Equator Rally back after Sikh Union Club intervenes
The Ford Fiesta of race winner Karan Patel, navigated by Tauseef Khan, cruises through the Kedong stage during the final day action of the ARC Equator Rally on April 3, 2022.
What you need to know:
- In the last two years, the Equator Rally ran on the WRC Safari Rally routes around Naivasha, with the KMSF having opted to try out a new competition route around Voi.
- Already, preparations for the Equator Rally were in top gear with Clerk of Course Gurvir Bhabra and the organising team having completed the rally’s route and Supplementary Regulations.
Sikh Union Club has taken charge of running the Equator Rally set for March 17-19.
Surinder Thatthi, who was recently appointed by Sports CS Ababu Namwamba as a member of the World Rally Championship (WRC) Safari Rally Steering Committee, said Sikh Union Club will definitely run the round of the African Rally Championship (ARC) Rally as scheduled.
“Yes Sikh Union Club will run the next round of the Kenya’s premier event after it was earlier cancelled citing financial reason,” Thatthi, the Event Director told Nation Sport.
All the rest of officials will remain in their original positions with the addition of Dali Kalsi as the ASN Steward.
The Equator Rally was to originally organised by officials under the WRC Safari Rally group before the government stepped in to disband the group.
On Monday, Kenya Motorsports Federation (KMSF) in a statement said delays in the release of government funding for the annual competition, that was to be held in Voi from March 17 to 19, has seen organisers throw in the towel.
The Equator Rally has for the last two seasons been a traditional dry run for the World Rally Championship Safari Rally.
In the last two years, the Equator Rally ran on the WRC Safari Rally routes around Naivasha, with the KMSF having opted to try out a new competition route around Voi.
Already, preparations for the Equator Rally were in top gear with Clerk of Course Gurvir Bhabra and the organising team having completed the rally’s route and Supplementary Regulations.
Rwanda’s Christian Gakwaya had been appointed as chairman of the rally’s stewards assisted by Tanzania’s Gurvinder Bala and Kenya’s John Kamau.
The FIA had also appointed Kamau as one of the stewards of this year’s WRC Rally Croatia in a ground-breaking assignment that will see Kamau become the first African local to officiate at a top WRC round in Europe.
Last week, Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba reconstituted the WRC Safari Rally’s Steering Committee and Organising Committee, appointing rally driver Carl Tundo as chairman of the new organising team assisted by Brian Mutembei.
Namwamba himself will head the Steering Committee, assisted by Sports Principal Secretary Jonathan Mueke.
In a gazette notice dated February 10, 2023, the Cabinet Secretary revoked the appointment of a team of officials picked by his predecessor Amina Mohamed last year to serve on a four-year term until the contract signed last year between the government and the FIA runs out in 2026.
“The functions of the steering committee shall be to offer policy and organisational framework meeting international standards for hosting the FIA World Championship Rally,” the gazette notice read.
