring four cars for the event due June 24 to 27.

The function held Friday at the Nyayo Stadium, was attended by Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed, Nick Mruttu, the CEO of Betika and Patrick Njiru, the legendary Safari Rally driver.

CS Amina Mohamed thanked Beitika for supporting the WRC Safari Rally.

"Our government has made immense support towards the Safari Rally which is trying to get back in the WRC. The government has spent a lot financially and by other sources to make sure Safari Rally runs well,’’ said CS Amina in her speech. “We really appreciate Betika's support in the Safari Rally with such a good financial sponsorship package for the four rally cars and their drivers."

Nick Mruttu said he was happy and excited about Betika providing support to a young team of drivers in the WRC Safari Rally.

“We are giving between Sh80 to 100 million to make sure our young drivers have good support to take part in the Safari Rally which is known to many as one of the toughest rallies in the world. Our team consists of young and a mixture of male and females crews,’’ said Mruttu.

The team to be sponsored by Betika will include Maxine Wahome/Chantal Young, Anthony Muiruri/Edward Njoroge, Rahan Shah/Hershil Limbani and Hussein Malik/Linet Ayuko.

Their cars will be branded with Betika colours while the drivers will wear fireproof overalls also branded in the sponsor's colours and advertising materials.

Maxime will be the sole female driver in the entry list of the over 52 cars. With Chantal, they will also be the only female crew in the Safari Rally returning to WRC circuit for the first time in 19 years.

Maxine has performed incredibly well in other events such as Autocross, Motocross and Raid Rallies. She won the Motocross Championship in 2016 though it will be her first attempt at rally driving. The dad, Jimmy Wahome, is a former rally driver and is currently involved in the WRC Safari Rally as an official.

Shah is the former Motocross Champion having won the series in 2017. This will be Mutuiri’s first attempt at rallying though he has done well in the TTE races which are mostly done on open roads and tarmac. Basically he will be jumping from tarmac racing to rally driving on the rough stages.

The latest group of young drivers will join the other set of three crews who have secured sponsorship with the help of the FIA-Rally Star programme.

McRae Kimathi/Shameer Yusuf, Hamza Anwar/Riyaz Ismail and Jeremy Wahome/Victor Okundi have already been gifted the Ford Fiesta R3 rally cars for the Safari Rally later this month.

Wahome, who has made his name in the Formula Two and World of Karting, is yet to put his talent to rally driving skills. The three rally cars will be coming from M-Sport Poland.

The Ford Fiestas are powered by three cylinders developing 215bhp from a 1500cc eco boost engine with about 400 Nm of torque driving all 4 wheels drive via a 5 speed sequential gearbox. They weigh about 1210 kg. Top speed is estimated at about 185kph. The initial test and development program of these rally cars was to replace the ageing Group N category.

Over the next two seasons, these future stars will need to demonstrate that they can compete for victories and then for the title, as a full season in FIA WRC 3 will be the ultimate reward for a FIA Rally Star driver winning the championship.

Yves Maton, FIA Director said: “At a time when the World Rally Championship is exploring new territories, FIA Rally Star will encourage the emergence of a new generation of drivers. By using grassroots disciplines such as Digital Motorsport and Motorkhana, we will be able to give many young enthusiasts their chance. The most promising will then benefit from a tailor-made development programme, ultimately enabling them to join the WRC.’’