KNRC series heads to Eldoret
Karan Patel navigated by Tauseef Khan racing on a Ford Fiesta WRC 2 in action at Soysambu Stage during World Rally Championships Safari Rally, Kenya on June 24, 2023.
What you need to know:
- The number of drivers registering for the Kenya National Rally Championship series has been going down over the season, which is now a major cause for concern for the stakeholders.
Only 15 cars have registered for the Eldoret Rally set for this weekend.
The number of drivers registering for the Kenya National Rally Championship series events has been going down over the season, which is now a major cause for concern for the stakeholders.
Reigning Kenya National Rally champion, Karan Patel and Jasmeet Chana, the current leader of the 2023 KNRC series, are among the top drivers that have to entered the Western Kenya Motor Club round of the series.
Chana, whose Mitsubishi Lancer is sponsored by Rubis Energy, said he was looking for a couple of podium finishes to retain his place at the top of the championship table.
“We are leading the series as we enter the Eldoret Rally. But we need to make sure we are able to score good results in the remaining rounds to stay at the top. Our aim is to win the Overall Championship,” Chana told Nation Sport.
Six Mitsubishis are among the 15 cars which have entered the rally.
Hamza Anwar, who is also actively participating in the Junior FIA Rally Championship in a Ford Fiesta, will drive a Mitsubishi Lancer in the Eldoret Rally.
The Eldoret Rally will kick off Friday morning with the Scrutineering of the rally cars. The function will take place at the Rupa Mall in Eldoret town.
The actual rally will take place on Saturday with the official flagging of the rally at 7am from the Rupa Mall.
The event, which was to be organised by the Nanyuki Sports Club, is now being run by the Western Kenya Motor Club.
A total of four competitive stages will be run twice on the day of the competition.
The total competitive distance will be 145.20km while the liaison distance will be 170km. The total overhaul distance will be 315km.
The longest stage will be 37.7km while the shortest stage will be 12.5km. Drivers Briefing shall take place Friday afternoon at 5.30pm at Rupa Mall.
Eldoret will be the fifth round of the 2023 Kenya National Rally Championship event. It will be the first event after the WRC Safari Rally.
The official entry list:
1. Hamza Anwar/Adnan Din (Mitsubishi Evolution10)
2. Jasmeet Chana/Ravi Chana (Mitsubishi Evolution 10)
3. Karan Patel/Tauseef Khan (Mitsubishi Evolution 10)
4. Issa Amwari/Dennis Mwenda (Mitsubishi Evolution 10)
5. Ghalib Hajee/Riyaz Ismail (Mitsubishi Evolution 10)
6. Jeremiah Wahome/Victor Okundi (Ford Fiesta)
7. Rajveer Thethy/Wayne Fernandes (Subaru Impreza)
8. McRae Kimathi/Mwangi Kioni (Ford Fiesta)
9. Kush Patel/Mudasar Chaudry (Subaru Impreza)
10. Ian Duncan/Jaspal Matharu (Nissan 280 Z)
11. Amman Shah/Rahil Shah (Subaru Impreza)
12.Sam Karangatha/Edward Ndukui (Datsun 180B)
13.Sameer Nanji/Vinay Shah(VW Golf MK2)
14.Jose Sardinha/Shameer Yusuf (Pajero Mitsubishi)
15.Navdeep Sandhu/Mohamed Khurram (Subaru Leone)
